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BestTVever · 12-01-2024, 06:58 AM

This episode was on Antenna TV yesterday. I noticed a few things about this episode. It was the third from last episode that aired in early May 1980. The show was not announced cancelled by ABC yet.
The plot is a rather stale one where both Stanley and Helen try to make the other jealous of a fling they are not having. Jenny has only a few lines and is hardly seen.
However we get a little Threes Company magic or at least they tried to create some because there were a few TC trademarks.
Norman makes an insult joke and then pans to the camera in the episode. He rarely ever did this on The Ropers. It looked like Threes Company. We also get some "gay panic". Stanely puts his arm around Jeffery (the neighbor) and tells him he is through with women. Its all a misunderstanding but Jeffrey panics. It was another Threes Company trademark.
Helen even gets a sexual frustration joke in. Jenny tells Helen that its frustrating to draw fruit because it just lays there and does nothing. Helen says something like "I know how you feel."

Maybe it was just me but it felt like maybe because the ratings were declining they tried to insert some Threes Company stuff in. But it was a little too late.

On another note, I read that Audra said in someone's book in 1997 they were surprised ABC cancelled the Ropers because there was a late season surge in ratings in 1980. Any truth to that? Its hard to get ratings because ABC kept changing timeslots. It was on Saturday nights mostly in season 2. But the last 3 episodes aired another night. This was one of them.

JR1 · 12-04-2024, 08:08 PM

I don;'t think there was a "surge"; its rankings, I believe, were higher a couple of times than what they had been. It didn't finish in the season's top 30 shows.

BestTVever · 12-14-2024, 04:34 PM

In the next to last episode when Stanley goes to work for his brother in law Helen references that if he does not get a job the sales proceeds they made off the sale of their building will be gone. Its a reference to the Threes Company days. It also came way too late for Stanley to get a job.
I don't even think Jenny is in this episode. He role diminishes in the last few episodes.

TVFactFan · 02-02-2025, 03:39 PM

If the show was below 30 with the Threes company Trio appearing on the show, I dont think no TC trademarks was going to save anything.

IF ABC really wanted the show to succeed they would have aired it on Tuesday after TC like they did with happy days and laverne and shirley

12-01-2024, 06:58 AM	#1
BestTVever Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2021 Location: Miami Posts: 1,878	Old Flames This episode was on Antenna TV yesterday. I noticed a few things about this episode. It was the third from last episode that aired in early May 1980. The show was not announced cancelled by ABC yet. The plot is a rather stale one where both Stanley and Helen try to make the other jealous of a fling they are not having. Jenny has only a few lines and is hardly seen. However we get a little Threes Company magic or at least they tried to create some because there were a few TC trademarks. Norman makes an insult joke and then pans to the camera in the episode. He rarely ever did this on The Ropers. It looked like Threes Company. We also get some "gay panic". Stanely puts his arm around Jeffery (the neighbor) and tells him he is through with women. Its all a misunderstanding but Jeffrey panics. It was another Threes Company trademark. Helen even gets a sexual frustration joke in. Jenny tells Helen that its frustrating to draw fruit because it just lays there and does nothing. Helen says something like "I know how you feel." Maybe it was just me but it felt like maybe because the ratings were declining they tried to insert some Threes Company stuff in. But it was a little too late. On another note, I read that Audra said in someone's book in 1997 they were surprised ABC cancelled the Ropers because there was a late season surge in ratings in 1980. Any truth to that? Its hard to get ratings because ABC kept changing timeslots. It was on Saturday nights mostly in season 2. But the last 3 episodes aired another night. This was one of them.

12-04-2024, 08:08 PM	#2
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	I don;'t think there was a "surge"; its rankings, I believe, were higher a couple of times than what they had been. It didn't finish in the season's top 30 shows.

12-14-2024, 04:34 PM	#3
BestTVever Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2021 Location: Miami Posts: 1,878	In the next to last episode when Stanley goes to work for his brother in law Helen references that if he does not get a job the sales proceeds they made off the sale of their building will be gone. Its a reference to the Threes Company days. It also came way too late for Stanley to get a job. I don't even think Jenny is in this episode. He role diminishes in the last few episodes.

02-02-2025, 03:39 PM	#4
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 98,978	If the show was below 30 with the Threes company Trio appearing on the show, I dont think no TC trademarks was going to save anything. IF ABC really wanted the show to succeed they would have aired it on Tuesday after TC like they did with happy days and laverne and shirley