Joyce really was a trooper.... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JSP · 09-22-2014, 08:56 AM

So I'm nearly done with watching Season 5 and out of nearly 5 seasons she's maybe had 4 or 5 episodes in the whole series where she was the focus? Between John and Suzanne particularly in Season 4 Joyce was kind of the forgotten middle child. Ultimately it still feels that way these days.

At this rate I could kind of see why she was hurt in not being included in the Three's Company spinoff with John Ritter. 8 years of making it as a supporting act and now they were just casting her aside? But to me that still wouldn't have worked having Jack and Janet married to each other.

Maybe as an act of gratitude to Joyce, the producers could have come up with an original idea of their own and not do something based off of Man About The House or its spinoffs. Maybe they could have created a starring vehicle for Joyce. Heck, call it "The Joyce Dewitt Show". Show some kind of gratitude to her for being the supportive force behind John Ritter she was all those years. Joyce should have a had a chance to see how she would have done as the lead of a sitcom after 8 years as a supporting character.

JackJanetChrissy · 09-22-2014, 01:49 PM

I think Larry and Janet should've become roomies.....or more than roomies. Can you imagine?

Richard Kline didn't have as big a part as Joyce, but I thought it a terrible mistake for Larry to disappear. He never did anything but make a scene or episode better, funnier, and more interesting. I would have loved to watch him slime it at the used car lot lol.

JSP · 09-22-2014, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

I think Larry and Janet should've become roomies.....or more than roomies. Can you imagine?

Richard Kline didn't have as big a part as Joyce, but I thought it a terrible mistake for Larry to disappear. He never did anything but make a scene or episode better, funnier, and more interesting. I would have loved to watch him slime it at the used car lot lol.

That would have been cool. But I kind of would still like to see Joyce play someone in a sitcom besides Janet Wood.

Mood Ring · 09-22-2014, 07:40 PM

Three's Company was really a vehicle for John. Suzanne and Joyce were cast as supporting characters. It was the chemistry between all of them that made the show.

Even though John was an outstanding comedic talent, and the Chrissy character became very popular (she became almost as popular as Farrah at one point), none of them had enough star power to have their own show... least of all Joyce. Three's a Crowd was proof of that.

JSP · 09-22-2014, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mood Ring

Even though John was an outstanding comedic talent, and the Chrissy character became very popular (she became almost as popular as Farrah at one point), none of them had enough star power to have their own show... least of all Joyce. Three's a Crowd was proof of that.

I think Joyce should of at least had the chance before we decided if she couldn't be a lead.

I'm sure there were those who were fans of "Taxi" that would have never guessed Tony Danza would have a hit show starring vehicle with "Who's The Boss" at the time too. But it happened.

JackJanetChrissy · 09-22-2014, 10:32 PM

I agree, I think Joyce DeWitt could have carried her own show only if it were free of any TC trappings. But I also think TC was an ensemble show and the trio was the sum of its parts. Individually they just don't work. Look at how great the Ropers were on the show, and when they got their own show it just felt like it was missing something. Same with TAC. Three's Company is just that--the trio making it work.

Mood Ring · 09-22-2014, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

I think Joyce should of at least had the chance before we decided if she couldn't be a lead.

I'm sure there were those who were fans of "Taxi" that would have never guessed Tony Danza would have a hit show starring vehicle with "Who's The Boss" at the time too. But it happened.

Tony and Judith Light was both stars of that show. The supporting actors and the writers were outstanding too. That show came along at the right place and the right time. Success is also a matter of timing.

Maybe if Joyce had other great supporting actors/characters surrounding her... m-a-y-b-e. Don't get me wrong I love Joyce, but she didn't do much after TC was over.

JSP · 09-23-2014, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mood Ring

Tony and Judith Light was both stars of that show. The supporting actors and the writers were outstanding too. That show came along at the right place and the right time. Success is also a matter of timing.

Maybe if Joyce had other great supporting actors/characters surrounding her... m-a-y-b-e. Don't get me wrong I love Joyce, but she didn't do much after TC was over.

Well yeah, the timing, support and writing would have had to be there too. But that's the case in any show. No star of a sitcom can carry it all on their own. Is there such as a thing as a hit show where the lead was just so awesomely talented that it didn't matter who the supporting players were or if the writing was any good? No.

And the main reason why Joyce probably didn't do much is because she withdrew from the biz for a while. I'm sure she could have got some sitcom offers in the immediate years after Three's Company if she wanted to stick with it. But I think she was a little disillusioned about Hollywood after getting shut out from Three's A Crowd and was just that upset with the way the producers handled it.

Mood Ring · 09-23-2014, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

Well yeah, the timing, support and writing would have had to be there too. But that's the case in any show. No star of a sitcom can carry it all on their own. Is there such as a thing as a hit show where the lead was just so awesomely talented that it didn't matter who the supporting players were or if the writing was any good? No.

And the main reason why Joyce probably didn't do much is because she withdrew from the biz for a while. I'm sure she could have got some sitcom offers in the immediate years after Three's Company if she wanted to stick with it. But I think she was a little disillusioned about Hollywood after getting shut out from Three's A Crowd and was just that upset with the way the producers handled it.

So it was all Joyce's decision NOT to work after TC? I don't buy that.

JackJanetChrissy · 09-23-2014, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mood Ring

[/B]

So it was all Joyce's decision NOT to work after TC? I don't buy that.

Yes, I completely believe it was her choice. During the show's run she was always uncomfortable with the Hollywood spotlight. She took her "work" seriously (bordering-on-pretentious seriously) and shunned publicity as much as she could. Her origins were in the theater and after all of the miscommunication and let-down regarding the end of TC and her exclusion from TAC, I think she was ready for a break. She is one of the few who saved her money and disappeared for a while.

I mean, Suzanne was FIRED from the show and she still got an offer for "She's the Sheriff" and another CBS show that wasn't picked up....but still, she got offers. So Joyce for sure could have had options.

JSP · 09-23-2014, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

Yes, I completely believe it was her choice. During the show's run she was always uncomfortable with the Hollywood spotlight. She took her "work" seriously (bordering-on-pretentious seriously) and shunned publicity as much as she could. Her origins were in the theater and after all of the miscommunication and let-down regarding the end of TC and her exclusion from TAC, I think she was ready for a break. She is one of the few who saved her money and disappeared for a while.

I mean, Suzanne was FIRED from the show and she still got an offer for "She's the Sheriff" and another CBS show that wasn't picked up....but still, she got offers. So Joyce for sure could have had options.

Yeah I agree with that. Actors that have made it can always work. It just depends on how picky they are. I also think Joyce is fairly selective about what projects she'll accept. Joyce really did drop out for several years on her own choice.

JSP · 09-23-2014, 06:01 PM

I could really picture Joyce Dewitt being the lead of an ensemble show like "Mary Tyler Moore". No matter what, the show's main theme would have had to entail Joyce overcoming adversity. Someone who's the underdog who has to put up with a lot of B.S. in order to be taken seriously sounds right up Joyce's alley. There weren't a lot of shows that dealt with the problems women faced in the 1980s, and Joyce could have filled in that void nicely.

Of course, while I think Joyce would have been fine in a "Mary Tyler Moore" ripoff, critics would have still accused it of being a "Mary Tyler Moore" ripoff. How to make it different from "Mary Tyler Moore" I don't know and that's where someone with more creativity than myself would have to come in.

JackJanetChrissy · 09-23-2014, 08:14 PM

Whenever Janet was shown working in the flower shop, I loved how she was the boss. It's funny to me that the producers wanted her to come across as "the bossy one" or sort of a drag to the other characters, but I always admired Janet's spitfire personality. She was soft and kind but tough when she needed to be, and she didn't let people get away with stuff just to be liked. She wasn't afraid to be the heavy and usually did it with reason and kindness. I think that's rare for female characters to be tough but genuinely nice. Usually one character trait is sacrificed for the other, or the character is too cynical, or self-reflective, etc. Maybe it shouldn't have been a TC spinoff, but I wish I could see the Janet character reincarnated somewhere else.

TVFactFan · 09-23-2014, 11:59 PM

People tuned in every week to see Jack and Chrissy. Janet was the straight character for Jack and Chrissy. Not really lead material

She was

the Louise of the Jeffersons
the Richie of Happy Days
Mindy of Mork and Mindy

09-22-2014, 08:56 AM	#1
JSP Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 19, 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,735	Joyce really was a trooper.... So I'm nearly done with watching Season 5 and out of nearly 5 seasons she's maybe had 4 or 5 episodes in the whole series where she was the focus? Between John and Suzanne particularly in Season 4 Joyce was kind of the forgotten middle child. Ultimately it still feels that way these days. At this rate I could kind of see why she was hurt in not being included in the Three's Company spinoff with John Ritter. 8 years of making it as a supporting act and now they were just casting her aside? But to me that still wouldn't have worked having Jack and Janet married to each other. Maybe as an act of gratitude to Joyce, the producers could have come up with an original idea of their own and not do something based off of Man About The House or its spinoffs. Maybe they could have created a starring vehicle for Joyce. Heck, call it "The Joyce Dewitt Show". Show some kind of gratitude to her for being the supportive force behind John Ritter she was all those years. Joyce should have a had a chance to see how she would have done as the lead of a sitcom after 8 years as a supporting character.

09-22-2014, 01:49 PM	#2
JackJanetChrissy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 18, 2014 Posts: 1,005	I think Larry and Janet should've become roomies.....or more than roomies. Can you imagine? Richard Kline didn't have as big a part as Joyce, but I thought it a terrible mistake for Larry to disappear. He never did anything but make a scene or episode better, funnier, and more interesting. I would have loved to watch him slime it at the used car lot lol.

09-22-2014, 07:40 PM	#4
Mood Ring Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 28, 2014 Location: East coast Posts: 468	Three's Company was really a vehicle for John. Suzanne and Joyce were cast as supporting characters. It was the chemistry between all of them that made the show. Even though John was an outstanding comedic talent, and the Chrissy character became very popular (she became almost as popular as Farrah at one point), none of them had enough star power to have their own show... least of all Joyce. Three's a Crowd was proof of that.

09-22-2014, 10:32 PM	#6
JackJanetChrissy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 18, 2014 Posts: 1,005	I agree, I think Joyce DeWitt could have carried her own show only if it were free of any TC trappings. But I also think TC was an ensemble show and the trio was the sum of its parts. Individually they just don't work. Look at how great the Ropers were on the show, and when they got their own show it just felt like it was missing something. Same with TAC. Three's Company is just that--the trio making it work.

09-23-2014, 06:01 PM	#12
JSP Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 19, 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,735	I could really picture Joyce Dewitt being the lead of an ensemble show like "Mary Tyler Moore". No matter what, the show's main theme would have had to entail Joyce overcoming adversity. Someone who's the underdog who has to put up with a lot of B.S. in order to be taken seriously sounds right up Joyce's alley. There weren't a lot of shows that dealt with the problems women faced in the 1980s, and Joyce could have filled in that void nicely. Of course, while I think Joyce would have been fine in a "Mary Tyler Moore" ripoff, critics would have still accused it of being a "Mary Tyler Moore" ripoff. How to make it different from "Mary Tyler Moore" I don't know and that's where someone with more creativity than myself would have to come in.

09-23-2014, 08:14 PM	#13
JackJanetChrissy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 18, 2014 Posts: 1,005	Whenever Janet was shown working in the flower shop, I loved how she was the boss. It's funny to me that the producers wanted her to come across as "the bossy one" or sort of a drag to the other characters, but I always admired Janet's spitfire personality. She was soft and kind but tough when she needed to be, and she didn't let people get away with stuff just to be liked. She wasn't afraid to be the heavy and usually did it with reason and kindness. I think that's rare for female characters to be tough but genuinely nice. Usually one character trait is sacrificed for the other, or the character is too cynical, or self-reflective, etc. Maybe it shouldn't have been a TC spinoff, but I wish I could see the Janet character reincarnated somewhere else.

09-23-2014, 11:59 PM	#14
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,015	People tuned in every week to see Jack and Chrissy. Janet was the straight character for Jack and Chrissy. Not really lead material She was the Louise of the Jeffersons the Richie of Happy Days Mindy of Mork and Mindy