Change in Suzanne Somers' appearance in Three's Company

[JackJanetChrissy]

I realize it was mostly hair and makeup, but I can't get over how completely different Suzanne looks in Season 4.

In Season 2 she looked fresh and young, and by Season 4 she looked hard and much older. But there was only a year between filming Season 2 and 4, so the change seems extra dramatic. I realize the Season 4 Chrissy look was more "iconic," but there just seemed to be something else going on besides hair and makeup.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

I realize it was mostly hair and makeup, but I can't get over how completely different Suzanne looks in Season 4.

In Season 2 she looked fresh and young, and by Season 4 she looked hard and much older. But there was only a year between filming Season 2 and 4, so the change seems extra dramatic. I realize the Season 4 Chrissy look was more "iconic," but there just seemed to be something else going on besides hair and makeup.

I think she got some plastic surgery done on her face between Season 2 and 4. I thought she was at her best in Seasons 1 and 2. I got the impression it was Suzanne herself who transformed Chrissy into what she became in Seasons 3-5. What happened was a very memorable character that got a lot of people's attention, but she wasn't as sexy as she was before. Suzanne really threw herself into Chrissy and began to exaggerate all her quirks which were only there in a subtle fashion in Seasons 1 and 2. It all stopped looking realistic in Season 3.

It seemed early on she thought she wasn't very good at comedy, but she learned later on, describing comedy as "musical". I think once Suzanne understood comedic timing (which I think she succeeded in learning), the sexiness of Chrissy got seriously downplayed.

Click on "Actress Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross (and their eventual falling out)".

http://www.emmytvlegends.org/intervi...uzanne-somers#

[JackJanetChrissy]

Originally Posted by JSP

I think she got some plastic surgery done on her face between Season 2 and 4.

That's what I was wondering. Although I can't really pinpoint what was done....something definitely seems different. Perhaps it was just a matter of a different hair cut (I don't think bangs suited her at all) and color, but I can't help but think it was something more.

[cleverfun3000]

Could someone PLEASE post some pictures to emphasize the point of this thread??

[JSP]

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

That's what I was wondering. Although I can't really pinpoint what was done....something definitely seems different. Perhaps it was just a matter of a different hair cut (I don't think bangs suited her at all) and color, but I can't help but think it was something more.

It looks to me like her lips have gotten bigger over the years. She seemed to start that between Season 2 and 4.

[Bonniegirl]

She had a more natural shade of blonde ,than later she had that very bleached out almost white looking blonde! Also early seasons her makeup was minimal .With the very bleached out hair came heavier makeup! And they made her a total airhead in the later seasons too! Seemed she would make silly facial expressions to go along with her dinginess!

[JSP]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

She had a more natural shade of blonde ,than later she had that very bleached out almost white looking blonde! Also early seasons her makeup was minimal .With the very bleached out hair came heavier makeup! And they made her a total airhead in the later seasons too! Seemed she would make silly facial expressions to go along with her dinginess!

Thanks, Bonnie. Bottom Chrissy is Suzanne hitting her comedic stride. She could make people laugh. But by then it was a performance and the character lost her realism.

I like the top Chrissy a lot more because she seemed a lot more like a real person than the bottom Chrissy. Maybe it was just a case of too much makeup for bottom Chrissy.

[Mr. Television]

I loved Chrissy the first two seasons but they completely ruined her by making her so dumb. Originally she was just naive.

[BigManMike]

I liked her much better in Seasons 1 and 2. She was just fair in Season 3. I found her to be annoying in Season 4 and what little of Season 5 she was in. I was glad they brought in Cindy then Terri.

[Mace Dolex]

So weird how much sitcoms have changed, nowadays you wouldn't see a main sitcom character go through such a drastic change between seasons that the internet would go crazy.

[biffbronson]

I'm pretty much in agreement with those who prefer Suzanne's earlier looks, and original character type. I did like the fact that she let her hair become longer, but the (sometimes) nutty ponytails sort of diminished its beauty. (Color looks okay to me, either way.)

I think it goes without saying that sometimes changes in actors' health-related habits, or just periods of life can affect faces. For example, I think Linda Purl's face changed significantly in the short few years between when she finished work on Happy Days and her season of Matlock. And I doubt very much that she was having plastic surgery or injections at her age then:

[JackJanetChrissy]

I agree, BiffBronson. It's weird how much hair and makeup matter. I just can't get over how utterly different Suzanne's look changed so drastically, but as much as I try to find major (plastic surgery) changes, I can't really find anything....there is just *something* incredibly different.

It probably is just hair, though. I thought her hair color in Seasons 1 and 2 was just beautiful, and gave her a very ethereal, angelic look. When it got too blonde I thought it was less flattering to her skin tone. I never got why they gave her bangs, either. They really closed up her face. The Season 1 and 2 hair (no bangs) gave her a more wide-eyed, younger, innocent look.

[JackJanetChrissy]

Originally Posted by Mace Dolex

So weird how much sitcoms have changed, nowadays you wouldn't see a main sitcom character go through such a drastic change between seasons that the internet would go crazy.

I never thought of that, but you're right. However, I think they did an okay job of spreading Chrissy's dumbing-down and change in looks over Season 3, so that by the time we see her in Season 4 it's not too shocking. TC was lucky it wasn't a show with continuing story lines, her change would've been harder to sell.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

I'm pretty much in agreement with those who prefer Suzanne's earlier looks, and original character type. I did like the fact that she let her hair become longer, but the (sometimes) nutty ponytails sort of diminished its beauty. (Color looks okay to me, either way.)

I think it goes without saying that sometimes changes in actors' health-related habits, or just periods of life can affect faces. For example, I think Linda Purl's face changed significantly in the short few years between when she finished work on Happy Days and her season of Matlock. And I doubt very much that she was having plastic surgery or injections at her age then:

Hard work can age a person pretty quickly. People that make it in Hollywood work their butts off. Long hours on the job and not enough sleep can age people. Maybe that was all that happened with Suzanne after all. Plus, add smoking into the mix, which was common back then, plus social events of drinking, and perhaps even harder drugs (not saying Suzanne or Linda Purl did them), it's no wonder the Hollywood grind takes a toll on some people's looks.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

She had a more natural shade of blonde ,than later she had that very bleached out almost white looking blonde! Also early seasons her makeup was minimal .With the very bleached out hair came heavier makeup! And they made her a total airhead in the later seasons too! Seemed she would make silly facial expressions to go along with her dinginess!

Simply put, by about the third season, Chrissy became unspeakably stupid and childish in her mentality. Her mannerisms became so exaggerated and clownish, what with the face mugging, "Waahhhhh!" crying, and pig snorting laugh.