Good interview on Suzanne Somers' departure from Three's Company

[TMC]

The producer:


Suzanne trying to make it a feminist issue:

[thejasoomian]

I don't feel sorry for Suzanne at all. She rolled the dice and lost big time. I don't blame her for trying to get more money though. In most cases , if you don't ask for a raise you won't get one. She was just too greedy. What really bothers me the most about all of it was from my take on listening to George and Bea is that Suzanne was willing to submarine the show in order to get her way. If she didn't get her demands then she'd kill the show. And by going on those talk shows she really tried too. In the end , things worked out for her. But I really don't think she is a genuine person. I don't dislike her but rather just giving my honest opinion about all of this.

[DEH55]

If it was a different time Like 20 years later or 15 years later things would have worked out better for her. There wouldn't have been a fallout. Back then women weren't really respected by the male Hollywood producers.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by DEH55

If it was a different time Like 20 years later or 15 years later things would have worked out better for her. There wouldn't have been a fallout. Back then women weren't really respected by the male Hollywood producers.

That's true. Even though John was the star of the show, there is a huge gulf between what Suzanne was making ($30,000 per episode) and what John was making ($150,000). I wish a reasonable compromise could have been worked out.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That's true. Even though John was the star of the show, there is a huge gulf between what Suzanne was making ($30,000 per episode) and what John was making ($150,000). I wish a reasonable compromise could have been worked out.

John made $50K per episode NOT 150K so the gap wasn't THAT wide.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

John made $50K per episode NOT 150K so the gap wasn't THAT wide.

That isn't what CNBC says:

Originally Posted by CNBC

When Somers asked for a raise to $150,000 an episode, which was equal to what her “Three’s Company” co-star John Ritter was receiving and what other male actors were being paid at the time, ABC offered her $5,000 more.

Looper says the same thing:

She got fired after a 1980 contract renegotiation went sour — she wanted a raise from $30,000 an episode to $150,000, commensurate with what John Ritter pulled down.

People agrees:

In 1980, after four seasons on ABC’s Emmy-winning comedy series, the 73-year-old actress and entrepreneur was fired after she asked for a pay hike from $30,000 an episode to $150,000 an episode, which was on par with her male costar, John Ritter.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That isn't what CNBC says:



Looper says the same thing:


People agrees:

Ok, I stand corrected. I could've sworn in the TC documentary I saw it said the girls made $30K per episode & Ritter made $50k.

That is a pretty glaring difference. I wonder what Joyce thought of that?

[thejasoomian]

That article is incorrect. John was not making $150,000 per episode. That's just some more of Suzanne's BS.

According to the book by Chris Mann on page #157, a quote from Ted Bergmann says Ritter made $50,000 per episode in the 1980-1981 season. He also said Ritter did not partake in any of the Three's Company point profits. Suzanne was claiming he did on talk shows. Ritter did have profit points when he did "Three's A Crowd" . But never Three's Company.

On page #159 it says Suzanne disclosed Ritter's salary as $50,000 a episode in a interview she did at that time as well. When she was trying to negotiate her $150K per episode contract with profit points.

Bergmann later says if we were to give Suzanne 150K a episode then they would have to give Joyce that much because of her contract agreement. Plus he said that they would have to give John in excess of 150K.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by thejasoomian

That article is incorrect. John was not making $150,000 per episode. That's just some more of Suzanne's BS.

According to the book by Chris Mann on page #157, a quote from Ted Bergmann says Ritter made $50,000 per episode in the 1980-1981 season. He also said Ritter did not partake in any of the Three's Company point profits. Suzanne was claiming he did on talk shows. Ritter did have profit points when he did "Three's A Crowd" . But never Three's Company.

On page #159 it says Suzanne disclosed Ritter's salary as $50,000 a episode in a interview she did at that time as well. When she was trying to negotiate her $150K per episode contract with profit points.

Bergmann later says if we were to give Suzanne 150K a episode then they would have to give Joyce that much because of her contract agreement. Plus he said that they would have to give John in excess of 150K.

Thank you! I knew $150K was too much. There's no way John would make FIVE times what the girls made!

Ready to apologize Retroguy?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

Thank you! I knew $150K was too much. There's no way John would make FIVE times what the girls made!

Ready to apologize Retroguy?

Sure am! I am convinced by thejasoomian's references. Glad to know the truth! But I wonder why People, of all sites, gave out Suzanne's phoney numbers.

[TV Guy]

It was crazy that John Ritter didn’t have profit points in TC. Frankly, Joyce and Suzanne should have, too. Suzanne’s negotiating approach stunk, as does her creative approach to the truth (as Joyce has called it). But that show made over a half billion dollars in syndicated reruns. And it was an independent production, so the producers didn’t have to split it with a studio. The actors deserved some of that.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

It was crazy that John Ritter didn’t have profit points in TC. Frankly, Joyce and Suzanne should have, too. Suzanne’s negotiating approach stunk, as does her creative approach to the truth (as Joyce has called it). But that show made over a half billion dollars in syndicated reruns. And it was an independent production, so the producers didn’t have to split it with a studio. The actors deserved some of that.

So who are the small group of people who got that half a BILLION dollars?? And it's STILL growing!

So NOBODY on the TC cast got ANY residuals AT ALL??

[TV Guy]

DLT Entertainment (http://www.dltentertainment.com) owns the show, and is headed by the son of Don Taffner, the producer of the show. I imagine the other executives involved - Ted Bergman, Don Nicholl, Mickey Ross, Bernie West - or their estates are either still profiting or sold out to Taffner’s son.

The TC cast almost certainly received residuals, but that’s different from profit sharing. And those residuals have likely long since run out, or are down to a very small amount per year.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

DLT Entertainment (http://www.dltentertainment.com) owns the show, and is headed by the son of Don Taffner, the producer of the show. I imagine the other executives involved - Ted Bergman, Don Nicholl, Mickey Ross, Bernie West - or their estates are either still profiting or sold out to Taffner’s son.

The TC cast almost certainly received residuals, but that’s different from profit sharing. And those residuals have likely long since run out, or are down to a very small amount per year.

So the son of Don Taffner is worth hundreds of MILLIONS of dollars just for being in the lucky sperm club!

[Johnny be good!]

Luckily when she worked for ABC on Step by Step, all the crew from TC were long gone.