"Three's Company" on DVD - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Latka Gravas · 12-18-2020, 02:33 AM

Three's Company was a clever & funny series, and much of the humor was based on misunderstandings & innuendos - LOL. The show depicted a "swinging" & somewhat care-free, sunny California lifestyle that was definitely a product of it's time.

I didn't see much of the show when it was originally on, but caught it later in re-runs in the latter '80's & early '90's. The female roommates were all great, but my favorite was the tall, statuesque Cindy (Jenilee Harrison). Though she wasn't in that many episodes, I thought she was the most attractive of all the lead female characters - the others being Janet, Chrissy, and Terri.

Though Mr. & Mrs. Roper (the original landords) were mildly funny at times, my favorite landlord was the cheapskate Mr. Furley, played by the late Don Knotts - he was the one that came after The Ropers' left the show. This is quite possibly Knotts' best role; the character was both pathetic & funny - LOL. He thought of himself as a ladies man, but was in fact the exact opposite. His ugly leisure suits & obvious rug were hilarious; I cracked up just looking at him - LOL.

Also very memorable was the sultry neighbor Lana Shields (played by the late Anne Wedgeworth).

I can't see a show like this being released & becoming that popular today. For one thing, very few viewers these days would believe that a landlord would get upset/give a damn that a single man & two single women are all roommates.

I finally started watching Three's Company on the DVD set(s). I've only seen the first season so far. This is my first time watching the show in about 30 years.

My review:

The PQ is below average, but still probably slightly better than a VHS rip; and, I've seen worse PQ on TV shows (on DVD) from this era. I suspect the problem(s) lie with the limitations of the original prints/source material.

This 1st season is short, and only has 6 episodes. The reason for this was that it originally aired in Spring 1977, which was late in the TV season.

The show itself is great & laugh-out loud funny. It's very clever & well-written, with amusing characters & storylines. That being said, due to the content there is NO WAY a show like this would fly today.

I liked how Jack Tripper's becoming a new room-mate of Chrissy & Janet was organically done, and not just shoe-horned in as an unrealistic plot device. I.e., their 3rd room-mate had recently left due to her being pregnant & planning to get married. And, the morning after the 3rd room-mate's going away party, Jack was found asleep in the bath-tub (presumably because he was drunk) - ha ha. Jack's clothes were wet, so while they dried he stuck around & decided to cook everyone breakfast. After the ladies quickly realized he was an excellent cook & because they needed a 3rd person to help with the rent, they decided to choose him as the 3rd new room-mate.

The Ropers were funnier than I remember them being. All of their dialogue is great. One of their most humorous exchanges was early on, when Jack was trying to convince the Ropers that he would be a good choice for a room-mate - and that there would be no hanky-panky between him & the two women:

Jack Tripper: "It would be strictly platonic."
Mr. Roper: "What does that mean?"
Mrs. Roper: "Just like you and me, Stanley." - LOL

TV Guy · 12-18-2020, 02:54 AM

Three’s Company, like many of its contemporaries, was recorded on videotape as opposed to film. Videotaped shows will never look great on DVD or Blu-ray because tape is inherently low res as opposed to film. Too bad.

The early years of TC are a lot of fun. There are some good episodes in the later years, too, but each cast change weakened the show.

thejasoomian · 12-20-2020, 11:35 PM

It's hard to beat the 6th and 7th season , IMO .

TVFactFan · 02-08-2021, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV Guy

Three’s Company, like many of its contemporaries, was recorded on videotape as opposed to film. Videotaped shows will never look great on DVD or Blu-ray because tape is inherently low res as opposed to film. Too bad.

The early years of TC are a lot of fun. There are some good episodes in the later years, too, but each cast change weakened the show.

Not only that the series is incomplete on DVD and on both releases

BestTVever · 03-17-2021, 06:13 AM

The show was so ground breaking when it first aired. There had not been this much sexual themes in a TV show before. TV censors got more conservative when the 80's came around. I was in elementary school when it debuted and it was used as a benchmark how grown up you were. "I watch Threes Company" Many parents did not allow their young kids to watch because of all the sexual themes. Unless you grew up in the 70s you dont realize how ground breaking the show was. Jack was not gay but being implied that he was gay was a joke and they made fun of someone being gay. There was no political correctness and people laughed at gay people back then.

DORVID · 03-18-2021, 12:03 PM

Hello. Do you own the box set?

DORVID · 03-18-2021, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Not only that the series is incomplete on DVD and on both releases

Hi. Do you own the box set?

TVFactFan · 03-18-2021, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DORVID

Hi. Do you own the box set?

Yes and im not telling you

SitcomsHeydayfan · 03-19-2021, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Yes and im not telling you

You just told him you have it!

DORVID · 03-20-2021, 12:52 PM

Abba & Zabba everyone.

SitcomsHeydayfan · 03-21-2021, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DORVID

Abba & Zabba everyone.

WTF are you talking about??

TVFactFan · 03-21-2021, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

WTF are you talking about??

Just put on your ignore list, he on meds

SitcomsHeydayfan · 03-22-2021, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thejasoomian

It's hard to beat the 6th and 7th season , IMO .

Totally agree. Those are probably the 2 best seasons. Season 5 comes in 3rd place & Season 8 comes in 4th place.

JediJones · 05-25-2021, 06:13 PM

I also love the Terri years. The writing had to get sharper when they couldn't count on writing for a "dumb" character, and they rose to the challenge.

Mace Dolex · 05-25-2021, 11:12 PM

I grew up on the show via syndication reruns so I couldn't tell what season I was watching I could only go by the actors physical changes and clothes styles.

To me the whole series was consistently funny I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite season but I can definitely single out the dull episodes.

12-18-2020, 02:33 AM	#1
Latka Gravas Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 27, 2019 Location: United States Posts: 396	"Three's Company" on DVD Three's Company was a clever & funny series, and much of the humor was based on misunderstandings & innuendos - LOL. The show depicted a "swinging" & somewhat care-free, sunny California lifestyle that was definitely a product of it's time. I didn't see much of the show when it was originally on, but caught it later in re-runs in the latter '80's & early '90's. The female roommates were all great, but my favorite was the tall, statuesque Cindy (Jenilee Harrison). Though she wasn't in that many episodes, I thought she was the most attractive of all the lead female characters - the others being Janet, Chrissy, and Terri. Though Mr. & Mrs. Roper (the original landords) were mildly funny at times, my favorite landlord was the cheapskate Mr. Furley, played by the late Don Knotts - he was the one that came after The Ropers' left the show. This is quite possibly Knotts' best role; the character was both pathetic & funny - LOL. He thought of himself as a ladies man, but was in fact the exact opposite. His ugly leisure suits & obvious rug were hilarious; I cracked up just looking at him - LOL. Also very memorable was the sultry neighbor Lana Shields (played by the late Anne Wedgeworth). I can't see a show like this being released & becoming that popular today. For one thing, very few viewers these days would believe that a landlord would get upset/give a damn that a single man & two single women are all roommates. I finally started watching Three's Company on the DVD set(s). I've only seen the first season so far. This is my first time watching the show in about 30 years. My review: The PQ is below average, but still probably slightly better than a VHS rip; and, I've seen worse PQ on TV shows (on DVD) from this era. I suspect the problem(s) lie with the limitations of the original prints/source material. This 1st season is short, and only has 6 episodes. The reason for this was that it originally aired in Spring 1977, which was late in the TV season. The show itself is great & laugh-out loud funny. It's very clever & well-written, with amusing characters & storylines. That being said, due to the content there is NO WAY a show like this would fly today. I liked how Jack Tripper's becoming a new room-mate of Chrissy & Janet was organically done, and not just shoe-horned in as an unrealistic plot device. I.e., their 3rd room-mate had recently left due to her being pregnant & planning to get married. And, the morning after the 3rd room-mate's going away party, Jack was found asleep in the bath-tub (presumably because he was drunk) - ha ha. Jack's clothes were wet, so while they dried he stuck around & decided to cook everyone breakfast. After the ladies quickly realized he was an excellent cook & because they needed a 3rd person to help with the rent, they decided to choose him as the 3rd new room-mate. The Ropers were funnier than I remember them being. All of their dialogue is great. One of their most humorous exchanges was early on, when Jack was trying to convince the Ropers that he would be a good choice for a room-mate - and that there would be no hanky-panky between him & the two women: Jack Tripper: "It would be strictly platonic." Mr. Roper: "What does that mean?" Mrs. Roper: "Just like you and me, Stanley." - LOL
	Last edited by Latka Gravas; 01-15-2021 at 01:35 AM.

12-18-2020, 02:54 AM	#2
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Three’s Company, like many of its contemporaries, was recorded on videotape as opposed to film. Videotaped shows will never look great on DVD or Blu-ray because tape is inherently low res as opposed to film. Too bad. The early years of TC are a lot of fun. There are some good episodes in the later years, too, but each cast change weakened the show.

12-20-2020, 11:35 PM	#3
thejasoomian Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 15, 2019 Posts: 327	It's hard to beat the 6th and 7th season , IMO .

03-17-2021, 06:13 AM	#5
BestTVever Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2021 Location: Miami Posts: 1,899	The show was so ground breaking when it first aired. There had not been this much sexual themes in a TV show before. TV censors got more conservative when the 80's came around. I was in elementary school when it debuted and it was used as a benchmark how grown up you were. "I watch Threes Company" Many parents did not allow their young kids to watch because of all the sexual themes. Unless you grew up in the 70s you dont realize how ground breaking the show was. Jack was not gay but being implied that he was gay was a joke and they made fun of someone being gay. There was no political correctness and people laughed at gay people back then.

03-18-2021, 12:03 PM	#6
DORVID Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 13, 2020 Posts: 408	Hello. Do you own the box set?

03-20-2021, 12:52 PM	#10
DORVID Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 13, 2020 Posts: 408	Abba & Zabba everyone.

05-25-2021, 06:13 PM	#14
JediJones Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 25, 2014 Location: East PA Posts: 36	I also love the Terri years. The writing had to get sharper when they couldn't count on writing for a "dumb" character, and they rose to the challenge.

05-25-2021, 11:12 PM	#15
Mace Dolex Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 12, 2013 Posts: 2,666	I grew up on the show via syndication reruns so I couldn't tell what season I was watching I could only go by the actors physical changes and clothes styles. To me the whole series was consistently funny I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite season but I can definitely single out the dull episodes.