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''Three's a Crowd'' (also known as ''Three's Company, Too'' in the ''Three's Company'' syndication package) is an American
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''
Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single roomma ...
'' that aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
from September 25, 1984 (only one week after the final episode of ''Three's Company'' was broadcast) until April 9, 1985, with reruns airing until September 10, 1985. It is loosely based on the
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location ...
'' Robin's Nest'', which was itself a spin-off of ''
Man About the House ''Man About the House'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 A ...
'', upon which ''Three's Company'' was based.


Plot

In ''Three's Company'''s final episodes, Vicky Bradford ( Mary Cadorette) is introduced as a love interest of Jack Tripper (
John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...
), beginning with the episode titled "Cupid Works Overtime." In the following two-part episode, "Friends and Lovers", Jack proposes marriage, but Vicky, afraid of marriage after witnessing her parents' tumultuous relationship and bitter divorce, declines the offer. Vicky instead convinces Jack to move in with her in the vacant apartment above his restaurant. Vicky's wealthy father James Bradford (
Robert Mandan Robert Mandan (February 2, 1932 – April 29, 2018) was an American actor, best known for his roles as Sam Reynolds on ''Search for Tomorrow'' (1965–1970), Chester Tate, the womanizing businessman husband of Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond ...
) buys the building from Jack's former boss, Frank Angelino. James does not approve of Jack and he constantly tries to disrupt his and Vicky's relationship. Other characters include E.Z. Taylor ( Alan Campbell), Jack's eccentric assistant at the bistro, and Claudia Bradford (
Jessica Walter Jessica Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in over 170 film, stage and television productions. In film, she was best known for her role as a psychotic and obsessed fan of a local disc jockey in t ...
), Vicky's mother and James' ex-wife.


Cast


Main

*
John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...
as
Jack Tripper Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', based upon the character Robin Tripp from ''Man About the House'' created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Jack was played by actor John Ritter. Introduction Janet rea ...
* Mary Cadorette as Victoria "Vicky" Bradford *
Robert Mandan Robert Mandan (February 2, 1932 – April 29, 2018) was an American actor, best known for his roles as Sam Reynolds on ''Search for Tomorrow'' (1965–1970), Chester Tate, the womanizing businessman husband of Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond ...
as James Bradford * Alan Campbell as E.Z. Taylor


Recurring

*
Jessica Walter Jessica Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in over 170 film, stage and television productions. In film, she was best known for her role as a psychotic and obsessed fan of a local disc jockey in t ...
as Claudia Bradford


Production history

''Three's Company'' had been based on the sitcom ''Man About the House'', which aired on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
in the United Kingdom from 1973 to 1976. When the series concluded, producers
Brian Cooke Brian Cooke (born 1937) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including ''Man About the House'', ''George and Mildred'', and '' ...
and
Johnnie Mortimer John Mortimer (2 July 1931 – 2 September 1992) professionally Johnnie Mortimer, was a British scriptwriter for British TV whose work, along with creative writing partner Brian Cooke, also served as inspiration for American television pro ...
devised two spin-offs. The first was ''
George and Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from ''Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple Ge ...
'', which ran from 1976 to 1979 and starred
Brian Murphy Brian Murphy may refer to: Sportspeople * Brian Murphy (Jamaican cricketer) (born 1973), Jamaican cricketer * Brian Murphy (Zimbabwean cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brian Murphy (baseball) (born 1980), American head baseball coach ...
and
Yootha Joyce Yootha Joyce Needham (20 August 1927 – 24 August 1980), known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and its spin-off ''George and M ...
as their George and Mildred Roper characters. The second spin-off was ''Robin's Nest'', which ran from 1977 to 1981 and featured
Richard O'Sullivan Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor, who is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and ''Robin's Nest (TV series), Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) and as the title c ...
as Robin Tripp (the basis of the Jack Tripper character), who runs the titular restaurant along with his live-in girlfriend and her antagonistic father. ''Three's Company'''s producers were eager to capitalize on these spin-offs. In 1979, they had spun off ''
The Ropers ''The Ropers'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from March 13, 1979, to May 22, 1980. It is a spin-off of ''Three's Company'' and loosely based on the British sitcom ''George and Mildred'', which was itself a spin-off of ...
'', based on ''George and Mildred'', but the show ran for only one and a half seasons. Executive producers Ted Bergmann and Don Taffner attempted to adapt the ''Robin's Nest'' series, but without John Ritter. A pilot for a series called ''Byrd's Nest'' was written with the same premise as ''Robin's Nest'', with a young man living with his older girlfriend and her disapproving father, who owns the building in which they live. The series was planned as a spin-off from ''Three's Company'' and possibly a vehicle for
Richard Kline Richard Kline (born April 29, 1944) is an American actor and television director. His roles include Larry Dallas on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', Richie in the later seasons of ''It's a Living'' and Jeff Beznick in '' Noah Knows Best''. Early ...
, but ABC passed on the idea. As ''Three's Company'' entered its eighth season in September 1983, ratings took a dive in the face of stiff competition from the new
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
series ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...
'', and ABC approved the development of a new series to be called ''Three's a Crowd'', starring Ritter. Development and casting of the new series occurred in secret as ''Three's Company''s eighth season progressed. Ritter's cast members Richard Kline, Joyce DeWitt, Priscilla Barnes and Don Knotts were kept out of the loop. During a Christmas hiatus in late 1983, producers auditioned several female leads to play Jack's new love interest Vicky Bradford, and eventually decided upon Broadway actress Mary Cadorette. An embarrassing situation arose when DeWitt accidentally walked in on the auditions after visiting the studio to set up her dressing room at the end of the hiatus. Informed of the spin-off project and the looming cancellation of ''Three's Company'', DeWitt was upset by the secrecy but soon reconciled with Ritter. She and Barnes found it difficult to tape the rest of the season, as both actresses learned that their characters would conclude with the series finale. Kline and Knotts were offered recurring roles on ''Three's a Crowd'', but both declined the offer (Kline would make a guest appearance on the show in early 1985). Suzanne Somers reportedly lobbied to reprise her ''Three's Company'' character Chrissy Snow as Jack's love interest in the spin-off.


Transition

In transitioning from ''Three's Company'' to ''Three's a Crowd'', series producers decided to follow the plot line of the British series. Season 8 of ''Three's Company'' drew to a close in a three-episode story arc. In the first of the three episodes, Janet meets wealthy art collector Phillip Dawson. In the second episode, she falls in love with him, while Jack meets and falls in love with stewardess Vicky Bradford. Her wealthy father, played by Robert Mandan, does not approve of the relationship. When first aired, the episode ended with the words "To be continued... next fall", and when rerun late in the summer, this was changed to "To be continued... next week." The last episode of ''Three's Company'' aired as an hour-long special that kicked off the 1984–85 fall television season and set up the premise for ''Three's a Crowd''. In the finale, Janet marries Phillip, Terri moves to Hawaii, while Jack and Vicky profess their love for one another, but Vicky, the child of a bitter divorce, turns down Jack's marriage proposal. They instead move in together in an apartment above Jack's bistro. In the last scene, Jack and Vicky are spending their first romantic evening together in the new apartment, only to have Mr. Bradford accidentally barge in on them, explaining that he has bought the building. The title card for ''Three's Company'' then appears over the screen with the word "COMPANY" zooming out, being replaced with "A CROWD". ''Three's a Crowd'' employed most of the same writers, producers, and staff from ''Three's Company'', but the new show's style was changed. While the Jack Tripper character was the lead role in ''Three's Company'', the show featured an ensemble cast of three with some other series regulars. However, the new show was centered around Jack. Vicky, her parents and E.Z. played supporting roles. The new show also employed more slapstick comedy for Ritter. The events and characters of the previous show were not mentioned, except in a late-season episode in which Larry Dallas appears.


Ratings and cancellation

''Three's a Crowd'' garnered moderate ratings, having to compete with ''The A-Team'' on NBC. When the 1984–85 television season finished, the show placed 39th out of 77 shows with a 14.5/22 rating/share. This put the show on the fence with ABC, as it had enough of an audience to warrant renewal but its ratings paled in comparison to those of ''Three's Company''s and ''The A-Team'', which finished sixth for the season. The network would commit to only a half-season of 13 episodes to see how the series would place, and Ritter reportedly said that he would not return to the show unless a full season was ordered. Finally, ABC decided instead to pick up ''
Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, r ...
'', which had just been canceled by NBC.


Episodes


Reruns

Daytime reruns aired on ABC from September 23, 1985 to January 3, 1986, followed by another prime-time run on
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
. Some syndicated versions aired under the title ''Three's Company, Too'', using the theme song of ''Three's Company''. Six episodes of the series were aired on
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...
in September 2006, and four episodes were aired on
WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ran ...
in October 2008. The series began airing on digital broadcast network
Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operati ...
in June 2011 (as ''Three's a Crowd'' with its "Side by Side" theme song). The series is offered streaming in the U.S. as of July 2021 on
Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United Sta ...
and as of June 2022 on Tubi.


References


External links

* * *
Sitcoms Online: ''Three's a Crowd''
{{Three's Company 1980s American sitcoms 1984 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming American television series based on British television series American television spin-offs English-language television shows Television controversies in the United States Television series set in restaurants Television shows set in Los Angeles Three's Company