Jeff Lawlor Presents:

Three's Company
 
Welcome Three's Company fans to the page dedicated to all Three's Company media and merchandise. Here you can keep track of the progress of DVD seasons, complete with estimates as to upcoming season releases. I have also listed other movies and TV series that the stars of Three's Company have been a part of.

Contents

Home Page
Where the Three's Company fun begins.

Episode Guide
Get synopsis, guest stars, air date and more info on each Three's Company episode in the series. Even includes the spin-offs "The Ropers" and "Three's a Crowd."

Sound Clips
A collection of Three's Company sound clips hand-picked by yours' truly. Even a random sound clip player, in case you can't decide.

Sounds Jack Makes
A good part of John Ritter's (Jack Tripper's) physical comedy includes quips and outbursts. Hear some of the sounds jack makes.

DVDs, Books and More
Three's Company is on DVD. There is a book on Three's Company and all of the stars have movies and other TV series. Track the progress of the release of the Three's Company seasons on DVD and see what the stars of the show have to offer on the DVDs, Books and More page.

Other Three's Company Sites
There are a whole host of other Three's Company sites on the web. A few have been around longer than my site! See the comprehensive list.

 

 

Three's Company Season DVDs
It had been a long time coming for Three's Company fans eager to purchase the series for their libraries. In the early days of my Three's Company web site, most of the e-mails I received were how to purchase the series on VHS. It was eventually released on video tape in the year 2000. And it was a "Best of..." box set at that.

But finally, on November 11th, 2003, Three's Company Season 1 was released on DVD! And they are releasing a new season every six months. I'm providing up-to-date estimates of future season releases.

One reason fans so await the release of a series on DVD is because the episodes are in the original, first run length. They include extra scenes that are cut out when you see them in syndication on TBS. On the DVD versions of the episodes, you can look forward to a longer opening credit segment, an extra scene of about a minute before the closing credits at the end of the show and small clips throughout the show that you no longer see on TV.

Shows on the the disc sets show the episodes in air order, as opposed to production order. In my opinion, this is the way it ought to be. It is the way fans remember the show. In the episode list for each disc, I show the production codes for each episode so you can see the difference in the order of taping versus the order the viewers saw them.

I hope you find this guide useful. I'm always interested in feedback at jlawlor@pair.com. Enjoy!

 

DVD Release Watch
Next DVD Season:    Season 8
Next DVD Release Date:     September 2006 (esitmated)
 
 
SEASON 1
Three's Company Season 1 DVD Cover
The first season of Three's Company only contained six episodes, so they managed fit them all onto one DVD. That's a tight fit, so special features are at a minimum. Not to worry, the seasons that follow are all multi-disc sets and are chock full of bonus features.

Another unfortunate aspect of the Season 1 DVD is the timing of the release. It came out exactly two months after John Ritter's death. At the time, the disc had been pretty much finalized. The producers went out of their way to include a several remembrances of John Ritter- A photo montage, complete with a quote from Joyce DeWitt: "A great loss to the joy in the World." Also included is a public service message from United Cerebral Palsy, a foundation John was passionate about.

The episodes in season 1 include the classic first episode, which is probably my favorite in the series. I also love Roper's Niece and No Children, No Dogs- the one where they try to keep a puppy from Mr. Roper.

Season 1 is the beginning of a great Three's Company collection!

SEASON 1 EPISODES

Prod.
Code
Episode Title
0101 Man About the House
0102 And Mother Makes Four
0106 Roper's Niece
0105 No Children, No Dogs
0104 Jack the Giant Killer
0103 It's Only Money

DVD CONTENTS

Release Date: November 11, 2003

Discs: 1

Number of Episodes: 6

Running Length: 146 minutes


One Feature of the Season 1 Set is a Look Forward to Season 2
Additional Features:
With six episodes on the disc already, it's hard to believe they could fit additional features! They are a little skimpy to be sure, but it sells for a bargain price and you can get your fill of extra features on seasons that are already available.
  • Season Two...
    With his passing so recent and not enough time to include a substantial tribute to John Ritter, the producers included a note that the season 2 disc set will contain a proper treatment of the John Ritter's Legacy.
     
  • United Cerebral Palsy Public Service Message
    John Ritter and his father, Tex Ritter, were a big supporters of UCP. John's brother suffered from the disease and he hoped for a cure in his lifetime. A portion of the Season 1 DVD sales go to United Cerebral Palsy.
     
  • Episode Synopsis
    When playing episodes individually, there is a detailed description of the episode.
     
  • John Ritter Photo Montage
    The DVD insert includes a photo montage with a quote about John from Joyce DeWitt.

SEASON 2
Three's Company Season 2 DVD Cover

Season 2 is the first full season of Three's Company; 25 episodes in all.

This is the year that Mr. Roper woke up in bed with Jack. The year that the roommates tried to get rid of a pot plant, prompting Mr. Roper's famous line: "A can of bis?" A cop mistakes Chrissy for a hooker. Mr. Roper "puts up shelves." Jack's blind Navy buddy pays him a visit. This is a solid season of great Three's Company memories.

It is a four disc set. The sleeves contain two pages worth of background on the season and a remembrance of John Ritter provided by Chris Mann. Mine even included two Three's Company drink coasters.

The DVD set is loaded with special features, including my favorite, the never aired original Pilot episode. Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers are not part of the cast. John's character is named "David." The Ropers are the only part of the ensemble that remained constant.

Season 2 is classic Three's Company filled with memorable episodes. The set gives a proper send off to John Ritter, narrated by Joyce DeWitt. It has an abundance of features, as you'll read below. It sets the standard for the rest of the series on DVD.

SEASON 2 EPISODES

Prod.
Code
Episode Title
0204 Ground Rules
0201 Jack Looks For A Job
0205 Janet's Promotion
0203 Strange Bedfellows
0202 Chrissy's Date
0209 Alone Together
0206 Roper's Car
0210 Cyrano De Tripper
0207 Chrissy's Night Out
0211 Stanley Casanova
0213 Janet's High School Sweetheart
0212 Jack's Uncle
0208 Helen's Job
0214 Three's Christmas
0215 The Gift
0217 The Rivals
0216 The Baby Sitters
0218 Home Movies
0219 Jack In The Flower Shop
0220 Jack's Navy Pal
0221 Will The Real Jack Tripper
0222 Days Of Beer And Weeds
0223 Chrissy Come Home
0224 Bird Song
0225 Coffee, Tea Or Jack

DVD CONTENTS

Release Date: May 4th, 2004

Discs: 4

Number of Episodes: 25 + 1 (See below)

Run Length: 629 minutes

Screenshot of the Original Pilot Episode Opening Theme
The Opening Theme of the Original Three's Company Pilot
Additional Features:
Season 2 has tons of DVD features (in contrast to the single disc Season 1). The set includes a documentary on John Ritter's life and career. There's a trivia game. One episode has an audio commentary track. It has all of this and everything else I've listed below. But my favorite part of the whole box set is the original, full length pilot episode...
  • Original Pilot Episode #1
    This is the highlight of the box set in my opinion. A full length pilot episode created a year before being picked up by the networks. It was never shown on TV.

    The roommates were named David (Jack), Jenny (Janet) and Samantha (Chrissy). Janet's role was played by Valerie Curtain and Chrissy's by Suzanne Zenor.

    The opening theme shows a different apartment complex. It also doesn't have words, just a guy singing "do-do-do-da-dee-do" to the tune of the Three's Company theme.

    The storyline is basically the same as the Season 1 pilot. The script is somewhat rough and the characters are not as well defined. It's really interesting to see the development that took place in a year.

    This is how Three's Company might have looked if CBS and others hadn't passed on it. Owning it is worth the price of the set to me!

     
  • John Ritter: Always Leave Them Laughing
    A touching ten minute documentary on John Ritter's life and career hosted by Joyce DeWitt and produced exclusively for the Season 2 box set. Includes lots of childhood photos, clips from his work before and after Three's Company and a plug for United Cerebral Palsy. Truly a great remembrance of John.

     
  • Three's Company Drink Coasters
    The original Season 2 set contained two drink coasters. A nice bonus! I don't know if newer editions contain the coasters.

     
  • Three’s Company Trivia Game (Season 2)
    Features 15 trivia questions from Season 2 that you can play right on your DVD player! Each question is multiple-choice. After answering the question it tells you whether or not you were correct and then shows the relevant scene from the episode. At the end of the game, there is an unlisted bonus video (I don’t want to give away the surprise).

     
  • Audio Commentary
    Chris Mann does the audio commentary for the “Days of Beer and Weeds” episode. Chris has written the only definitive book on Three’s Company and provides the sleeve notes on Season 2 and later DVD sets. I really enjoy the audio commentaries accompanying my favorite shows and I wish that they were the rule rather than the exception.

     
  • Blooper Reel
    I’ve never been a big fan of blooper reels. They tend to be funnier to the cast and crew of the shows than to the average viewer, much like inside jokes. Unfortunately, this is no exception. You do get to see parts of the Three’s Company set that are normally off-camera. And there’s a fun scene where John has fun with camera crews. But really, the DVD set would be just as strong without the 12 minute blooper reel.

     
  • Eight Years of Laughter
    An un-narrated set of clips from all eight seasons of Three’s Company. It features some of the funniest moments from the series as a whole. It’s fairly fast paced and good retrospective. At 22 minutes, it’s nearly the same length as an entire episode.

     
  • Best of… Janet, Chrissy and the Ropers
    Three 6 minute segments featuring clips (un-narrated) of each character’s funniest moments. A great way to focus on your favorite character’s most memorable scenes.

     
  • Stills Gallery
    About fifty photos, some publicity photos, some from the set, of the Three’s Company cast.

     
  • Memorabilia Gallery
    About 60 photos of Three’s Company merchandising from the era. Features some great items like Three’s Company jigsaw puzzles, trading cards, stickers and post cards. According to the credits, all of the memorabilia is from the collection of Chris Mann.

     
  • Talent Bios
    The biographies of the John, Joyce and Suzanne. These consist of several pages of written text on the stars and conclude with a Filmography (which also includes TV shows).

     
  • Episode Synopsis
    When playing episodes individually, there is a detailed description of the episode.

     
  • John Ritter Photo Montage
    The DVD insert includes a photo montage with a quote about John from Joyce DeWitt.

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