'Three's Company' Hasn't Aged Well and Here's Why

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A man pretending to be gay so he can live with two women. What could go wrong?

If one were to make a list of classic sitcoms from the 1970s, Three's Company would be found among its rankings. The show premiered in 1977 and starred John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Suzanne Somers, and completed its production after 8 seasons in 1984. The show was received so well during its time that it was nominated for five Emmys, one of which they won, and received two spin-offs. Its popularity remains in such positive favor that syndication of the show could be found on stations like IDC and even Nickelodeon during its former Nick at Nite block.

While making note of such an audience and critical reception, it's worth acknowledging that, similar to shows like Friends, it's entirely a product of its time and hasn't aged gracefully. Now, this writer will be the first to fess up as a lover of comedy in all of its forms and Three's Company has plenty of funny moments. I would even go so far as to say that the world wouldn't have been graced with the talents of its main trio on such a large scale without the series and the show opened several comedic doors for television's later generations of writers and actors. In that same thought, however, it's also likely that the show wouldn't get far were it to be pitched today.

The Premise Is Problematic Today

The centric plot line of Three's Company focuses on Jack Tripper (Ritter) becoming roommates with two women, Chrissy Snow (Somers) and Janet Wood (DeWitt) following their former roommate's going-away party. In simplest terms, Jack had been spending his nights at the local YMCA, crashed the party, and woke up in the girls' tub. After getting to know him and finding out he can cook, they offer him their spare room. Certainly, there's nothing questionable about a bunch of twenty-something men and women cohabitating according to even the 1970s standards, but their landlords — originally the Ropers, Stanley (Norman Fell) and Helen (Audra Lindley), and later, Ralph Furley (Don Knotts) — weren't so open-minded. To circumvent any objections they had towards a young man living with two women, the three say that Jack is homosexual as a cover story. This doubles as a running gag throughout the series where, despite Jack being quite the ladies man, he must pretend to be gay whenever Roper or Furley are present — lest they kick him out due to their personal beliefs.

To be fair, the idea itself is inherently funny, just as any cover story one must maintain has the potential to be, and it's clear there's no true malice involved within the writing. If any were to be seen, the majority is from the landlords as both Roper and Furley spent most of the show jabbing at Jack's perceived sexuality with slurs like "fairy" and "Tinkerbell." Clearly, the role of the landlord was meant to be disliked and an antagonist to some degree, but using someone's sexuality as a punchline repeatedly is incredibly distasteful to contemporary standards. We can think about this in a similar vein as the jokes involving Chandler Bing's (Matthew Perry) homophobia in Friends. Yes, it could be seen as funny for its time, but even watching the reruns today, there's a strong sense that the fans are squirming as the laugh track forces the punchline.

The Show Is Loaded With Cringe Factors

True to its times in this manner as well, Three's Company was loaded with in-your-face dirty jokes and innuendo. This ranges from Jack constantly hitting on his roommates and anyone he finds attractive to Larry practically setting the inspirational groundwork for successor characters like Family Guy's Glen Quagmire (Seth MacFarlane). There were even some promotional posters with hints of innuendo laced within them such as those with Jack smiling while feeding Chrissy and Janet salad via a split salad tosser. Of course, this seems harmless on the surface as Jack has a culinary degree and even owns a bistro by the series' end, but there's an equally unfunny and uncomfortable feeling that's present within the picture, and it must be acknowledged.

Admittedly, this is the least reason for anyone to criticize the show. Without Three's Company pushing comedic boundaries, we wouldn't have some of today's most highly-rated shows. With that said, watching an episode like "And Now, Here's Jack," where Jack is invited to promote Angelino's, the Italian restaurant he works at, on a television talk show, can be rough. The episode didn't need any of the crude humor as there was plenty of room for jokes about Jack, Terri, and Janet nervously navigating their first time on television.