Three's Company - TV-PG

Classic comedy of errors is still swingin'.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: TV Land Cast: John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, Joyce DeWitt Genre: Comedy
Available on: DVD

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this still-hilarious '70s sitcom relies on sexual innuendo, silly physical humor, and monumental misunderstandings for its well-earned laughs. Throughout the series, Jack pretends to be gay so that his traditional landlords will allow him to live with two single women. There's no substantive negative commentary on homosexuality (though Jack sometimes camps it up a bit), but the masquerade is played for humor time and time again. The onscreen chemistry between Janet, Chrissy, and Jack (who fancies himself a ladies' man but rarely enjoys great luck with them) brings the subject of sexual attraction to the forefront, but the constant slapstick comedy keeps the tone light enough for family viewing with tweens. Even the innuendos seem pretty tame by today's standards; Chrissy's dumb-blonde shtick might raise more eyebrows among modern parents. Some kids might find the characters' constant mix-ups stressful.

Families can talk about getting along with siblings (and/or roommates). How does sharing living space with someone affect your relationship with them? What challenges does it bring? Families can also discuss the dangers of prejudging people. Have your kids ever felt like they were unfairly judged or labeled? How does it make them feel? How do they respond if they're teased? Also, what's the best way to handle a misunderstanding?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Emily Ashby

For eight seasons in the late 1970s and early '80s, THREE'S COMPANY effortlessly combined slapstick, physical humor, and double entendres. Thanks to syndication, the classic sitcom keeps the laughs coming for a whole new generation.

The show (which was based on the British hit Man About the House) centers on aspiring chef Jack Tripper (John Ritter), who shares an apartment in Santa Monica, Calif., with two female roommates -- slightly neurotic florist Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and ditzy blonde Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). In later episodes, after Somers left the show amid salary disputes, Chrissy was briefly replaced by her cousin, Cindy Snow (Jennilee Harrison), and then by the much more grounded Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes).

While the trio's co-ed bunking situation works well for them, their conservative older landlord, Mr. Roper (Norman Fell), thinks otherwise. He decides to live with it only after Jack lets Mr. Roper believe that he's gay -- when, in truth, Jack is happily heterosexual and even prides himself on his attraction to the ladies (though his roomies would probably disagree).

As you can imagine, a premise based on one major misunderstanding just begs for more to follow -- and they certainly do. The name of the game here is comedy of misheard comments, misinterpreted situations, slapstick clumsiness, and drawn-out double entendres. Over the course of the show's eight-year run, Jack & co. weathered many personnel changes (including the memorable addition of Don Knotts as new landlord Mr. Furley), but their onscreen chemistry held strong.

Although plenty of Three's Company's humor has sexual tones, the mood is so light and silly that it's really pretty harmless. Kids old enough to pick up on the flirting and longing gazes likely will understand their place in the overall comedy, and younger tweens will miss most of it amid the clumsy physical humor that's so prevalent. The only thing to really watch out for is the mild teasing that surrounds Mr. Roper's belief in Jack's homosexuality. While even that's kept very light, it's pretty frequent (he often refers to Jack as "one of the girls") and may raise questions from kids.

Fans may also like fellow classic sitcom Bosom Buddies -- or, for a more modern pick for teens, How I Met Your Mother.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content A large portion of the show's humor is based on sexual innuendoes, strong flirting scenes, and misinterpreted signals between the sexes. But the mood is kept light to play up the laughs. Female characters dress in tight pants, short shorts, and clingy tops, and occasionally they're seen in lingerie. Men often gaze longingly at pretty women or mention to their buddies the attractiveness of a woman's features.
Violence Physical humor includes tumbles, collisions, and a few slaps, but it's all for laughs and doesn't lead to injury.
Language
Message
	Social Behavior Jack's masquerade as a gay man is often played for laughs (he happily camps it up in some scenes, too). Some fairly extreme stereotyping of Chrissy as a "dumb blonde." Young men spend much of their time flirting with (sometimes to the point of badgering) attractive females. Within the central household, roles stray from those typically gender-based (Jack does much of the cooking and some cleaning), but the female characters often resort to tears and panic in cases of stress or fright. Overall, most of the iffy stuff reflects the values of the show's original era.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Several scenes either take place in the local bar (the Regal Beagle) and/or include alcohol, but drinking is reserved for the over-21 crowd.