Three's Company - Season Five

Three's Company was the most farcical show on American television, taking silly scenarios--for example, Jack Tripper (Ritter) finds himself obliged to cook three different dinners in three apartments; or, in order to date his landlord's sexy niece, Jack pretends to have a twin brother named Austin--and pushing them until getting in and out of a room became a fight with the laws of physics. When Chrissy's cousin Cindy (Harrison) joined the cast, her character's clumsiness multiplied the slapstick (one particularly elaborate bit traps Jack in an ironing board). The cocktail of physical mayhem and an endless parade of tight-fitting short-shorts and skimpy nighties (19-year-old Harrison, a former professional cheerleader, was the season's main eye-candy) could have felt lewd and sleazy (imagine, with a shudder, if upstairs neighbor Richard Kline had been the show's star)--but somehow, no matter how craven or lecherous Jack behaved, Ritter remained likable and even inexplicably innocent. Three's Company's scripts weren't always comic gold--over the 22 episodes in this season, sexual misunderstandings pile up like bodies in a WWII movie--but Ritter dependably squeezed out laughs without ever seeming desperate. His relaxed persona, combined with sharp comic timing, made him one of the most enduring television personalities of all time. This box set also features interviews with the producers and with Harrison; nothing surprising gets said, but Harrison--after some ill-advised face-lifts and collagen injections--looks like a frightening caricature of Angelina Jolie. --Bret Fetzer

Customer reviews:

Excellent series!, 2008-07-25
Three's Company, in my opinion, is one of the all time greatest comedies to ever hit television. I watched this series as a young child when it was on tv and used to naively laugh, especially with the physical comedy of John Ritter. As an adult of almost 40, I still laugh outloud. This is actually a really good comedy for just about the whole family because, although there are various innuendos, most young kids won't understand them. It's ashame that there aren't more comedies like this on tv now. I'd recommend this series to anyone.

Goodbye to Suzanne., 2008-02-10
Three's Company - Season Five is the season we said farewell to Chrissy Snow. Even though I never was a fan of Suzanne Somers, her character being written off the show was kinda heartbreaking. Otherwise, this is an excellent season of this hilarious show. Don Knotts is still a hoot as Mr. Furley and Joyce DeWitt had some great moments in season five. I highly recommend this classic sitcom.