THREE’S COMPANY

“Three’s Company” was adapted from a British sitcom, “Man About the House,” about two young women who live platonically with a single man declaring he is gay to override concerns about mixed-sex cohabitation. Adapted to American Television in 1977, the premise is the same, with John Ritter, Suzanne Sommers and Joyce DeWitt in the starring roles. The show is a series of escapades revolving around the three and their landlord Stanley Roper, who is intolerant of coed living situations. His wife Helen discovers the truth but does not disclose because of her combative relationship with Stanley. The show was always in the top ten ratings rankings over its eight seasons, until cast changes and spinoffs took too much of a toll on the audience. In the last season, the show dropped from #6 to #31.