Three's Company aired from 1977 to 1984, and delivered plenty of laughs and hijinks throughout its successful run. But a lot has changed since then, so we're going to take a look at the Three's Company cast then and now to see how they've changed through the years.
00:00 Intro
0:15 Don Knotts as Ralph Furley
1:21 Richard Kline as Larry Dallas
2:29 Priscilla Barns as Terri Alden
3:36 Jenilee Harrison as Cindy Snow
4:42 Audra Lindley as Helen Roper
5:49 Norman Fell as Stanley Roper
6:56 Joyce DeWitt as Janet Wood
8:04 John Ritter as Jack Tripper
9:13 Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow
Don Knotts joined Three's Company as the wackybutlovable landlord Ralph Furley in 1979. The series added Knotts to the cast when the original landlords, Stanley and Helen Roper, left the series to star in their own shortlived spinoff series The Ropers. On set, Knotts easily integrated himself to the alreadyestablished cast who were, as John Ritter put it, "so scared" of Knotts because of his star status when he joined the cast.
Richard Kline played Larry Dallas, a playboy neighbor, used car salesman, and best friend to John Ritter's Jack Tripper. Kline appeared in 110 episodes of Three's Company from 1977–1984, also appearing as Larry Dallas in the spinoff shows The Ropers (1979) and Three's a Crowd (1985). Larry has the distinction of being the only other character besides Jack Tripper to appear on Three's Company and both of its spinoffs.
Priscilla Barns was cast as Terri Alden, who replaced Jenilee Harrison's role as Cindy Snow, who was brought in after Suzanne Somers left the series as a result of contractual dispute with producers. The part, which is Barnes' most notable role, brought her instant public recognition. Barnes initially auditioned for the role of Chrissy Snow in 1976, but lost the part to Somers. Barnes called Three's Company the "three worst years" of her life. Barnes revealed that after shooting a couple of episodes of the show, she felt "uncomfortable" on the set and asked, unsuccessfully, to be released from her contract.
Jenilee Harrison joined the cast in 1980 as a replacement for Suzanne Somers. Harrison's character, Cindy Snow, was created to be Chrissy Snow's cousin. Unlike Chrissy, Cindy was not a "dumb blonde"; instead, she was an extremely clumsy farm girl. Though she had replaced Somers, Harrison was not given openingcredits billing, and instead Somers still obtained opening billing (as a part of finishing off her contract). Harrison was endcredits billed, as a guest star.
Audra Lindley played the wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled, and sexually frustrated Helen Roper. For this role, she wore a wig to maintain the character’s exaggerated hairstyle. The character and her husband, Mr. Roper, were spun off to their own show, The Ropers (1979–80), which was cast in a difficult time slot and lasted only two seasons.
Norman Fell portrayed the hardnosed landlord Stanley Roper. He continued the role as the colead with Audra Lindley playing his wife, Helen, on The Ropers, a spinoff which lasted two seasons, 1979 to 1980. Fell won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actor in a Supporting Role in 1979 for Three's Company.
Joyce DeWitt is best known for her role as Janet Wood onThree's Company, a job she obtained after being cast in the show's second pilot.
John Ritter became a household name portraying struggling culinary student Jack Tripper with two female roommates. Much of the comedy centered around Jack's pretending to be gay to keep the oldfashioned landlords appeased over the seemingly sordid living arrangements. The yearlong spinoff Three's a Crowd ensued, as the Jack Tripper character has a livein girlfriend and runs his own bistro.
Suzanne Somers, of course, is known for playing Chrissy Snow, a stereotypical dumb blonde, who was employed as an office secretary. Somers became an audience favorite, with the media proclaiming her the show's breakout star, and leading to her status as a popular sex symbol of the era.
When Three's Company began its fifth season in 1980, Somers demanded a hefty salary increase from $30,000 to $150,000 an episode and 10 percent ownership of the show's profits. Those close to the situation suggested that Somers' rebellion was largely due to husband Hamel's influences. After ABC denied her a raise in salary, Somers refused to appear in the second and fourth shows of the season. She finished the remaining season on her contract, but her role was decreased to just 60 seconds per episode, her character only appearing in the episode's closing tag in which Chrissy calls the trio's apartment from her parents' home. After ABC fired her from the program and terminated her contract, Somers sued the network for $2 million, saying her credibility in show business had been damaged. Somers says she was fired for asking to be paid as much as popular male television stars of the day such as Alan Alda and Carroll O'Connor.