2003 marked the surprising death of John Ritter, a charismatic actor/comedian who fell victim to an unknown heart complication at the young age of 54. Although he appeared in films as varied as Sling Blade and Problem Child, Ritter was best known for his starring role in Three's Company, a popular sitcom from the late 70s-early 80s. Well, perhaps 'popular' is a bit of an understatement: it ran for an unprecedented eight seasons (1977-84) and featured a total of 172 episodes. There were two (sort of) spinoff series as well: The Ropers, which ran briefly from 1979-80; and Three's A Crowd, which ran after Three's Company ended (1984-85). Based on the British seres Man About the House, Three's Company can't be considered a completely original idea, but it's still a very successful adaptation.

There's a reason it was so successful: it was a good show, made funnier with great performances by John Ritter. It was never a staple of mine growing up (even in syndication), but I found it to be a refreshing diversion from whatever else was on at the time. Here's how the show started: Two women (Janet and Chrissy) are looking for a roommate, and a guy (Jack) quickly jumps at the chance to move in. Problem is, the landlords wouldn't go for this, so he only gets to move in after pretending to be homosexual. There were plenty of misunderstandings and other amusing situations that made up the bulk of the comedy; in fact, I'm actually surprised it lasted as long as it did. In this day and age, I'm not so sure Three's Company would have done nearly as well in the ratings. Heck, I doubt anybody would have even bought the pilot (but you never know!). Still, it's pretty obvious that this show walked a very delicate line back then too, especially to be aired prominently on network TV.

With the aforementioned tragic death of Mr. Ritter earlier this year, the eventual DVD release of this landmark show was inevitable. I'll be honest with you---good intentions and "tributes" aside, the pessimist in me sees this DVD release as cashing in on the tragedy. Either way, the brief first season is finally here on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment. Running only 6 episodes in length (it was a mid-season replacement), this modestly-priced DVD is just what Three's Company fans have been waiting for. Well, sort of, but more on that later. Let's see what episodes we get in the meantime:

A Man About The House:
Three's Company begins here, as two women (Janet and Chrissy) are looking for a replacement for their former roommate, who went off to get married. Their party the night before was a huge success, but it seems they didn't do a bang up job of cleaning the place afterwards…Jack Tripper (John Ritter) is still fast asleep in the bathtub. He seems interested in being their roommate (who wouldn't?), so they convince their landlords (Mr. and Mrs. Roper) that Jack is gay. That's cool with them, I guess.

...And Mother Makes Four:
Chirssy's mother drops in for a surprise visit, but Jack is still moving into the guest room. She obviously has no idea what's really going on, of course. Long-time sitcom actress Priscilla Morrill guest-stars as the mother.

Roper's Niece:
Mr. Roper decides to let Jack escort his niece around town when she comes to visit. It turns out she's quite the wild one, and tries the moves on Jack. He doesn't mind, of course, but therein lies the problem…if he goes straight, he moves out. Choices, choices. Boy, with the themes of "turning a gay guy straight" running rampant here, could you imagine the red flags and angry phone calls from today's Nielson family?

No Children, No Pets:
The happy trio gets a pet, which they have to hide from the Ropers. It's a shame, too…what a cute lil' fella! Also included in this episode: Chrissy deals with a sleepwalking problem. Geez, what a weird combo…sleepwalking and pets.

Jack the Giant Killer:
While at a bar, a young tough makes a pass at the two ladies. Naturally, they call on Jack to defend their honor, but he backs down. Of course, he's now branded a coward. Still though, he lives with two ladies, so you can't feel that sorry for the guy…

It's Only Money:
Trouble brews as the rent money is stolen, so the three call the police to get to the bottom of things. Turns out that the money was picked up by Mr. Roper himself (who forgot to leave a receipt), so all is well again. With that, season one draws to a close.

Overall, there's a good mix of episodes here. These are all very entertaining, and have plenty of laughs to keep you watching. Looking back, it really wasn't a bad start for a show that came out of nowhere and was just growing its legs. Fans will be thrilled to finally have these on DVD (courtesy of Anchor Bay), so let's keep things moving. Onward!

Well, this wouldn't be a bad purchase for any fan of classic TV. Fans of the show have probably had this on pre-order for like a month, so I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves. If anything, it's worth it just to see how much has changed in the 25-odd years since Three's Company originally aired. While this could have been a much more thorough release, let's look at this objectively: overall, you get the first six episodes of a landmark show for well under $20. I think it's a fair deal, so this one is easily Recommended. It's too bad that John Ritter passed away so suddenly, but at least fans of his get another chance to relive some good memories.