ABC’s eight-season hit, Three’s Company, contains many of the sitcom tropes the era was known for. Like the beloved Friends series that would come a decade later, the show follows roommates’ adventures in their apartment complex. They endure relationship drama, work hardships, and frequent trips to the neighborhood bar
Despite the cast easily charming audiences, things weren’t always as smooth onset. A glance behind-the-scenes reveals the real-life drama, especially between two of the show’s stars, John Ritter and Suzanne Somers.
The series was progressive for its time
Like many shows and movies of old, Three’s Company is full of plot lines and jokes that likely wouldn’t be green-lighted today. Its main story component, which revolves around Ritter’s Jack Tripper pretending to be gay in order to be approved for the coed apartment, even ruffled feathers when it first premiered.
While modern viewers scorn the potentially harmful stereotypes, some 70s audience members found the sitcom to be sexually perverted. Despite these initial misgivings, the show received rave reviews throughout its eight seasons. It raked in multiple Golden Globe Awards, Emmy nominations, and was consistently recognized as the People’s Choice.
All of this triumph wasn’t without its trials. There were bound to be some cast disagreements during the seven years the show dominated the airwaves. While none of the actors could deny the success of the show, some stars seemed to benefit from it more than others.
Contract disputes led to on-set resentment
The first sign that three was becoming more of a crowd came following a photoshoot with Newsweek. Allegedly, Somers attended an individual session without her two co-stars. When the magazine cover appeared with Somers imposed in front of Joyce and Ritter, her colleagues felt lied to and that Somers was taking more than her fair share of the spotlight.
This perception of Somers as a money-hungry, deceptive co-worker was only perpetuated when it came time to renew contracts. According to Closer Weekly, Somers insisted that her pay be increased to $150,000 — a raise of 500%. Although the large pay jump was apparently the idea of Somers’ husband, judgments fell on the star herself.
