Joyce DeWitt once shared what she thought of James Franco’s ‘Three’s Company’ reboot
Many have floated around the idea of a Three’s Company reboot. But years ago, Franco actually brought a Three’s Company reboot to Sundance. The Spider-Man star’s version of the sitcom was a more dramatic take, however, which was inspired by his own memories of the show.
“I was just thinking, back in the day, when people were watching that show, people were probably sitting in their living room watching these other people in their living room, so I thought, let’s suck the audience into their living room and then there’s projections on all four walls,” Franco once told MTV News. “And it’s not just seeing the show on all four walls. It’s like, Chrissy’s on this side, and Janet’s on this side, and you’re in the middle.”
DeWitt would later hear about Franco’s project. Although she couldn’t make it to Franco’s show, she thought it was an interesting idea
“I was invited to come to Sundance when James’ film was screened, but I was doing a play in Toronto so I obviously couldn’t fly in for the night,” she once said according to Sitcoms Online. “So I haven’t seen it but I don’t know what he exactly did with that or what his intentions are. But he’s such a talented, wonderful, young professional that I’m sure if he decided to do something, it would probably be pretty wonderful. But I didn’t see him or I don’t know him but I do know his work, and as an actor I enjoy his work enormously, I think he’s very talented. But I didn’t get to see the film so I can’t tell you what he did, I can’t comment on that.”
However, she found the idea of making a true Three’s Company reboot impossible. Especially with many of the show’s original cast long gone.
“Yeah a reunion without John, you know, that is pretty impossible. And most of our partners in crime or whatever are up there entertaining angels now, so that pretty much can’t happen,” DeWitt said.
John Ritters’ son turned down a ‘Three’s Company’ reboot where he’d end up playing his father
Three’s Company alum Suzanne Somers also famously pitched her own reboot years ago. The series would be about how Somers’ and Ritter’s characters, Chrissy and Jack respectively, wedded and had a child. Ritter’s older son Jason Ritter would end up playing Somers’ son.
According to Somers, Jack would feature on the show as well. Without Ritter, she figured Jason could also portray his father’s character in the hypothetical sitcom sequel. But Jason was firmly against the idea.
“I had suggested this to Jason’s people and that the show would be me and Jason,” Somers said on Behind the Velvet Rope. “But that John would appear as a hologram because it’d be like he was back and alive. But Jason doesn’t want to do anything reminiscent of what his father did.”
Somers asserted that a Three’s Company reboot would’ve been the only project she’d return to television for.
“That was the last time I got kinda turned on by thinking about doing a series again,” she said. “The marketing is so much better. Suzanne Somers and John Ritter’s son, Jason. And I guess that’s what he didn’t want, but that’s a marketer’s dream. Suzanne Somers and Fred Schmoe is not a marketer’s dream, you know what I mean?”
