Come on knock on our door! Joyce DeWitt (a.k.a. Janet) is taking a trip down memory lane to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Three’s Company finale.
“The most dear, precious, tender — and utterly unexpected — experiences that have come from working in Three’s Company are the many, many adults who have told me that Three’s Company was a safe haven they could count on during their teen years — for some, the only safe haven,” DeWitt, 75, exclusively told Us Weekly while reflecting on the Wednesday, September 18, milestone.
DeWitt noted that she’s enjoyed “countless letters and spontaneous conversations” with fans, who she think found “comfort” in watching the sitcom. Three’s Company, which ran for eight seasons from 1976 to 1984 — and lived on for decades later in syndication — followed the hijinks of Jack Tripper (John Ritter) after he moved into an apartment with Janet Wood (DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). The beloved, lighthearted series made the most of all three stars’ comedic gifts— so many pratfalls and misunderstandings! — and undeniable, warm chemistry with one another playing platonic roomies.
“It was a ‘time out’ from the oppressive, challenging, difficult circumstances they were navigating in their young lives,” DeWitt recalled. “And, oh by the way, they say the characters also did stupid, crazy stuff that made them laugh. But it was the love, trust and support of the characters, one to the other, that made them lifelong fans.”
While reflecting on the show’s legacy, DeWitt recalled one fan interaction where a woman gushed that Three’s Company “was a family.”
“That as an actor you could be part of such an impact or presence in a young person’s life when all you were doing was trying to make people laugh, that feedback is a blessing unimaginable!” DeWitt said.
DeWitt called Somers “absolutely wonderful” in her role, while also gushing over Ritter. (Somers died in October 2023 at age 76, while Ritter died in September 2003 at age 54.)
“I think I would not be chastised by my friends and fellow cast members in speaking for all of us in saying that working with John was a gift,” she said. “An adventure and a gift, a true gift.”
As for where her character, Janet, would be today, DeWitt admitted that she sees a different future than what the producers and writers intended.
“I was a bit offended when it was time to retire the show that they chose to ‘marry her off’ as the path forward for that character,” DeWitt confessed. “I would have sent her to law school or medical school or to the Peace Corps.”
Instead, DeWitt thinks her character would be helping Phillip Dawson (David Ruprecht) in his art business during the day while attending law school at night. DeWitt added that she believes Janet “now works for the ACLU — her intention and passion being to help give voice to those who don’t have one, or at least to assist them in finding their own voice.”
While the show has been off the air since 1984, DeWitt noted that fans of Three’s Company can find the series from that era later this year on the streaming channel 80s Sitcom Flashback. A new 40th Anniversary DVD set includes all episodes of the eight seasons of Three’s Company.
With reporting by Sarah Jones