Three's Company: Season 2 [DVD] [1981] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

The strength of this THREE'S COMPANY Season 2 DVD lay primarily in its bonus materials and liner notes. Everyone has seen these episodes a thousand times, including now on TV Land and Nick at Night. Sure, it's nice to have uncut, digitally-transferred episodes of this classic show. Consumers should expect nothing less in any dvd tv series release.

But what elevates this release, and hopefully those to come in this series, are the bonus features, particularly the content newly-created for this DVD set and liner notes. Much of this detailed content is clearly due to Chris Mann, author of the well-respected and insightful biography of "Three's Company," titled "Come and Knock on Our Door," for which he interviewed nearly the entire cast and production staff. (Watch The E! True Hollywood Story again if you doubt that statement.) As a respected author and a producer of NBCs recent "Three's Company" behind-the-scenes movie, Chris brings depth and the perspective of an insider and expert to this project. The liner notes and his heartfelt audio commentary show how much he loved and respected John Ritter. And by the way, when John R. appeared on several talk shows after the book's release, he genuinely championed the book.

Mann's audio commentary contains reverent thoughts and stories about John Ritter, the rest of the cast and producers. But it is balanced with light-hearted, sometimes tongue-in-cheek observations about the show and the specific farcical episode being discussed. Mann seems to realize that most people loved this show for what it was and and hoped this season 2 "commemorative" release would pay respect to John and the show. (Let's not forget the rushed-for-profit-and-exposure First Season release that was such a disappointment to all of us.) Chris understands that the show never took itself too seriously, so I would consider him an expert commentator and trusted voice for fans and those who made the show.

My friends and I have heard that Chris wrote a lot of the tribute to John Ritter that Joyce DeWitt narrates in this Season 2 release as well. Apparently, this "commemorative" release would have had little, if any, tributes to John without Mann's involvement. There's buzz among fans that several "Three's Company" cast and crew interviewed for the Third Season release, and that Chris interviewed all of them. So, I would guess that Chris is greatly responsible for their participation.

We all look forward to the upcoming dvd releases of "Three's Company." We hope that those involved in distributing the series continue to have Chris be a major part of its production!! Anchor Bay and DLT Ent. should consider themselves lucky to have his cooperation.

First things first, I am really amazed by the reviews I've read here and elsewhere on the internet that gripe about the cover art for the DVDs of Three's Company, Seasons 1 and 2. The cover art? Are you serious? Please! That is like going thirsty for three weeks and finally being offered water, but because it is Dasani instead of Evian, you turn it down! Even if the cover art isn't to your liking, and with the rest of what you get on these discs, any less than 4 stars for this collection is unfathomable.

The Season 2 set is a complete steal. The content of the episodes, as always, speaks for itself. Then you have the amazing and extensive special features. The trivia game is a lot of fun, the tribute to Ritter, narrated by Joyce DeWitt is well presented, the original pilot was hilarious. The talent bios are a bit long, but interesting. Some background music to go with the reading might have helped. I was, however, slightly disappointed with the blooper reel but not too much. The "Best Of" clip reels for the key players were great, too.

Finally, the production quality of this set is far superior to Season 1. 25 episodes and all these other bonuses for thirty bucks make this a worthy investment.

Bursting onto the television landscape in Spring 1977, Three's Company quickly skyrocketed in the ratings - cracking the top 8 every season except its last. Sporting a plethora of quirky characters and fresh writing talent that explored modern day issues, the show held its own as one of the funniest programs on TV. Picking up where All In The Family left off, Three's Company delved into the social taboos of its day, dealing with subjects such as homosexuality, racism, sexual harassment, and of course, unmarried men and women living together... But the true success of Three's Company stemmed from the comic talents of John Ritter and Suzanne Somers who became instant stars as a result of their respective roles on the show...

In Three's Company, John Ritter plays the role of Jack Tripper, a young cooking student in San Diego who wants to move into an apartment with his two female friends - the far more mature Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and the blonde and ditsy Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). But the three friends face the possible wrath of landlord Stanley Roper (Norman Fell), an old-fashioned guy who would never allow such an arrangement. With the aid of Roper's wife Helen (Audra Lindley), the three manage to convince Stanley that Jack is gay (when he is, in fact, a notorious ladies man). Jack's friend Larry (Richard Kline) also fashions himself a player on the local singles scene, and he makes regular appearances on the show. Following Season 3, Stanley and Helen left the show in pursuit of their own spin-off titled The Ropers. Don Knotts (of Andy Griffith Show fame) was brought in to play the new landlord, Mr. Furley - a naïve, loud-mouthed ditz who tripled the hilarity of every scene in which he appeared...

The Three's Company (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Ground Rules" in which Jack and Chrissy constantly interrupt Janet and her date. The incident causes Janet to demand that ground rules be laid down, and the three roommates agree to abide by "reservation times" when the other two roommates will agree to stay far away. The agreement doesn't last long when Jack gets the offer of a lifetime and reneges on his part of the agreement... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Strange Bedfellows" in which Jack throws a party and wakes up to find Mr. Roper in his bed, and "Chrissy's Night Out" in which Chrissy gets inadvertently arrested for prostitution...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Three's Company (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 7 (Ground Rules)

Episode 8 (Jack Looks For a Job)

Episode 9 (Janet's Promotion)

Episode 10 (Strange Bedfellows)

Episode 11 (Chrissy's Date)

Episode 12 (Alone Together)

Episode 13 (Roper's Car)

Episode 14 (Cyrano de Tripper)

Episode 15 (Chrissy's Night Out)

Episode 16 (Stanley Casanova)

Episode 17 (Janet's High School Sweetheart)

Episode 18 (Jack's Uncle)

Episode 19 (Helen's Job)

Episode 20 (Three's Christmas)

Episode 21 (The Gift)

Episode 22 (The Rivals)

Episode 23 (The Babysitters)

Episode 24 (Home Movies)

Episode 25 (Jack in the Flower Shop)

Episode 26 (Jack's Navy Pal)

Episode 27 (Will the Real Jack Tripper...)

Episode 28 (Days of Beer and Weeds)

Episode 29 (Chrissy, Come Home)

Episode 30 (Bird Song)

Episode 31 (Coffee, Tea or Jack)

The DVD Report