Some theme songs just get stuck in our heads, which is often how they are designed to be. The “Three’s Company” theme song became a very catchy tune and was actually created by the same composer who did the “Sesame Street” theme.
Composer Joe Raposo wrote the theme song for both of the shows, as well as for “The Electric Company.”
There Were Three Pilot Episodes Made for The Show
A pilot is a sort of “first impression” of a new show for the audience and for "Three’s Company," there were actually three of them.
Surprisingly, ABC rejected the first two pilots submitted by the show, but finally picked up the third, which aired on March 15, 1977. Thankfully, the show made it past the pilot premiere to have a successful 8 seasons.
Billy Crystal Auditioned for the Part of Jack.
Billy Crystal (who probably would have made a great Jack) auditioned for the lead role that eventually went to John Ritter.
But seeing how successful Crystal is today, it certainly wasn’t a major loss for the legendary comedian.
Stanley Roper Was Based on a Real Person.
The landlord-tenant relationship isn’t always the most congenial. The character of Mr. Roper was the high-strung landlord to the three roommates, but he wasn't a complete work of fiction.
Norman Fell, who played Roper, confessed that he modeled the character after someone he knew in real life. He summarized the character as someone who "just can't do things right...and yet he thought he was the cat's meow."
Jeffrey Tambor Had Roles As Three Different Characters.
Actor Jeffrey Tambor became a familiar face on the show and ended up starring as three wildly different characters--a rich man, a psychiatrist, and a dentist.
But, as the plot of the show would have it, none of the roomies ever seemed to notice that these three "different" characters looked suspiciously similar.