Hell Freezes Over Episode One

Today is my first installment of what I hope becomes a semi-regular topic on here: "Hell Freezes Over," which will showcase unlikely reunions that I never thought I would see. Today's inaugural post in this category is one near and dear to my heart, as it involves one of my favorite shows of all time, "Three's Company."

Originally airing from 1977-1984, this slapstick/farce was a perennial hit and continues to delight future generations through the magic of reruns. I was too young to remember it during its initial airing (having been born in Dec. 1979) but first saw reruns of it during the summer of 1992 when I was in between 6th and 7th grade.

The show worked on many levels, with the slapstick entertaining the kids while the adults could enjoy the innuendo and sexual topics. Most of the plots revolved around misunderstandings, and I can remember cringing at the awkward moments that would occur as a result. When a show can make you feel mortified for a fictional character, you know it's doing the job well. The stellar cast didn't hurt, and the warm comic entertainment John Ritter provided was something special.

The girls may have provided the most appeal however, as you had two beautiful women portraying Janet and Chrissy (played by Joyce DeWitt and Suzanna Somers respectively). In them you had the best of both worlds: the blonde and the brunette, the girl next door and the glamor gal. We saw a similar situation with Ginger and Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," one that provoked many a debate between horny teens, starting with the question, "would you rather...?" (And if you're wondering who I preferred, I will give you a hint. Nearly every girl I have dated has been a brunette. Discuss).

When I started watching "Three's Company" I was familiar with Suzanne Somers from a sitcom that ran in the late '80s, "She's the Sheriff" (anyone remember that one?), and at the time she was finding popularity again on the ABC "TGIF" family sitcom "Step By Step." Learning more of Three's Company's history of the subsequent years I discovered that the reason Suzanne Somers was replaced on the show by another character during Season 5 was due to some contract negotiations that went awry. Her relationships with the other cast members were harmed irreparably, and it was many years again before things started to mend between them.

Suzanne and John reconciled in the '90s, prior to his unexpected passing in 2003, but it seemed for a while as if things between Joyce and Suzanne would never get better. Suzanne has made quite a career for herself, promoting products (like the legendary "Thigh Master") and on the self-help circuit. I recently came across a video from her show "Suzanne Somers Breaking Through" which aired earlier in February where Suzanne and Joyce were FINALLY reunited. It is a joy to me as a fan of both of them to see this, and I'm glad it happened before it was too late.

So hell has frozen over for them...I just wish John and Don Knotts were around to see it and take part.