You’ve knocked on our door, and now it’s time to dance on our floor, as Adam and I are back with the next installment of our “Come and Knock on Our Pod” event! This time around, we take a look at The Ropers, which was the first spinoff in the Three’s Company universe. Based on the UK spinoff George and Mildred, the series followed the characters of Helen and Stanley Roper, as they sell their apartment, and move to the tony suburb of Cheviot Hills, California. Meanwhile, their snobby neighbor, Jeffrey Brookes III (played by Jeffrey Tambor), is constantly trying to get them to move out, since he feels they don’t belong and they’re driving down the property values.
Helen and Stanley Roper were fan favorite characters on Three’s Company, to the point that they were first offered a spinoff after the initial 6-episode season. They passed, but reluctantly accepted the offer once it came around again a few seasons later. They did it, however, because of a promise that had been made to them: If The Ropers failed, the actors could return to Three’s Company, as if nothing happened. No harm, no foul. That didn’t come to pass, however, as their replacement, Ralph Furley (played by Don Knotts) had not only proven to be a good fit, but the studio now only had to pay one actor as opposed to their two. After 28 episodes, The Ropers would be no more, and the characters would make their final appearance in a season 5 episode of Three’s Company.
This is one of the rare cases where I have listened to the finished episode before writing this post, and I’ve got to make some apologies! First off, there’s a period near the beginning where I’m clearly talking about Mr. Furley, but I actually said Mr. Roper. A LOT. All the stuff about Mr. Angelino? Yeah, Anytime I said “Mr. Roper”, just sub “Mr. Furley” in there. Also, I said “corresponded with” instead of “coincided with”. What can I say? When I get excited I get stupid! I don’t think this was my best showing on the podcast, but I still think it was a great conversation overall. Anyway, you can find that episode here, or wherever fine podcasts are available!