ALF: Somewhere Over the Rerun

ALF: Somewhere Over the Rerun
NBC
September 28, 1987
Sitcom
VHS
B-

I did not like ALF the show or ALF the character, but my then-future-ex-husband taped this for me for obvious reasons.  And it's not bad, even the segments without the castaways.  Once we hit the dream sequence on the island though, well, it's good to be home.  Everyone's aged (except of course Dawn Wells), but they're still comfortable with themselves and each other, and the writing kicks up a notch or two.  Note that the absent Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer were still respectively almost two and almost four years away from death, while Alan Hale had about two and a half years left, although you'd never guess it from here.  This may or may not be the first sitcom to pay a fond if mocking tribute to a "classic" predecessor, but it does predate, for instance, the superior Day by Day homage/reunion for The Brady Bunch.  And even Roseanne would honor Gilligan down the road.

Thirty-eight-year-old Anne Schedeen, who had multiple roles on Three's Company, most notably as his girlfriend Linda, plays wife and mother Kate Tanner.  Andrea Elson, who plays teenage daughter Lynn, would be Melinda on Who's the Boss?, while Max Wright, who plays her dad Willie, would be Dr. Wormser a couple years later on WtB.  Nick Havinga, who directed one Welcome Back, Kotter episode, here does one of his thirty for this series.

Three's Company: Jack Gets His

Three's Company: Jack Gets His
ABC
November 9, 1982
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Staretski & Rips story, Jack gets his dream of six years: his own restaurant.  Unfortunately, he rents it sight unseen from Mr. Angelino and it's very run-down.  Also, he's turned down for a loan at the bank.  Luckily, Mr. Furley comes through with $800 for the first month's rent.  Note that while all of Jack's good friends are supportive, it's Janet who has the imagination and the belief in Jack to encourage him to hold on to his dream, and it does seem like she is the one he most shares what he's going through with.  The credits promise "Next Week: The Grand Opening," although the next episode has a slightly different title.

Anne Schedeen, who previously was Linda and Lisa, here plays another L-named character, Louise Prescott, the loan officer.  (Jack hits on her but she's not interested, financially or romantically.)

Three's Company: Honest Jack Tripper

Another classic Furley outfit.

Three's Company: Honest Jack Tripper
ABC
May 19, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Mark Tuttle episode has a feeling of de ja vu about it.  For one thing, Jack's new girlfriend Lisa Page is played by Anne Schedeen, who previously was Jack's sort of steady girlfriend Linda.  For another, it's about Jack being caught in a lie and then deciding to be brutally honest, which if it hasn't yet happened on this series, certainly has happened on enough series.  Predictably, Jack reverts to lying when it's a matter of sparing Furley's feelings.  It's not a bad episode, but it's not much to end the season on.  (If we don't count the failed pilots, this is the 100th episode.  It is at least DeWitt's 100th, she having missed an episode with, ironically, Schedeen.)

Shell Kepler, who plays Luanne, would return at the beginning of the next season as a different girlfriend of Larry's, Didi.

Three's Company in Season Five ranges from D+ to B, although oddly with no C's.  Unlike its peers of '80-'81, there's no fence-sitting; it gets a clear B- average.  So the replacement of Somers with Harrison hasn't harmed the show.  Yes, occasionally the series is awful this year, but it's not Jenilee's fault.  Generally, things are pretty good.  Season Six would have another major cast change, the final one for the series.  At the time, Terri Alden was my least favorite of the three blonde roommates, but we'll see how I feel about her now.

Three's Company: Stanley's Hotline

Three's Company: Stanley's Hotline
ABC
January 30, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is perhaps the only sitcom to ever use a farcical mix-up between wart removal and abortion.  Schedeen does a better job filling in for DeWitt than Leland Smith did filling in for Fred Berry a few days earlier.  (And I think it was for similar reasons, contract renegotiations with ABC.)

Three's Company: Double Date

Three's Company: Double Date
ABC
September 12, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In its third season, Three's Company remained in its Tuesday slot after Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley and it would become #2 in the ratings, after L & S, while Days fell to #3.  Dave Powers took over (for 140 episodes!) as the main director and the show seemed to have a winning formula.  I certainly remember enjoying it.  And yet, while no sharkbait by any means, I can see some changes that in the long run would not serve the show.  One is the dumbing down of Chrissy, not too egregious here, but certainly noticeable compared to the first two seasons.  (Her new look is also less natural.)  The more significant change in terms of this episode is that Jack, egged on by Larry, is getting more manipulative and dishonest with women.  Not that he didn't have that trait to begin with-- Man About the House's Robin had it before him-- but it is the trait that gets Flanderized.  That means I guess that Janet will become more sensible, which will be played with in the next episode.

Note that Linda (Schedeen) is upset about Jack lying to her in order to break their date and go out with another girl, and yet she'll return, just like she did when she found out that Jack only wanted to marry her because he thought she was pregnant.  Also, before I sat down and watched this episode, I had it confused with a similar one (I think later this season) where Jack entertains four women in two or three apartments.

Three's Company: Will the Real Jack Tripper

Three's Company: Will the Real Jack Tripper
ABC
February 14, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

As I said in my review of the Man About the House episode this is based on, the Americanization (by NRW as usual) is an improvement, I think mostly due to Amer-Larry being less sleazy and making a more convincing queen than his British inspiration.  This has the official introduction of Linda (who's been mentioned at least once but not seen) and she's well played by Anne Schedeen (understandably brought back in this and other roles).  The episode is notable for proof that Jack has had sex with at least one girlfriend (the "be careful"/"I thought I was" exchange for instance).  Also we can hear Chrissy do her snort-laugh, although technically that debuted in the previous episode.  (And it's in an out-take from the Dick Sargent episode.)

Paul Ainsley returns as Jim the Bartender.  Ted Gehring, who plays Sandra's Father, had made a M*A*S*H appearance and would make another that year.  Hobin and Ross co-directed again.