[gcruse]

Just like a American television station to take a idea from another part of the world and water it down

In "Man About the House," the UK series that inspired Three's Company, the guy (Jack) was red blooded male trying to bed the girl roommates.  The sexual tension made the jokes hilarious. 

Of course, lust is too rich an emotion for the pabulum-rich American TV, so Jack had to be sexually toned down until he was a proto-fag, as played by Ritter.  The portrayal of him trying to be sexual but laboring under Puritan guilt about the filth of it all made Jack a pathetic boy.

What the US wusses did to Coupling explained its dying at the starting gate.  The tension between Benny Hill and Mister Rogers pretty well augers doom for transplanting anything but quiz shows.

[NYCVirago]

In "Man About the House," the UK series that inspired Three's Company, the guy (Jack) was red blooded male trying to bed the girl roommates. The sexual tension made the jokes hilarious. Of course, lust is too rich an emotion for the pabulum-rich American TV, so Jack had to be sexually toned down until he was a proto-fag, as played by Ritter. The portrayal of him trying to be sexual but laboring under Puritan guilt about the filth of it all made Jack a pathetic boy.

You must not have watched the same Three's Company episodes I saw in the 70s. Jack Tripper had to pretend to be gay in front of Mr. Roper so that the landlord wouldn't throw him out, but that didn't make him a "proto-fag". And he was constantly leering at Chrissy and Janet, not to mention every other woman who walked by. There was no "Puritan guilt about the filth of it all", but there were lots of sexual and other misunderstandings. Three's Company is still one of the best-loved TV shows ever.