In Memoriam • Richard O'Sullivan (1944–2026, Age 82)

Richard O'Sullivan & The Transatlantic Sitcom Tree

How Thames Television's Man About the House and Richard O'Sullivan's culinary rogue Robin Tripp provided the foundational DNA for John Ritter's legendary Jack Tripper in ABC's Three's Company.
Transatlantic Franchise Lineage (1973–1985) Thames TV (UK) ➔ ABC Network (US)

Created by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, the 1973 British Thames Television smash hit was bought by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West (NRW Productions) to become America's #1 comedy powerhouse. Click any series below to inspect franchise correspondence.

British Thames Television Canon UK ITV ORIGINAL

Man About the House (1973–1976)

6 Series • 39 Episodes + 1 Feature Film (1974)
Starring Richard O'Sullivan (Robin Tripp), Paula Wilcox (Chrissy), Sally Thomsett (Jo)

Robin Tripp, a trainee chef found asleep in a bath after a farewell party, moves in with two young women under the guise to landlord George Roper that Robin is gay.

George and Mildred (1976–1979)

5 Series • 38 Episodes + 1 Feature Film (1980)
Starring Yootha Joyce (Mildred Roper) & Norman Eshley / Brian Murphy (George)

Mildred's social-climbing aspirations clash with George's chronic apathy in their new suburban Peacock Crescent home.

Robin's Nest (1977–1981)

6 Series • 48 Episodes
Starring Richard O'Sullivan (Robin Tripp) & Tessa Wyatt (Vicky Nicholls)

Robin opens his own bistro with his girlfriend Vicky and her disapproving father/backer James Nicholls (Tony Britton).

American ABC Network Adaptation US ABC ADAPTATION

Three's Company (1977–1984)

8 Seasons • 172 Episodes • #1 in US Nielsen Ratings
Starring John Ritter (Jack Tripper), Joyce DeWitt (Janet), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy)

Jack Tripper, a culinary student found passed out in the bathtub, becomes roommates with Janet and Chrissy in Santa Monica, California.

The Ropers (1979–1980)

2 Seasons • 28 Episodes
Starring Audra Lindley (Helen Roper) & Norman Fell (Stanley Roper)

Stanley and Helen sell their apartment building and move into an upscale townhouse development in Cheviot Hills.

Three's a Crowd (1984–1985)

1 Season • 22 Episodes
Starring John Ritter (Jack Tripper) & Mary Cadorette (Vicky Bradford)

Jack moves in above his newly opened restaurant, 'Jack's Bistro', with his girlfriend Vicky and her meddling father.

Flagship Direct Lineage: Man About the House ➔ Three's Company

John Ritter directly cited Richard O'Sullivan's mastery of the mischievous, lovable rogue and dry, expressive body language as the baseline template for Jack Tripper. While O'Sullivan played Robin with a sharp London wit and cheeky charm, Ritter infused Tripper with high-energy American vaudevillian slapstick and exaggerated pratfalls.

The Legacy of Robin Tripp & Richard O'Sullivan

Richard O'Sullivan's Robin Tripp revolutionized television sitcoms by proving that a mixed-gender flatshare could be warm, witty, sophisticated, and universally funny. Without O'Sullivan's charm and Mortimer-Cooke's razor-sharp premise, John Ritter's Jack Tripper and Three's Company would never have existed. O'Sullivan's gift for comedic timing leaves an indelible mark on both sides of the Atlantic.

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