Many viewers of Three’s Company may not know that John Ritter’s son, Jason Ritter, made his first television debut in the show’s opening credits. Joyce DeWitt recently revealed this little-known detail about the sitcom’s history.
Jason Ritter made a surprising appearance in the credits of his father’s show, Three’s Company
Today, fans recognize Jason Ritter for acclaimed performances in Parenthood, A Million Little Things, and The Tale. However, his very first television appearance came decades earlier when he was still a toddler. During the early 1980s, Jason briefly appeared in the credits of Three’s Company, the sitcom that made his father, John Ritter, a household name.
Joyce DeWitt, who starred alongside John Ritter for all eight seasons, recently revealed the story during the Southfork Experience: Three’s Company Panel on August 10. She explained that the show’s director, Dave Powers, often filmed the credits in a loose, unscripted style.
“There was a rough draft, but not really a game plan,” DeWitt shared. “Because we were going to be all day on location, people brought their children, their wives, whatever. It was kind of a group event, and Davey was just grabbing anybody and everyone to throw into those credits.”
One of those spontaneous additions turned out to be Jason, who showed up on set wearing a pair of blue overalls. “In my credit, where I’m down and this little boy toddles in, that’s Jason Ritter, John’s first child,” DeWitt said. “The Jason Ritter that you see on TV all the time, that was his film premiere. His little overall butt walking up to me.” (via People)
The sequence was filmed at the Los Angeles Zoo and later appeared at the beginning of episodes during seasons six through eight of the hit sitcom.
Even though John Ritter passed away in 2003 from aortic dissection, his son has carried forward his legacy in Hollywood. Jason has built a diverse career with appearances in Matlock, Candy, and several independent projects.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.net.
