Fans love theories, and one of the juiciest involves Three’s Company’s origin. Could the show’s central idea — a young man sharing an apartment with two women in Santa Monica — have been based on a real story?
The Theory
According to whispers passed down for years, a struggling chef in 1970s California lived in a similar setup. He was reportedly charismatic, accident-prone, and often misunderstood by his landlord. Sound familiar?
Fans point out that the sitcom’s details — from the Santa Monica apartment building to the rhythm of misunderstandings — feel too authentic to be completely fictional. Some even believe that producer Don Nicholl may have stumbled upon this story during his time in Los Angeles.
Why Fans Love It
Even though there is no hard evidence, fans adore this theory because it makes the sitcom feel personal and grounded. Instead of being just a wacky sitcom, it becomes a dramatized slice of real life.
This narrative has grown so popular that some fans now visit apartment buildings in Santa Monica, hoping to find “the real Three’s Company apartment.” Of course, the truth may never be known — but isn’t that the beauty of television myths?
