In 1980, relishing the success of television sitcom Three’s Company, Suzanne Somors, the “blonde” roommate on the show, did the unthinkable. As her popularity escalated and she became a popular pinup, she had the gall to ask for a raise so her salary was equal to her male co-star. She was fired instead. Off-camera conflicts like Somer’s contract negotiations are harder to hide in the age of social media, but in the past, audiences didn’t have such ‘insider access.’ Television helped audiences escape, for a little while, the tensions of their own lives to vicariously join a group of friends. Fights would brew and resolve over one episode, characters kissing and making up, and a happy conclusion. But the smiling façade often hid behind-the-scenes drama. Take a look at some of history’s most popular shows, and the drama audiences never got to see.
