The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch was the last of the classic television family sitcoms. It ran on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The show was about a suburban Los Angeles blended family where a formerly-married housewife named Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) with three daughters married architect widower Mike Brady (Robert Reed) who had three sons and a live-in housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis). The adults are all deceased now but most of the children reunite for television specials, including one for Christmas 2021 entitled "Blending Christmas."[1]
Ranked as the 6th greatest sitcom of the 1970s,[2] it became more popular in syndicated reruns than it had been initially. But the cast never received royalties from the syndicated success after 1979, because of how acting contracts were written then. As a result of its enduring and even increasing popularity, several reunion spinoffs were produced, such as The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1976â77), The Brady Brides (1981), and The Bradys (1990).
Several successful movies were also made featuring the Brady family, such as the immensely successful made-for-TV Very Brady Christmas (1988 - featuring most of the original cast), the theatrical Brady Bunch Movie (1995 - produced as a hybrid homage/parody featuring a new cast), the theatrical Very Brady Sequel (1996), and the made-for-TV Brady Bunch Goes to Washington (2002 - made in the style of the 90s movies). The Brady Bunch Movie had cameo appearances by many of the original stars and was quite profitable, while its sequel was less so.
The show is considered to be the last of the old style classic family sitcoms, as soon after it debuted, the networks started switching away from family based programming to more adult oriented fare aimed at a younger, more urban demographic believed to be more appealing to advertisers (the biggest example of this programming philosophy was the CBS "Rural Purge" of 1971). In spite of this, The Brady Bunch stayed true to its family-oriented style throughout its entire run, with most episodes often featuring stories revolving around family life, dealing with people, and learning life lessons/morals.
Cast
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Robert Reed | Mike Brady |
| Florence Henderson | Carol Brady |
| Ann B. Davis | Alice Nelson |
| Maureen McCormick | Marcia Brady |
| Eve Plumb | Jan Brady |
| Susan Olsen | Cindy Brady |
| Barry Williams | Greg Brady |
| Christopher Knight | Peter Brady |
| Mike Lookinland | Bobby Brady |
Supporting/recurring cast
| Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Allan Melvin | Sam Franklin | Alice's boyfriend Appears in eight episodes spanning all five seasons |
| Robbie Rist | Cousin Oliver | Carol's nephew who moved in with the family Appears in the final six episodes of the series |
External links
- The Brady Bunch at IMDb