The Brady Bunch

The Brady Bunch was a US television situation comedy, based around a large blended family. A total of 117 episodes were broadcast between September 1969 and August 1974 on the ABC network. The idea to make the series was based on creator Sherwood Schwartz's reading an article that a growing share of the marriages in the United States involved children from a previous marriage. Despite the similarities between the series and the 1968 theatrical release Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, the original script for The Brady Bunch (which was titled Yours and Mine at that early stage) antedated that for the film. However, the success of the film was likely a factor in the network ordering the series.

Related Topics:
US - Television - Situation comedy - Blended family - Episode - September - 1969 - August - 1974 - ABC - Sherwood Schwartz - United States - 1968 - Yours, Mine and Ours - Henry Fonda - Lucille Ball

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Mike Brady, a widowed architect with sons Greg, Peter, and Bobby and a housekeeper named Alice, married Carol Martin (née Tyler), whose daughters were Marcia, Jan, and Cindy; the daughters take the Brady surname. Schwartz wanted Carol to have been a divorcée. The network objected to this, but a compromise was reached whereby no mention was made of the circumstances in which Carol's first marriage ended.

Related Topics:
Widow - Architect

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The new family, including Alice Nelson (Mike and the boys' housekeeper even prior to the death of his first wife; on one episode Alice said she had been with Mike before Bobby was born), all moved into a new home which had been designed by Mike. Episodes in the first season detailed the family learning to adjust to their new circumstances and become a unit, as well as typical problems of childhood and teen-agers (such as dating, rivalries and family squabbles). Subtle references to larger societal problems occasionally found their way into the dialogue. There was only one true social-issue episode, "The Liberation of Marcia Brady," in which Marcia explores the oppression of the Brady women and sets out to prove a girl can do anything a boy can. Mike did much of his architectural work in an office/design studio within the house, an apparent way of lending some realism to the way in which sitcom dads seem to be almost always at home while nonetheless earning a good living, a circumstance that has been ridiculed almost as long as the genre has existed.

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From the second season on, scripts tended to de-emphasise the fact that the Bradys were a blended family, and scripts generally gave the impression that the family had always been together. However, in the episodes "Not So Rose Colored Glasses" and "Jan's Aunt Jenny", mention was made that Mike and Carol had been married for three years. Further, in "Kelly's Kids", mention was made of the Brady adoptions when their neighbours, the Kellys, adopted three boys themselves. The opening theme song was the main manifestation of the Bradys being a blended family.

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The Brady Bunch was not a highly rated program during its prime time run (it never placed in the top 25 for a season) and was cancelled in 1974. Despite its relatively brief run and having won no awards, the show has become a true cultural phenomenon, having lasted in the minds of Americans for over 30 years. The series has spawned several sequel series on all three major networks, two theatrical and three made-for-TV movies, a touring stage show, and countless specials and documentaries on both network and cable TV.

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Since its first airing in syndication in September 1975, an episode of the show has been broadcast somewhere every single day. It was also shown on ABC in the daytime during the summer months from 1973 to 1975. (The only time the show was off television was from August 1974 when the prime time and daytime runs ended until June 1975 when the daytime run resumed.) When the episodes were repeated in syndication, usually appearing every weekday in early-afternoon slots so children could watch the episodes when they returned from school, the program became widely popular and achieved iconic status among those who were too young to have seen the series during its prime time run. According to Schwartz, the reason the show has become a part of Americana despite the fact that there have been other shows that ran longer, rated higher, and were critically acclaimed is that the episodes were written from the standpoint of the children. The Bradys also comprised a harmonious family (compare that to the Bunkers or the Simpsons or any number of dysfunctional television families). In fact, the producers had a form letter they sent to children wanting to run away from their own families and live with the Bradys. It has also been noted that the Bradys, while not wealthy, lived well by middle class standards, having a live-in housekeeper and taking frequent trips.

Related Topics:
Syndication - Prime time

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The children on the show began singing careers as they toured the USA in the 1970s, calling themselves The Kids from the Brady Bunch, although only Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick have stayed in the music business.

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A list of episodes of "The Brady Bunch" can be found in the article List of The Brady Bunch episodes.

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