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.

Specials, documentaries, and other revivals

The Brady Bunch has met with a remarkable amount of television coverage, although most of this did not happen until the series had been off the network for more than 20 years.

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The Brady Kids, animated 22-episode series, aired 1972-74, about the Brady kids living in a treehouse without any adults but with various pets. The first 17 episodes feature the voices of all six Brady kids, but Barry Williams and Mike Lookinland are replaced for the last five episodes due to a contract dispute.

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The World of Sid & Marty Krofft at the Hollywood Bowl, 1973. Aired on Saturday morning on ABC. The kids sing in the famous Los Angeles venue, while Robert Reed and Ann B. Davis watch from box seats.

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Donny and Marie Show, ABC, October 1, 1976. Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen appear as their Brady characters on an episode of Donny and Marie Osmond's variety show, without permission of the copyright owners of The Brady Bunch. They appear in several comedy sketches and the kids sing Cole Porter's We Open in Venice.

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The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, ABC, November 28, 1976. From the producers of Donny and Marie comes this special. It leads to The Brady Bunch Hour as a series on ABC.

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The Brady Bunch Hour, ABC, January-May 1977 (8 episodes). Details above.

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The Brady Girls Get Married, NBC, January-February 1981 (made for TV movie shown in three parts). Details above.

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The Brady Brides, NBC, February-April 1981 (7 episodes). Details above.

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A Very Brady Christmas, CBS, December 18, 1988. The highest rated TV movie of the 1988-89 television season.

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Day by Day: A Very Brady Episode, NBC, February 5, 1989. Robert Reed and Florence Henderson reprise their roles as Mike and Carol in this episode of a short-lived sitcom starring Linda Kelsey and Courtney Thorne-Smith. In the episode, a teenage boy in the family (Christopher Daniel Barnes) dreams he's Chuck Brady, and escapes to the Bradys' world after he is yelled at for his poor scholastic habits (he was watching a Brady marathon); however, Chuck's dream comes apart when various Bradys begin repeating comments made only a few minutes earlier. Art came to imitate life when Barnes was cast as the new Greg Brady in the theatrical Brady Bunch movies in 1995 and 1996.

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Free Spirit: The New Secretary, ABC, December 10, 1989. Although the name Brady is never mentioned, Robert Reed and Florence Henderson play a couple seeking a divorce in an episode of this short-lived sitcom about a witch (Corinne Bohrer) working as a nanny to a widowed lawyer.

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The Bradys, CBS, January-March 1990 (6 episodes). Details above.

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Bradymania: A Very Brady Special, 1993. Based loosely on Elizabeth Moran's book Bradymania, this special was hosted by Florence Henderson and include clips comparing Brady behavior with that on other sitcoms.

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The Brady Bunch Movie, 1995. Theatrical release. A parody of the original series.

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A Very Brady Sequel, 1996. Theatrical release. Same cast as previous.

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Brady Bunch Home Movies, May 23, 1995. During the original series run, Robert Reed gave each of the juvenile cast members an 8 mm video camera. This special includes footage the Brady kids shot in those days and is their tribute to Reed. Susan Olsen was executive producer.

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Groovin' with the Bradys, 1998. A 1998 special produced by VH-1.

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Attack of the Bradys, 1998. Another VH-1 Special.

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E! True Hollywood Story: The Brady Bunch, June 6, 1999. Members of the cast retell their anecdotes for the benefit of this E! Network series, including an extensive discussion of Robert Reed's homosexuality.

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Unauthorized Brady Bunch: The Final Days, May 16, 2000. A made for TV movie looking at the making of The Brady Bunch focusing on the final season which was marred by dissension among the cast pertaining to their business arrangements and the creative direction of the show.

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Growing Up Brady, May 21, 2000. A made-for-TV movie of Barry Williams's hit 1992 book.

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Pop-Up Brady, VH-1, July 18, 2001. Several episodes of The Brady Bunch with textual commentary added in the form of on-screen balloons.

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The Weakest Link, NBC, September 24, 2001. Members of the Brady cast compete on this game show.

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The Brady Bunch in the White House, November 29, 2002. Made for TV movie with a completely new cast.

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The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady after All These Years, September 29, 2004. Reunion special hosted by Jenny McCarthy.

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My Fair Brady, 2005. A reality TV series inspired by The Brady Bunch.

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Coming Together under One Roof, 2005. Sherwood Schwartz narrates this documentary about the creation of The Brady Bunch for the DVD release of the first season.

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Biography: The Brady Bunch, A& E, June 24, 2005. A&E's popular documentary program, having earlier profiled both Florence Henderson and Robert Reed, devotes an episode to the series.

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The Brady Bunch Cast Back in Hawaii, 2005. Florence Henderson, Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen go back to Hawaii and meet up with Don Ho.

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