Eight Is Enough

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ABC (ended 1981)
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Show Summary

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Based on the book by Thomas Braden, this family drama chronicles the lives of the Bradford family: the father Tom, who worked as a columnist for a Sacramento newspaper); the mother Joan; and their eight children: David, Mary, Joanie, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy, and Nicholas.

As anyone from a large family can tell you, get these many different people related or not under the same roof, and chaos will certainly ensue. Enter in all their relationships, school, and work problems, and you can guarantee something is always going haywire in the Bradford home.

Diana Hyland died during season one and her character was "sent away" .So in season two, Tom married Abby, a school teacher.

In season four, two of the Bradford children got married: David to Janet; and Susan to Merle, a baseball player. In France the show is known as Huit, a suffit !.
In Italy it was known as La famiglia Bradford ("The Bradford Family") on Channel One, but titled Otto Bastano on Channel Four.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 5 :  Ep 114 Aired 10/15/89
S 5 :  Ep 113 Aired 10/18/87
S 5 :  Ep 22 Aired 5/23/81
S 5 :  Ep 21 Aired 5/16/81
S 5 :  Ep 20 Aired 5/9/81

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Fan Reviews (10)

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  • Tom and Joan Bradford certainly had a busy household, and with eight children, it's no wonder!

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Aug 05, 2009
    Newspaper columnist Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) and his wife, Joan, (Diana Hyland) never had a dull moment in their lives. And why? Well, because they had eight children, that's why! There was never a dull moment in the Bradford house, David, (Grant Goodeve) Mary, (Lani O'Grady) Joannie, (Laurie Walters) Susan, (Susan Richardson) Nancy, (Diane Kay)Elizabeth, (Connie Needham)Tommy, (Willie Aames) and Nicholas (Adam Rich) saw to that!

    The Bradfords were a laugh a minute for viewers when the show aired from 1977 - 1981. The kids (younger and older!) were always getting into scrapes of some kind, leaving their parents the task of sorting them all out.

    Sadly, Diana Hyland died of cancer during the show's run, so the producers gave Tom a new love interest, Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott, (played by Betty Buckley)who became his second wife. The issues of death, divorce, infidelity, birth control and other social dilemmas were dealt with responsibly by the show's writers, however, the main aim of the show was to entertain through comedy and it did just that, for its entire run.

    Unfortunately, quite a few of the cast members have had very public personal problems. One (Lani O' Grady) passed away in 2001)and others have had a myriad of difficulties, however, nothing can detract from the fact that the show was incredibly popular during its run and many fans are hoping for a release to DVD in the future.moreless

  • Good family show that helped me through the solitude of being stationed oversees.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Roy631, Jun 19, 2009
    I enjoyed watching this show because it had a "Walton's" aire to it. I first saw this when I was stationed oversees; it was shipped along with several VHS tapes on a weekly basis. It reminded me of how the world was outside of our lonely assignment. I enjoyed that most episodes began and ended within an hour. Not a long drawn out soap opera. It also presented basic family problems and showed how a real person, father Bradford, handled life, death, and the job of raising such a diverse brood. I wish I could see this again in reruns; but it seems like the $'s aren't there for the sponsors...moreless

  • A family comedy program from the 1970's.

    8.6
    "Great"
    By LostShield, Jun 26, 2006
    A pretty decent show which tackled some controversial subject matter. In it's day, Eight Is Enough actually touched on some other issues that most shows would not touch. It followed the Bradford family headed by the father Tom played by Dick Van Patten. He played widower with eight kids. He started dating and eventually married Abby who was played by Betty Buckley. It was a good combination of comedy and drama. The show also gave lots of opportunities to some up and coming actors and actresses. Willie Aames played Tommy. He would later go on to co-star in Charles In Charge with Scott Baio. Not that I'm going to check and see if it's on TV Land, but it was pretty good.
    moreless

  • Rerun this show everynight!

    8.0
    "Great"
    By trayce13, Jun 26, 2006
    This was a great show to watch. They touched on mant issues going on at the time. I enjoyed watching it. The Bradford family was by no means perfect but they stuck together as a family. And they let Abby be a part of their lives. Did they ever have any animals? Wasn't it weird that Tommy and Nicolas had to share a room. Huge age difference there. It is even more fun to watch now to see the hair and clothes differences from today. Yup I had that feathered hair. It should air on tvland at least one night a week. It is good family entertainment.moreless

  • Please bring this classic back!

    8.6
    "Great"
    By JPPT1974, May 13, 2006
    I really loved this show as a kid when it
    Went into syndication. By the time I lived in Florida
    As well as moved up here in TN. Great family show
    But sadly I feel sorry for some of the then younger
    Actors and actresses at the time. Like Adam Rich!
    Great show though and one where the family could watch!
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Drama, Kids

Themes

absent parent, child stars, dead parents, dramedy, ensemble cast

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