The Brady Bunch

FavoritedFavorite 95
ABC (ended 1974)
EDIT

Show Summary

  • Ended
The Brady Bunch was first seen in September 1969, Friday nights on ABC. The series was created by Sherwood Schwartz the same person who had created Gilligan's Island, 5 years earlier. In this series, Michael Paul Brady marries Carol Ann Tyler Martin and they combine their families. Mike had three sons from a previous marriage and Carol had three daughters also from a previous marriage. Mike's previous wife had died and the fate of Carol's previous husband was never explained. However, creator Sherwood Schwartz, originally intended Carol to have been divorced, but ABC balked at that idea. So thus we have two parents (Mike and Carol),six kids (Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby & Cindy), one housekeeper (Alice), and the family dog (Tiger), all living under one roof. Thus setting the scene for one of the most popular family sitcoms of all-time. The first season revolved mainly around the family adjusting to living together. The following seasons then revolved mainly around the six kids growing up and going through puberty and childhood adolescents.''''Other notable characters included, Sam Franklin, who was Alice's steady boyfriend, appeared several times throughout the 5-year run. In the final season, the character of Oliver, Carol's nephew was introduced mainly to add some of the cuteness back into the show since Cindy and Bobby had outgrown that stage.''''The series ended it's run in 1974, but the Brady family was far from gone. Two years prior, a animated cartoon, The Brady Kids had been created and aired Saturday mornings. In 1977, a variety show, The Brady Bunch Hour was created but lasted after only a handful of episodes. In 1981, NBC decided to break apart the reunion movie, The Brady Girls Get Married into a weekly series called, The Brady Brides. That too failed. Then the Brady Bunch was revived yet again in 1988, with the CBS TV-movie, A Very Brady Christmas. The movie was the highest rated TV movie of the year and forever cemented The Brady Bunch's immortality in pop culture. To date, the last spin-off aired in 1990 as a weekly hour-long drama called, The Bradys.''''In 1989, most of the cast returned to their roles on an episode of the short lived, series, Day by Day. The episode was called A Very Brady Episode. Interesting enough, Christopher Daniel Barnes starred in the series and would later portray Greg in the 1995 feature film, The Brady Bunch Movie and a year later in A Very Brady Sequel.''''Spin-offs: The Brady Kids, The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Brides and The Bradys''''ABC Broadcast History''''September 1969-September 1970----Fridays----8:00 p.m.''September 1970-September 1971----Fridays----7:30 p.m.''September 1971-August 1974----Fridays----8:00 p.m.''''Nielsen Ratings:''(Top 30 or Better)''''Never hit the top 30''''First Telecast: September 26, 1969 Last Telecast: August 31, 1974''''Episodes: 117 Color Episodes''''Theme Song: "The Brady Bunch" Written by: Frank DeVol and Sherwood Schwartz''Sung by: The Peppermint Trolley Company (Season 1) and The Brady Kids (Seasons 2-5)''''Here's a story of a lovely lady,''Who was bringing up three very lovely girls.''All of them had hair of gold, like their mother,''The youngest one in curls.''''It's a story, of a man named Brady,''Who was busy with three boys of his own.''They were four men, living all together,''Yet they were all alone.'''''Till the one day when the lady met this fellow,''And they knew they we're much more than a hunch.''That this group must somehow form a family.''That's the way (we)* all became the Brady Bunch.''The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch.''That's the way (we)* became the Brady Bunch.''''*they instead of we during Season 1 only.moreless
8.5
out of 10
Average Rating: Great
1,245 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Episode Guide

See All
S 5 :  Ep 22 Aired 3/8/74
go
TV.com
Free
S 5 :  Ep 21 Aired 3/1/74
go
TV.com
Free
S 5 :  Ep 20 Aired 2/22/74
S 5 :  Ep 19 Aired 2/15/74
go
TV.com
Free
S 5 :  Ep 18 Aired 2/8/74

Watch The Brady Bunch Full Episodes

See All

The Brady Bunch News

See All
  • QUICK QUESTION: What Are the Best TV-to-Movie Adaptations? 70

    QUICK QUESTION: What Are the Best TV-to-Movie Adaptations?

    By Price Peterson, Feb 02, 2012

    Between reviewing the Napoleon Dynamite animated series and Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between movies and television and that weird moment of conversion when one becomes the other. Especially these days,… more

  • Family Confidential: Barnes Storms 0

    Family Confidential: Barnes Storms

    By Jevon Saba, Dec 23, 2010

    Family Confidential." link="/family-confidential/show/80488/summary.html" target="_blank" loc="right"> Australian rock 'n' roll legend Jimmy Barnes may be well-known for his artistry, but he is also remembered for his drug and alcohol scandals. In Family Confidential, viewers will be given the chance to meet… more

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Reviews (64)

See All

  • I wouldn't watch this with nightvision googles.

    1.4
    "Abysmal"
    By YamataDragon, Dec 22, 2010 Report Abuse
    This is so lame, could rant about this for 30 months. It annoys me just like those commercials for Kidz Bop CDs (**** them kids for ruining songs). It is the worst show i've ever seen on public television & i can't believe people watch it. I'm just glad i don't watch it.

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 7

  • A widowed man with three boys marries a widowed lady with three girls. This family of eight plus their housekeeper, Alice, have to learn to live together.

    8.4
    "Great"
    By pudgebyrd722, Nov 07, 2009 Report Abuse
    The Brady Bunch was one of those television series that never really had one of those episodes with dramatic storylines about bad things that go on in teens lives, or anybody's lives, but it was still pretty good. I guess it was meant to a be more of a family show than anything else. There were a few really funny moments, but not that many. But that's okay, because the show was pretty decent. No foul language; The bullies in the show didn't do anything at all, so it could be boring at times. My favorite characters were Alice, the funnier one. She was the housekeeper for the Bradys. From the kids, I liked the youngest boy, Bobby, and the oldest boy, Greg. All three girls had their little attitudes. Cindy would try to act like the special one to get her way. Jan was boring and dull. Marsha was really bossy, in my opinion. But the show was still pretty good. It could of been better; But hey, it could of been a LOT worse.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Marcia reconsiders going to the school dance in two weeks after she gets braces. Encouraged after a heart to heart talk in the kitchen with Carol, she is shocked to find out that Alan her date is going out of town and cannot take her to the ball.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By oakenglish, May 09, 2009 Report Abuse
    Brace Yourself shows how traumatic family members think it can be for a junior high school girl if she has no date for the school dance. Though Marcia considers not going to the major school event due to all the "barbed wire" in her mouth, her date cancels on her causing other Brady family members scrambling to find a replacement. Of all the episodes Marcia has cried, the "I'm ugly, ugly, ugly!" in front of the mirror in he bedroom ranks up there with one where Marcia loses her part of Juliet in the school play. Family members with the same desire to help her cause, come up with replacements who show up at the Brady suburban home to see Marcia one evening, but all at the same time. The story obligatorily ends happily when Alan can go to dance again and all brother sisters watch admiringly as Alan escorts Marcia to the dance.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 0

  • Two widowed parents marry and raise their 6 kids together.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By trm6, Nov 23, 2008 Report Abuse
    I love this show! My family and I used to watch it when I was a little girl. I can't believe this show ended as soon as it did. I really thought it should have gone on for a few more years. My favorite characters were Alice (the maid), Marcia (the older sister), and Cindy (the youngest). But then, who didn't love Cindy? She was so cute with her impaired speech and her curly blonde hair. Peter was my favorite brother character. He was so funny! Jan wasn't too bad, but she complained too much. She always got mad because she thought everyone liked Marcia better. Mike and Carol (the parents) were alright, but their idea of punishing the kids was a little...different. The same lectures repeated over and over again got pretty old. Greg and Bobby (the older and younger brother, respectively) were okay too.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    7 1

  • These are one of these classic shows you'll be really laughing at!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By angela435231, May 28, 2008 Report Abuse
    The Brady Bunch is decent classic show with a bunch of Familys around being a Comedian. I use to watch this show not on TV land though, but something eles. It came on all the time but they changed it. So I have to find it because I think it's one of these best Classic Comedy and Family shows you'll actually love. I could really understand what they are saying and the durations to it. This is a very decent show to watch. I am really impressive in this show. In the old years, they have made lot's of comedy and good shows. You'll lve them. Even the ones where their in Black and white.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    10 0
 

Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Photos

See All

Related Shows

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings

Categories

Comedy

Themes

For The Nostalgic, Large Family, Pressures Of High School, Sassy Housekeeper, 60s

BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use