The Brady Bunch (TV)
"The Brady Bunch" is an American television sitcom that aired from 1969 to 1974, focusing on a blended family formed by two single parents. The show features Mike Brady, a widower with three sons, and Carol, a widow with three daughters, along with their housekeeper, Alice. Inspired by a newspaper article highlighting the prevalence of blended families, creator Sherwood Schwartz sought to depict this family dynamic, which was often overlooked in television at the time.
While the series initially addressed the challenges of stepfamilies, it evolved into light-hearted narratives with simple plots that resolved conflicts quickly. The show aired on ABC alongside other family-oriented programs, providing a contrast to the more complex societal issues of the 1970s, such as civil rights and the women's liberation movement. Despite its lack of top Nielsen ratings, "The Brady Bunch" found lasting popularity through syndication, leading to various spin-offs, including animated series and a variety show. The characters' relatable experiences and interactions allowed viewers from diverse backgrounds to connect with the family, making it a significant part of American pop culture.
The Brady Bunch (TV)
Identification Television situation comedy
The Brady Bunch was one of the first prime-time television shows about blended families and one of the last to portray the traditional family values seen more often in television of the 1950’s.
Date Aired from 1969 to 1974
Producer Sherwood Schwartz
Key Figures
Sherwood Schwartz (1916- )
The Brady Bunch portrayed a family comprising two formerly single parents: a widower, Mike Brady (played by Robert Reed), who has three sons—Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland)—and a widow, Carol (Florence Henderson), who has three daughters—Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen). Added to the mix was the housekeeper, Alice (Ann B. Davis).
The premise for the show came from a newspaper article that creator Sherwood Schwartz had read which indicated that almost 30 percent of marriages involved children from previous marriages. He realized that these families rarely were seen on television. Although some of the first-season episodes of The Brady Bunch focused on the trials of new stepfamilies, references in later episodes were all but eliminated.
During its run, it aired on Friday nights on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) along with other shows that depicted the changing nature of families, including The Partridge Family, which featured a single mother, and The Odd Couple, which depicted two divorced men sharing an apartment.
Its simple plots, with problems that were resolved quickly and easily, were in sharp contrast to the complex issues of the times. Mike Brady was virtually always the final decision maker and the family’s only breadwinner. Little was seen of the 1970’s counterculture or the civil rights struggle. The Brady family did not have neighbors whose sons died in Vietnam. Even the women’s liberation movement was given only superficial treatment, although gender wars among family members were a common theme. Mike and Carol each try to do the other’s job, insisting that the other has it easy; Marcia and Greg have a contest to determine who is the better driver; and the girls and boys take sides against one another in episodes involving trading stamps, club houses, and slumber parties. However, the family also was depicted as coming together and looking out for one another: Peter is taught to fight in order to defend his younger sister, Cindy, and Marcia backs out of running for student body president in favor of letting her brother run unopposed.
Impact
The program’s popularity was evident in the variety of spin-off projects that it created. Because of the seven-year age range among the children, boys and girls were portrayed at each stage of childhood. Consequently, almost any viewer could identify on some level with one of the Brady family members. The Brady Kids, a Saturday morning cartoon featuring the voices of the actors, aired from 1972 to 1974, while The Brady Bunch Hour variety show aired from 1976 to 1977. Additionally “The Brady Kids” toured as a pop rock group and recorded several albums. Although The Brady Bunch never received top Nielsen ratings, it began running in syndication in 1973 and gained even more popularity.
Bibliography
Bellafonte, Ginia. “The Inventor of Bad TV: What Would the 70’s Have Been Without Sherwood Schwartz?” Time 145, no. 10 (March, 1995): 111.
Ozersky, Josh, et al. Archie Bunker’s America: TV in an Era of Change, 1968-1978. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2003.
Willams, Barry, and Chris Kreski. Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.