The Brady Bunch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Brady Bunch |
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Season five opening (1973–74)
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Sherwood Schwartz |
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| Theme music composer |
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| Composer(s) | Frank De Vol |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 117 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sherwood Schwartz |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25–26 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | Paramount Domestic Television (1975–1976) CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 26, 1969 – March 8, 1974 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by |
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| Related shows | |
The Brady Bunch is a fun American TV show called a sitcom. It was created by Sherwood Schwartz and aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The show is all about a big blended family with six children.
Even though it wasn't a huge hit when it first aired, The Brady Bunch became super popular later on. It was shown in reruns starting in 1975. Many kids and teens especially loved watching it!
Contents
Meet the Brady Family
The story begins with Mike Brady (Robert Reed), a dad who lost his wife and has three sons: Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). Mike is an architect, which means he designs buildings.
Then, Mike marries Carol Martin (Florence Henderson), who also has three daughters: Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen). After they get married, Carol and her daughters take the Brady last name.
Living with the family is Mike's friendly housekeeper, Alice Nelson (Ann B. Davis). The boys also have a dog named Tiger. The family lives in a big, two-story house in a Los Angeles suburb, which Mike designed himself.
In the first season, the show focused on how everyone adjusted to living together. They learned to get along, deal with rivalries, and solve problems that come with a big blended family. Later episodes focused on typical challenges for preteens and teens, like sibling arguments, first crushes, feeling good about yourself, and learning responsibility.
Who's Who: Cast and Characters
The show's opening credits were very famous! They showed the cast members' faces in a three-by-three grid, making it look like they were all looking at each other. This cool video trick was called the "multi-dynamic image technique" and became known as "the Brady Bunch effect."
Main Characters
- Robert Reed as Mike Brady (the dad)
- Florence Henderson as Carol Brady (the mom)
- Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson (the housekeeper)
- Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady (the oldest daughter)
- Eve Plumb as Jan Brady (the middle daughter)
- Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady (the youngest daughter)
- Barry Williams as Greg Brady (the oldest son)
- Christopher Knight as Peter Brady (the middle son)
- Mike Lookinland as Bobby Brady (the youngest son)
Other Important Characters
- Sam Franklin (Allan Melvin) is Alice's boyfriend. He owns a local butcher shop. Sam appeared in a few episodes across all five seasons.
- Tiger the dog was the family's pet. The first dog who played Tiger sadly passed away early in the show. The producers decided Tiger would only appear when he was really needed for the story.
- Cousin Oliver (Robbie Rist) joined the show in the middle of the fifth season. He was Carol Brady's young nephew, who came to live with the Bradys. Producers hoped he would help the show by bringing in a younger character, as the Brady kids were growing up. However, some fans felt he didn't quite fit in. Oliver appeared in the last six episodes before the show was cancelled in 1974. Adding a new, young character to a show to try and save it from being cancelled is sometimes called "Cousin Oliver Syndrome."
Watching the Show: Syndication and Airings
Since 1975, The Brady Bunch has been shown in reruns almost every day somewhere in the United States and other countries. This means many TV channels have bought the rights to show old episodes.
Over the years, the show has aired on many different channels, including TBS, Nick at Nite, TeenNick, TV Land, and Hallmark Channel.
Today, you can still watch The Brady Bunch! The classic TV network MeTV often shows episodes. You can also find some episodes on streaming services like Hulu and CBS All Access.
Music from The Brady Bunch
The Brady kids recorded several music albums while the show was on TV. The actors themselves sang on these albums. While the songs weren't big hits on music charts, they are still a fun part of the show's history.
More Brady Adventures: Spin-offs and Movies
After the original series ended, the Brady family continued their story in many different ways! There were animated shows, TV movies, and even new series. Most of the original actors came back for these new adventures.
The Brady Kids (Animated Series)
The Brady Kids was a cartoon series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1974. It showed the Brady kids having all sorts of adventures. The grown-ups from the family were not in this cartoon. The kids lived in a super cool tree house and had animal friends, including two pandas and a talking bird!
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
In 1976, a TV special called The Brady Bunch Variety Hour aired. It was a musical and comedy show with most of the original cast. It was a unique show that some fans still enjoy today!
The Brady Girls Get Married / The Brady Brides
| The Brady Brides | |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Sherwood Schwartz Lloyd J. Schwartz |
| Directed by | Peter Baldwin |
| Starring | Maureen McCormick Eve Plumb Jerry Houser Ron Kuhlman Florence Henderson Ann B. Davis Keland Love |
| Theme music composer | Frank De Vol |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sherwood Schwartz Lloyd J. Schwartz |
| Producer(s) | John Thomas Lenox |
| Production location(s) | Paramount Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Cinematography | Lester Shorr |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Redwood Productions Paramount Television |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | February 6 – April 17, 1981 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Brady Bunch Hour |
| Followed by | A Very Brady Christmas |
| Related shows | The Brady Bunch |
In 1981, a TV movie called The Brady Girls Get Married brought the whole original cast back together! It showed what the characters were doing years later. Mike was still an architect, Carol was a real-estate agent, and Alice had married Sam. The movie ended with Marcia and Jan having a double wedding!
This movie then led to a short TV show called The Brady Brides. It followed Marcia and Jan and their new husbands as they bought a house and lived together. The show focused on the funny differences between Jan's serious husband, Philip, and Marcia's more relaxed husband, Wally.
A Very Brady Christmas
In December 1988, another TV movie, A Very Brady Christmas, aired. Most of the original cast returned for this holiday special. It was very popular and had high ratings for CBS!
The Bradys (Dramatic Series)
Because A Very Brady Christmas was so successful, CBS created a new series called The Bradys in 1990. This show was different because it mixed comedy with more serious drama. All the original cast members returned, except for Maureen McCormick (Marcia). The show explored more grown-up storylines. It aired for six episodes.
A Very Brady Renovation
In 2019, many of the original cast members reunited for an HGTV series called A Very Brady Renovation. They worked together to renovate the real house used for the outside shots of the Brady home. They made the inside of the house look just like the TV set!
Brady Bunch Movies
Years after the original show, new movies were made about The Brady Bunch.
The Brady Bunch Movie came out in 1995. It was set in the 1990s, but the Brady family still acted like it was the 1970s, which made for many funny moments! New actors played the main family members, but some of the original cast members had small cameo roles.
A sequel, A Very Brady Sequel, was released in 1996. Another TV movie, The Brady Bunch in the White House, aired in 2002.
Images for kids
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Davy Jones with Maureen McCormick in the 1971 The Brady Bunch episode "Getting Davy Jones".
See also
In Spanish: The Brady Bunch para niños
