The Bradys
Encyclopedia
The Bradys is a six-episode American
drama series
that aired on CBS
in 1990. It was a revival of the early 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch
(1969–1974), and was about the trials and tribulations of the extended Brady family some 15 years after the end of the earlier series. It followed two earlier short-lived spin-off/continuation series: the 1977 effort The Brady Bunch Hour
and 1981's The Brady Brides.
television movie
A Very Brady Christmas
. Almost all of the original cast members of the 1969
-1974
original Brady Bunch series (with the exception of Maureen McCormick
) returned. The show also incorporated cast members from The Brady Brides, who reprised their roles from the earlier series.
and Hooperman
, The Bradys aimed to change direction towards more dramatic storytelling than viewers had been used to in the previous Brady series.
Despite the more downbeat tone, the show did feature a laugh track at certain moments.
led to the hiatus and quiet cancellation of the series after six episodes. At the time, it was thought that the audience was simply unwilling to accept the sitcom characters in a more dramatic setting. But it turns out more viewers preferred to watch "Full House
" and "Family Matters" that aired on the same timeslot as "The Bradys". In Barry Williams's book Growing Up Brady, Williams stated that when the initial two-hour episode aired, ratings were poor for the first hour, but when the second hour aired, the show won its time slot. Attempts to convince CBS to move the show to the 9:00 p.m. time slot met with no success.
"Start Your Engines" and "Here We Grow Again" were renamed as "The Brady 500" 2 hour movie.
"A Moving Experience" and "Hat In The Ring" were renamed as "Bradys On The Move" 2 hour movie.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
that aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1990. It was a revival of the early 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
(1969–1974), and was about the trials and tribulations of the extended Brady family some 15 years after the end of the earlier series. It followed two earlier short-lived spin-off/continuation series: the 1977 effort The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
and 1981's The Brady Brides.
Influence and casting
The Bradys series came about as the result of the ratings and critical success of the 19881988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
A Very Brady Christmas
A Very Brady Christmas
A Very Brady Christmas is a 1988 movie based on the television series The Brady Bunch, featuring all of the original actors who appeared in the series except Susan Olsen who was on her honeymoon when the film was being made; Jennifer Runyon took her place as Cindy...
. Almost all of the original cast members of the 1969
1969 in television
The year 1969 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1969.For the American TV schedule, see: 1969-70 American network television schedule.-Events:...
-1974
1974 in television
The year 1974 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1974.For the American TV schedule, see: 1974-75 American network television schedule.-Events:...
original Brady Bunch series (with the exception of Maureen McCormick
Maureen McCormick
Maureen Denise McCormick is an American actress, celebrity and recording artist. She is most widely known as a child actress who played Marcia Brady in the television series The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974.- Early life and career :...
) returned. The show also incorporated cast members from The Brady Brides, who reprised their roles from the earlier series.
Style
Produced at the height of the dramedy trend in American television, epitomized by such shows as Frank's PlaceFrank's Place
Frank's Place is an American comedy-drama series which aired on CBS for 22 episodes during the 1987-1988 television schedule. The series was created by Hugh Wilson and executive produced by Wilson and series star Tim Reid.-Plot:Set in New Orleans, Frank's Place chronicles the life of Frank Parrish...
and Hooperman
Hooperman
Hooperman is a U.S. television series starring John Ritter. It ran for two seasons on ABC, from 1987 to 1989. A comedy-drama, the series was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher who were the team responsible for creating L.A. Law....
, The Bradys aimed to change direction towards more dramatic storytelling than viewers had been used to in the previous Brady series.
Format
Unlike the original thirty-minute sitcom, The Bradys was an hour long and featured far more serious plotlines. Among them:- Bobby's budding car-racing career ends abruptly in the first episode after an accident leaves him a paraplegic. As he recovers, he marries his college girlfriend.
- Peter breaks up with his fiancée, to whom he became engaged in A Very Brady Christmas.
- Jan and Phillip, unable to conceive children of their own, adopt a Korean girl.
- Stay-at-home mother Marcia battles alcoholism while Wally loses yet another in a series of jobs, the latest being Mike's campaign manager. Wally and Marcia, who along with their two children have been forced to move in with Mike and Carol, eventually decide to open their own cateringCateringCatering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
business to support their family. - Radio host Cindy begins a romantic interest with her boss, a widower more than 10 years her senior who has two children.
Despite the more downbeat tone, the show did feature a laugh track at certain moments.
Failure
The show was actually never officially canceled but put on hiatus with plans to continue sometime later in the year. Poor reviews and low ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
led to the hiatus and quiet cancellation of the series after six episodes. At the time, it was thought that the audience was simply unwilling to accept the sitcom characters in a more dramatic setting. But it turns out more viewers preferred to watch "Full House
Full House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
" and "Family Matters" that aired on the same timeslot as "The Bradys". In Barry Williams's book Growing Up Brady, Williams stated that when the initial two-hour episode aired, ratings were poor for the first hour, but when the second hour aired, the show won its time slot. Attempts to convince CBS to move the show to the 9:00 p.m. time slot met with no success.
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Start Your Engines | February 9, 1990 |
| 02 | Here We Grow Again | February 9, 1990 |
| 03 | A Moving Experience | February 16, 1990 |
| 04 | Hat in the Ring | February 23, 1990 |
| 05 | Bottoms Up | March 2, 1990 |
| 06 | The Party Girls | March 9, 1990 |
"Start Your Engines" and "Here We Grow Again" were renamed as "The Brady 500" 2 hour movie.
"A Moving Experience" and "Hat In The Ring" were renamed as "Bradys On The Move" 2 hour movie.
Cast
- Robert ReedRobert ReedRobert Reed was a prolific American character actor of stage, film and television. In his first big break, he played Kenneth Preston on the popular 1960s TV legal drama, The Defenders, alongside E. G. Marshall. But he was best remembered for portraying the father, Mike Brady, on the popular...
as Mike Brady - Florence HendersonFlorence HendersonFlorence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
as Carol Brady - Ann B. DavisAnn B. DavisAnn Bradford Davis is an American television actress.Davis achieved prominence for her role in The Bob Cummings Show for which she twice won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series...
as Alice Nelson-Franklin - Barry WilliamsBarry WilliamsBarry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
as Dr. Greg Brady - Leah AyresLeah AyresLeah Ayres is an American actress who played Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial, The Edge of Night, in the early 1980s. Ayres is well known for her role in Bloodsport, alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme...
as Marcia Brady Logan - Christopher Knight as Peter Brady
- Eve PlumbEve PlumbEve Aline Plumb is an American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television sitcom The Brady Bunch.-Early career:...
as Jan Brady Covington - Mike LookinlandMike LookinlandMichael Paul "Mike" Lookinland is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch from 1969 until 1974.-Early life:...
as Bobby Brady - Susan OlsenSusan OlsenSusan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
as Cindy Brady - Jerry HouserJerry HouserJerry Houser is an American character actor and voice actor in film and television.-Career:Houser was born in Los Angeles, California. Since 1971, he has appeared in countless films, TV series, animated series, and commercials...
as Wally Logan - Ron Kuhlman as Philip Covington III
- Caryn RichmanCaryn RichmanCaryn Richman is an actress who primarily appeared in television series in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her roles include Elena Dekker on the soap opera Texas, Gidget on the television series The New Gidget, and Nora Brady in A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys.-External links:...
as Nora Brady - Martha QuinnMartha QuinnMartha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
as Tracy Brady - Ken MichelmanKen MichelmanKen Michelman is an American actor primarily known for his role as Abner Goldstein on the TV series The White Shadow. He also played Gary Greenberg, Cindy Brady's love interest on the short-lived Brady Bunch spinoff, The Bradys....
as Gary Greenberg - Jaclyn Bernstein as Jessica Logan
- Jonathan Taylor ThomasJonathan Taylor ThomasJonathan Taylor Thomas is an American actor, voice actor, former child star, and teen idol...
as Kevin Brady - Michael Melby as Mickey Logan
- Valerie Ick as Patty Covington