Brady Bunch

By Bret Fetzer

The Brady Bunch never scored high ratings during its five year run, but this friendly family comedy has remained in reruns ever since, while bigger hits have slipped into oblivion. Pretty much everyone who grew up in the Super70s or Awesome80s knows the show inside and out: A vision of suburban family life so utopian it's as fantastical as Neverland or Santa's workshop--and just like these imaginary realms, it casts a spell over every kid who wished all problems could be resolved with a few wise words, a good-natured shrug, or a winsome smile.

The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second Season is indistinguishable from every other season, but the reassuring formula is crucial to the show's appeal. Eldest brother Greg (Barry Williams) may decide he's all grown up and wants a groovy bachelor pad, or eldest sister Marcia (Maureen McCormick) may get all riled up about women's lib and decide to join the Frontier Scouts, or super-maid Alice (Ann B. Davis, whose persona is hilariously similar to Ellen DeGeneres) may fantasize about running off with an old flame, but by the end of the show you know everything will return to a zen-like domestic harmony.

Every Brady episode is a classic in some sense, and this first of five seasons (those kids did grow up fast) includes some real charmers when the six Brady kids still seemed impossibly young. It's hard to say the show was ever hip, even though it became slightly more attuned to a pop sensibility as the Bradys moved into the '70s. But man, is this 1969 everyfamily ever square. Even so, it's hard to resist the way each one gets their own screen time with shows devoted to simple childhood joys and traumas--Jan's missing locket, Cindy's missing baby doll, Greg's crush on his math teacher, Peter's swelled head when he gets his picture in the paper, etc.

It's all pretty bizarre when you realize that both halves of the family have suffered the death of a parent! The most angst to be found is the relentless identity crisis of middle sister Jan (Eve Plumb), who tries to remove her freckles with lemon juice and buys a curly brunette wig to forge a new self-image. Nowadays Jan would be a prime candidate for bulimia, but in the Brady world such psychodrama is unthinkable. This even emotional keel could have been creepy and antiseptic, but due to the charm of the kids and the smooth yet earthy presence of Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as parents Mike and Carol Brady, The Brady Bunch just seemed nice. You wanted that to be your family. If you watched the show in your childhood, watching The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second Season as an adult will lull you into a sweet, blissful dream.

		Brady Bunch on DVD!

Brady Bunch is now available on DVD! Get it at Amazon.com! Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four

Share Your Memories In Our Forums!

Check out our Brady Bunch forum! Do you have a favorite episode of the show? What do you remember about the series? Do you have any questions about it or its stars? Now you can post comments and questions directly to our TV forums! Click here to see what other Brady Bunch viewers have said or to post your own comments about the show!

		Your Memories Shared!

My favorite episode of the Brady Bunch is episode #98 "Adios Johnny Bravo" which is one of the singing episodes with beautiful Maureen McCormick singing with the rest of the cast. I sure had a crush on Marcia. The Brady Bunch is one of my favorite shows. A fun, ("leave the troubles of the world for a half hour") kind of show. You forgot all your troubles when you watched the Brady's & learned something from the episodes. They don't make TV shows like the Brady's anymore. --Anonymous

Note: This is just a random sample of the Brady Bunch messages in our TV forums! Click here to see what others have said or to post your own comments!