On this day in history, September 26, 1969, Sherwood Schwartz's sitcom 'The Brady Bunch' premieres on ABC
Sherwood Schwartz's sitcom 'The Brady Bunch,' which first aired on ABC on September 26, 1969, became a staple of American pop culture.
The plot centers around "a lovely lady, three very lovely girls, a man named Brady, and three boys" who eventually form a family. As the theme song reads, "That's how we all became the Brady Bunch."
The show received negative reviews, and according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, "the series never reached the top ten ranks of the Nielsen ratings during its entire network run," according to History.
Nonetheless, the show is considered one of the most important comedies on American television in the 1970s and inspired a large number of shows on all three major networks, as well as albums, lunchboxes, a cookbook, a stage production, and even a feature film.
Let's take a look at the journey of 'The Brady Bunch.'
What is significant about 'The Brady Bunch'?
'The Brady Bunch' aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The show made its syndication debut in September 1975 following its discontinuation in 1974.
Although the series wasn't successful with viewers or critics when it first aired, it has subsequently gained popularity and become a broadcast staple, especially among younger viewers.
Due to the huge success of 'The Brady Bunch,' various television movies and spin-off series have been produced, including 'The Brady Bunch Hour,' 'The Brady Girls Get Married,' 'The Brady Brides,' 'A Very Brady Christmas' and 'The Bradys.'
The 'Brady Bunch Movie,' a satirical comedic theatrical picture, and 'A Very Brady Sequel,' a follow-up to the series, were both released in 1995 and 1996.
In November 2002, Fox broadcast 'The Brady Bunch' in the White House as a TV film.
'Getting Davy Jones' (Episode 12, Season 3) ranked at #37 on TV's list of the 100 best episodes of all time in 1997.
How many episodes of 'The Brady Bunch' are there?
The series lasted five seasons and 117 episodes originally aired on Fridays. 'The Brady Bunch' received mostly poor reviews throughout its run and apparently never reached the Nielsen Top 30.
'The Brady Bunch' cast members
A widowed architect named Mike Brady, portrayed by Robert Reed, has three sons named Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland).
Brady marries Carol Martin played by Florence Henderson, who also has three daughters named Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen).
Carol and her daughters adopt the surname Brady, according to the plot.
How much were 'The Brady Bunch' actors paid?
Each child actor from 'The Brady Bunch' reportedly made $1,100 per week during the peak of the show's popularity. A week's worth of $1,100 in 1974 is roughly similar to $6,700 in 2023 in terms of financial value.
The stars do not, however, reap the majority of the benefits of the show's continuous success in syndication.
What was Robert Reed's net worth when he died?
According to Robert Reed's doctor, one of the "significant conditions that contributed to death" noted on the death certificate was that he was HIV positive, per LA Times.
According to earlier reports, the 59-year-old star died due to colon cancer.
The actor who became popular as Mike Brady on 'The Brady Bunch' reportedly had a net worth of $3 million at the time of his death in 1992.
What happened to Sherwood Schwartz?
'The Brady Bunch' and 'Gilligan's Island,' creator Sherwood Schwartz, died July 12, 2011, reportedly of natural causes at age 94. His contributions to television, especially to the genre of sitcoms, will never be forgotten.
