Brady Bunch Spin-Offs



"And the family changed, as all American Families do...children grow up, get married, host variety shows and turn into cartoons."

- Narrator, Brady: An American Chronicle

Next to fellow Paramount Production Star Trek: The Original Series, The Brady Bunch most likely holds the title for Most Attempted Spin-Offs. Here then is (as TV Land once put it) ... The Wonder of Brady.

The Brady Kids
See The Brady Kids.

The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (also known as The Brady Bunch Hour) was an ABC show from 1976-1977 that had the family move to New York and produce their own Variety Show. It might be the most infamous spin off. It lasted nine episodes.

The Brady Bunch Hour contains examples of:

 * Beware the Nice Ones: Ann B. Davis, when it came to having to work with Rip Taylor. In a later memoir by Susan Olsen, it was contended that Davis absolutely did not like Taylor (due to the very adult content of his stand-up comedy act) and refused to even so much as acknowledge him other than what was needed for the show. Taylor, who was a fan of Davis beforehand, was puzzled at her attitude toward him and to this day, still is, since Davis has refused to talk about working on the show.
 * Canon Discontinuity: This series was never mentioned in later spin offs.
 * The Other Darrin: Eve Plumb declined to reprise her role as Jan, and was replaced by Geri Reischl, who received the Fan Nickname "Fake Jan".
 * Puppet Shows: Of the Sid & Marty Krofft variety.
 * Rearrange the Song: By playing it with kazoos.
 * Short Runner
 * So Bad It's Horrible: TV Guide ranked it #4 on its 2002 list of the 50 worst shows in TV history.

The Brady Brides
The series about what happened after Marcia and Jan became adults, which ran for 10 episodes. It began with a 1981 Made for TV Movie titled The Brady Girls Get Married. Jan falls in love with a college professor named Phillip Covington III, while Marcia falls for a toy salesman named Wally Logan.

The sitcom The Brady Brides picked up where The Brady Girls Get Married left off. Marcia and Jan have married their respective boyfriends, and the four of them must now share a house. The husbands don't get along.

The Brady Girls Get Married contains examples of:

 * Five Episode Pilot: The movie got divided up into the first three episodes of The Brady Brides.
 * Reunion Show: The only project to successfully reunite the whole "Bunch".

The Brady Brides contains examples of:
"Marcia: "Have you ever met a man... who rinses off the garbage before he throws it away?" Jan: "At least my husband throws it away. Yours keeps it around for old times' sake!""
 * Expository Theme Tune: A rearranged version of the Brady Bunch theme song. "It's a new life for two girls named Brady/who have left the Bunch to make it on their own."
 * Also wedding bells sound with "That's the way they both became The Brady Brides."
 * Game Show Appearance: The Newlywed Game, naturally.
 * Short Runner
 * Slobs Versus Snobs: A large amount of the show's conflict came from the very laid-back Wally trying to coexist with the incredibly tight-assed Philip, with Marcia and Jan each taking their husband's respective side. In one episode, their mom is trying to play peacemaker:


 * This Is My Side
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Wally and Marcia. Dear god, Wally and Marcia.

A Very Brady Christmas
The 1988 Made for TV Movie A Very Brady Christmas saw the now-adult Brady Kids reunite with their parents, and stands out as one of the most somber Brady Bunch works.

A Very Brady Christmas contains examples of:

 * Cerebus Syndrome
 * Christmas Special
 * The Other Darrin: Susan Olsen was on her honeymoon during filming, so Cindy was played by Jennifer Runyon.

The Bradys
Capitalizing on the success of A Very Brady Christmas, the characters received another TV series, The Bradys, in 1990. It also stands out as one of their most somber works. It lasted nine episodes.

The Bradys contains examples of:

 * The Alcoholic: Marsha.
 * Cerebus Syndrome: The original show was a sitcom, this was a full-out melodrama.  But when the melodrama didn't seem to be working, the network demanded it be changed back into a comedy -- which was accomplished by the dubious device of simply applying a Laugh Track over the still-melodramatic stories.
 * Follow the Leader: Many reviewers felt that the creators were trying to create a 1990s Eight Is Enough.
 * Hey, It's That Guy: MTV VJ Martha Quinn as Bobby's wife, Tracy.
 * The Other Darrin: This time it was Maureen McCormick who declined to reprise her role, so Marcia was played by Leah Ayres.
 * Rearrange the Song: "Here's the story of the family Brady/A man and wife whose kids are all now grown."
 * Even with only nine episodes, the show managed to produce two versions of the theme ... one instrumental, the other sung by Florence Henderson.
 * Retroactive Recognition: Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Greg's son Kevin.
 * Screwed by the Network: The first episode was a two-hour, and gained a significantly larger audience in the second hour, winning the time slot. CBS decided to go keep the earlier start time.
 * Short Runner

Brady: An American Chronicle
To help promote the 1995 movie, cable channel TV Land created this special in the style of Ken Burns' Baseball and The Civil War documentaries, complete with grainy black and white photos, white letter on black background title cards, and experts in the social importance of all things Brady. Featured cameos of Davy Jones and Susan Olsen in character.

Brady: An American Chronicle contains examples of:
"Narrator: "Tonight TV Land presents this 18 part miniseries...each chapter condensed into the following half hour presentation.""
 * Abraham Lincoln: At one point Lincoln's "A house divided" speech is contrasted with a similar speech by Mike.
 * Affectionate Parody: Of Ken Burns The Civil War'' miniseries.

"Slash: Cindy...young Cindy. I wish she was that age now... (Laughs)"
 * Book Ends: Quotes by Abraham Lincoln begin and end the special.
 * The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: The segment Jan Versus Marsha allows everyone to explain why they prefer Marsha or Jan. Well...except for Slash from Guns N' Roses...

"Narrator: "And the family changed, as all American Families do...children grow up, get married, host variety shows and turn into cartoons.""
 * Narrator
 * Rearrange the Song: With a slow and reverent instrumental version.
 * Shout-Out: The last credit is a picture of Robert Reed with the caption "Dedicated to The Man Named Brady"
 * Also references to earlier spin-offs.


 * Significant Reference Date: Brady events are documented as happening on their original broadcast dates.
 * This Is My Side: A show example is contrasted with the Mason/Dixon Line.

The Brady Bunch Movies
See The Brady Bunch (film)

Growing Up Brady
The Made for TV Movie Growing Up Brady aired on NBC in 2000, and depicts some backstage dramas experienced by the original cast and crew of The Brady Bunch.

Growing Up Brady contains examples of:

 * As Himself: Barry Williams and Brady Bunch creator/producer Sherwood Schwartz in the film's bookend sequences.
 * Based on a True Story: Barry Williams' book about the production of The Brady Bunch.