The Brady Bunch premiered on Sept. 26, 1969 and has aired in reruns ever since. It started as a popular Friday night family show that grew into a pop-culture phenomenon.
The Brady Bunch was always a hit with pre-teen audiences, who simply never stopped watching the show even after it completed its five-year run.
The Brady Bunch was daring for its time: A mother with three daughters by one marriage marries a widower with three boys, a maid and a dog. Despite these eyebrow-raising characters, the show had universal plotlines that were familiar to anyone growing up in Astroturf-covered, suburban middle-class America. What helped
The Brady Bunch endure is that it focused on topics that were significant to any generation (self-esteem issues, relationships, careers, family vacations). The original
Brady Bunch will forever remain a favorite -- as will the endless fascination with Brady reunions.
In addition to the Brady cartoon on Saturday mornings (
The Brady Kids), there were
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, A Very Brady Christmas and
The Bradys. There were two successful feature films (
The Brady Bunch Movie and
A Very Brady Sequel) and a stage show called "The Real Live Brady Bunch."
The Brady Bunch is a touchstone of American pop culture and a pure example of classic TV.
