“What’s That All About?” “Don’t Ask Me; I Only Live Here.”
Among the many TV on DVD sets I’ve bought myself over the years and never watched is The Brady Bunch. After buying several more series recently, I decided it was time to watch start watching these many series. Since I am working my way through Step by Step (expect my review of the first season of that show soonish), I decided that I should actually sit down and watch the first season of The Brady Bunch. Yes, it’s dated. Yes, it’s cheesy. But it’s still fun.
For the few who might have missed this cultural phenomenon, it tells the story of the Brady family. Mike (Robert Reed) is a widower raising three boys, Greg, Peter, and Bobby (Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland). In the first episode, we meet them on a big day. Mike is marrying Carol (Florence Henderson), a mother with three daughters, Marsha, Jan, and Cindy (Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, and Susan Olsen). Rounding out the cast (because eight characters isn’t enough) is Ann B. Davis as their housekeeper, Alice.
As I said, the first episode revolves around the wedding, which is filled with pet caused chaos. From there, we get an episode about everyone moving into the house together (although it aired, sixth – explain that one). I was a little surprised to see how many of the episodes revolved around the characters adjusting to having each other in their lives. It makes sense, but I hadn’t really picked up on that before. Poor Cindy has to decide which one person to invite to see her in the school play. The kids worry when they see a letter to an advice columnist that could apply to them. The women go on their first camping trip. Even Alice thinks the family doesn’t need her any more. And the adults must work out whose doctor they will use for the kids.
Other episodes in the first season just deal with the trials of growing up, dealing with a big family, or a classic battle of the sexes. Mike installs a pay phone for the kids to use when the phone bill gets to be too big. Marsha and Greg face off for class president. Greg develops a crush on his math teacher. Mike and Carol decide to change roles with the kids for a day. When the trading stamp company announces it is closing, the kids have to decide what to do with the books they’ve been saving. And the parents think about selling the house in order to get something larger.
The thing that struck me while I was watching is that each episode has one storyline. All the characters interact with it in some way, but there are no sub-plots or “B” storylines. I’m curious when that changed in sitcoms because we are used to have two or even three storylines in most shows these days. As a result, I did find the episodes a little slow at times. Yep, even this reader has found his attention span shortened by how TV is written.
The show also isn’t as funny as I’d expect for a typical sitcom. That’s despite the canned laughter we get through each episode. Yes, it is completely fake here since the show wasn’t filmed in front of an audience. Even so, I still find it more appealing than so many modern sitcoms, which are trying so hard to be funny that they are more annoying. Here, I still found the show fun and charming even if I wasn’t laughing. Of course, the show does have some lines and situations that made me laugh. And I was smiling more often than not as I watched.
This is clearly an idealized family. Even if we weren’t dealing with a blended family, the way the characters get along and work through things is unrealistic. Nothing would be this easily wrapped up in twenty-five minutes. But I think this is part of the reason the show is so popular. Yes, it’s a fantasy, but it’s a fantasy we all wish were true. It’s nice to be in a world where people can get along this easily and work through their problems maturely. And the show provides some models of good behavior without becoming preachy.
While most of us think about the show as a 1970’s show, the first season actually aired from 1969 to 1970. Still, the early 70’s influences are everywhere. The house. The fashion. I know it gets even more pronounced later, but it’s all there.
I’ve caught the show in reruns here and there over the years. I’ve never been a consistent viewer, so I’m sure there are episodes I’ve missed. I was surprised, however, to find that I recognized most of these episodes. Maybe I’ve seen more than I realized.
One thing I will give the show is that these characters feel like characters. Considering the size of the cast the writers had to juggle, that’s impressive. It helps that most episodes focus on one or two characters, so we really get to know them. The rest of the credit obviously goes to the actors who are already doing a good job at bringing their characters to life. There are a few moments where the acting isn’t quite right, but they are easy to forgive.
As I said, I have the series on DVD. There are four discs containing all 25 episodes of the first season. We get some extras here, too. Series creator Sherwood Schwartz does a commentary on the first episode, and Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Susan Olsen do commentaries on two other episodes. There’s also a short documentary (about 17 minutes) about the creation of the show and its impact.
The Brady Bunch is definitely a show from a different time. It might not appeal as much to today’s kids as a result, but I still found the first season charming.
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