Florence Henderson perfectly explained why ''The Brady Bunch'' lasted as long as it did

Here's the REAL story...

You either love or hate The Brady Bunch, there's no in-between. However, like it or not, you've got to acknowledge that the show possesses a longevity that is impressive, even today. Viewers were able to watch the Brady kids grow from kids to young adults and watch the family grow and change. By the time the show wrapped up after about five seasons, viewers felt like they were honorary members of The Brady family.

According to a 1990 interview with The Charlotte Observer, Florence Henderson, best known as Brady matriarch Carol Brady, was able to provide an inside perspective as to why the family worked so well together.

Henderson said that the love visible on the screen was cemented by the love the cast mates had for each other off-screen. She said, "We all grew to love each other and we cared about each other." 

In addition to that, Henderson believed that their success was thanks to, like all great things, a little bit of luck. The actor said, "We came across in 1969—a time of drugs and war and split families—and then comes along this little family that works." It's an endearing quality that lasted long after The Brady Bunch went off the air.

According to an interview with The Associated Press, Henderson spoke of the series, and said, "There's nothing like a television series, a successful one, to keep you before the public and make you a household name."

She continued, "I think one thing that pleases me the most about The Brady Bunch is that it has given me a whole new audience of young people and they just keep coming."

In another interview with the Asbury Park Press, Henderson said, "It's like the show that won't go away. There was such a sweetness about it, such an innocence about it."

Watch The Brady Bunch on MeTV!

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8 Comments

cperrynaples 7 months ago
Fun Fact: In the '50's Henderson did commercials for Oldsmobile with Bill Hayes {RIP]!
ncadams27 7 months ago
People under 40 tend to forget that in 1969 there was no streaming, DVD’s, VCR’s, cable channels or any way to watch a show other than when it originally aired. Much of the success of any show was its time slot and competition on the other two (yes, only three then) networks. Friday night at 8 was when many of the younger kids watched TV. No school the next day, older teen siblings were often out and parents would tend to watch shows later in the evening. Kids watch what other kids watched. Once established as a popular show with young kids, it certainly could run for quite a while. Shows that didn’t last long weren’t always bad shows, but were canceled due to lack of sponsors, high cost of episodes and/or salaries, loss of actors/writers/producers associated with that show, lack of a champion within the network, strong competition from other shows, etc. Love of characters and the love they showed for each other, while nice, wasn’t really a strong factor.
cperrynaples ncadams27 7 months ago
Yes, and let's not forget that back then ABC stood for the Almost Broadcasting Company...LOL!
cperrynaples cperrynaples 7 months ago
Also, TBB started at 7:30 in 1969! I used to hate the show because it killed Get Smart!
LoveMETV22 cperrynaples 7 months ago
You seem to like "Get Smart" I know you have promoted Frndlytv in the past. Do they still offer it on Frndly TV, Just Curious?
LoveMETV22 cperrynaples 7 months ago
I know some may wish to see the "Get Smart"series return to MeTV, However they set their own schedule, Regardless of what viewers may wish to see. It's their prerogative (plain and simple). Weigel can broadcast what they wish! They are not looking what is posted in the comment boards to set their schedule!
bradyguy cperrynaples 5 months ago
Hmmmm...actually, it moved to 7:30 in 1970. Get Smart was already off the air. Perhaps they ran BB RERUNS during the summer at 7:30??? And I don't think the #56 rated BB ran Get Smart off the air...more likely it was the much-higher ranked High Chapparal. Smart had simply run its course...5 years was a good run, and it was time to go.
Runeshaper 7 months ago
The sweetness and innocence on the show was truly beautiful.
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