We bet Sherwood Schwartz can convince you that Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch are the same show

"Once you put a family together, you can’t get away."

Sherwood Schwartz was one of the 1960s' brightest TV writers. He created two of the decade's most enduring TV shows: Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. One is about a group of castaways from all walks of life who must learn to navigate the strange circumstance of being stuck on the same desert island. The other is about two families with kids of all ages, who come together under one roof and must learn to get along.

Fans of both shows would likely never confuse one for the other, but to the series creator? According to his son Lloyd Schwartz in a recent interview, Schwartz saw The Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island as the same basic show. Here's why:

“In essence, people from different places have to come together and make it work. That’s what Gilligan was. In that case, [Schwartz] wanted to get people from very different strata of life and put them together in such a way that they couldn’t get away from each other and had to make it work. That’s the same thing with a family. Once you put a family together, you can’t get away. I think many people respond to that basic idea."

It's the pefect message to end the year, so next time you're watching the Brady kids experience a growing pain or a castaway struggling to relate to another, keep in mind that Sherwood Schwartz would want you to see the two plots as pointing to the same message. According to Lloyd Schwartz, "He always said, ‘God, we’ve got to get along. We’re all in this together,’ and he was talking about the world in general. I think that’s why [his shows] resonated for so long.” 

Watch Gilligan's Island on MeTV!

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4 Comments

SalIanni 63 months ago
I believe that "The Brady Bunch" is a lot like "The Partridge Family" but without music: (Marcia could be Laurie, Greg is like Keith, Bobby and Cindy are the Brady counterparts to Chris and Tracy) and that "Gilligan's Island" is like "The Wizard Of Oz". Think about it. A Kansas farm girl is swept away by a huge storm and taken to a tropical paradise where she meets a lot of weird characters that all try to help her go back home. Sound familiar? In other words, try to imagine Mary Ann as Dorothy, The Professor as The Wizard (naturally!), Gilligan is the scarecrow, The Skipper is the lion, Mr Howell is the Tin Man, Ginger is the Witch, and Mrs Howell is Auntie Em. It all makes sense.
Pacificsun 64 months ago
Well you could look at it in reverse too. Not that people couldn't get away from each other and had to work it out. But the compliment that various personalities create to make a better whole. Every unit needs balance. The basic message of BB was that the males needed a feminine touch, and the girls benefited from a male perspective. On Gilligan's Island each personality had a specific talent. Gilligan = humor, Professor = survival skills, Ginger = entertainment, The Howells = education/experience, Maryann = homespun values, The Skipper = Life experience.
RedSamRackham 64 months ago
On GILLIGAN 3 single guys are on an island with 2 hot babes but nothing happened. On BRADY BUNCH Greg had a hottie step sister and never took advantage of that. ☺
JeffTanner RedSamRackham 64 months ago
Well, Two Step-sisters, Marcia and Jan, when she got older and filled out.
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