I choose Early. The first couple of seasons actually took me by surprise as they had many dramatic moments that were quite endearing. They do exist later in the series but overall the kids ham it up too much or are just too conscious of their characters. Of course I own them ALL on dvd but I'd say early Brady episodes are a lot better than many would guess.

i like the later eps better

My ratings, from best season to worst...
3,2,4,1,5

I think a problem with the early epsiodes are the scripts are a lot more tepid, though the performances by and large seemed more natural to me.

THE EARLY YEARS.BEFORE THE PERMS.

I think the kids were brats in the early years (at least Season 1).

My picks:

3,4,2,5,1

Kids are brats:) I think that's why it seems more natural to me. Hopefully, we all see each period has its pluses. A heartfelt moment like when Bobby was going to run away from home in Season One (Every Boy Does It Once) just doesn't seem possible in the slapstick heavy later years. Though the advanced comedy in "Cyrano de Brady" in Season 4 wouldn't be possible in the early years due to circumstance.

I liked the later ones to I dont even have season 1 on dvd right now just 2-5

Cool to see differing opinions. I highly reccommend Season One. I wasn't going to buy it either knowing most TV shows start slow, but I was rewarded with some fairly good hearfelt moments. "Father of the Year" ranks as one of my faves of all time, simply a MUST!! And who can forget the time Bobby buys Cindy the Kitty doll?

I think I liked the early episodes better.

Well i really love the episode where Alice leaves and works at that dining store...But overall i like the kids when they are older, except their hair is gay :P

A tough choice. I like both the early and later years. But Season 4 being my favourite season, I guess the later years would win me over sightly, but not by much.

Early Brady's

I have to yet to see most of Season 5, but I know I enjoyed the early and middle Bradys.

I love them all, but the earlier seasons were best in my opinion, # 1 - 3

I prefer the later years, when they went to Hawaii and to the amusement park.

Seasons 3 and 4 were my favorite...

I like the DRAMA QUEEN episodes when one of the kids head swells to mythic proportions and then comes to his or her senses...:p

I think they were on top of their game in the middle seasons -- 2,3,4. The kids seemed very natural and this was before all the singing and live shows started detracting from the comedy. Although the Greg/Marcia driving show from Season 5 was VERY funny. :happyface

I prefer the middle years too. There were just so many good episodes then.

I prefer the middle years too. There were just so many good episodes then.

Ne,too.

I like the later years best because the kids were older and the stories were better.

I like the earlier episodes better but it's funny that I seem to say that about every show I watch! However, they are all pretty good, IMO.

season 1 would have to be the best the story's were very well written and also season 2.Very good acting.
When they shot that episode on season 5 last one when Greg's hair turned orange after the hair tonic come on I see why they got cancelled.Silly episodes on season 5,cousin Oliver was a mistake.

season 1 would have to be the best the story's were very well written and also season 2.Very good acting.
When they shot that episode on season 5 last one when Greg's hair turned orange after the hair tonic come on I see why they got cancelled.Silly episodes on season 5,cousin Oliver was a mistake.
You forget, Oliver didn't kill the show. The ratings were already sinking. ABC thought a fresh-faced kid would increase ratings, but it didn't make it any better or worse. Oliver wasn't even a bad guy at all, he was a good kid. He just came on at the wrong time.

I may be in the minority, but my favorite seasons are as follows:

4, 5, 3, 1, 2

The Bradys during the mid to late seasons are better but Seasons 2 to 5 have plenty of great episodes

When I was younger, I liked season 1 the best. Now, as an adult, it’s my least favorite season. The kids are so bratty, and I don’t like the constant “boys vs. girls” theme. Marcia is especially insufferable during season 1.

By season 2, the family had gelled and there was less infighting.

I'll take seasons 4 and 5.

And at least Oliver didn't sing, unlike that kid they brought into the Partridge Family when the ratings started to sink. That kid's voice sends me running for the remote whenever he tries to sing.

The early Brady's, though I do like some later season episodes.

And at least Oliver didn't sing, unlike that kid they brought into the Partridge Family when the ratings started to sink. That kid's voice sends me running for the remote whenever he tries to sing.

Little Ricky! I hated that kid. “You look like you need cheering up”, and then he’d start singing some sappy number while the other cast members looked on adoringly. You know damned well that underneath their phony smiles, Shirley and David wanted to snap his neck.

Little Ricky! I hated that kid. “You look like you need cheering up”, and then he’d start singing some sappy number while the other cast members looked on adoringly. You know damned well that underneath their phony smiles, Shirley and David wanted to snap his neck.

Truth! I always wondered why they didn't hire a good singer and have Little Ricky lip-synch like most of the other Partridges. That kid was terrible!

4, 3 and some of the early 5th season. Everybody knows most of the memorable episodes came later in the show, like Marcia's nose, Davy Jones, Grand Canyon, Hawaii and Kings Island, among others.

I've always liked the Hawaiian vacation three-parter, right from the first time they aired it in 1973. But it was also a good if sad memory from 2001. After days of watching the painful coverage of 9/11, TV Land showing those three episodes in a Fandemonium mini-marathon on Sunday night brought back a small feeling of familiarity and comfort.

It’s really a shame that the last 7 or 8 episodes of season 5 are so weak. Because the early part of season 5 is up to par, with strong episodes like “Adios, Johnny Bravo”, “The Cincinnati Kids”, “Marcia Gets Creamed”, “Peter and the Wolf”, “The Drivers’ Seat”, “Miss Popularity” and “Try Try Again”.

But those late season 5 episodes are the worst of the series, and give the whole season a bad name.

I would choose the later seasons for sure, but right, they sure did mess up the end. The slide really took off with Kelly's Kids, the absolute worst episode of the series--absolutely unwatchable (as a lot of pilots within shows are). They recovered with the next couple of episodes, especially the 2nd gag episode of the series, with the UFOs. Then the nosedive continued with the inexplicable move of bringing in Oliver. Then the final episode nonsense--"It's too bad your father is out of town and will miss your graduation, Greg." They should have rewritten a few scenes, and reshot, to avoid mention of graduation. No father is going to mis his first son's (or any child's) graduation.

Even with all of this I'd still choose the fifth season over the first season, though. Too many lame scripts in that season.

I think the middle seasons the best-although I liked them all.

I love the episodes when the kids are a little older--while I like season 1, I got tired of the episodes where they're constantly fighting. What I do like about season 1 is that they actually address the issue of six kids having to get used to not only having new step-siblings, but new parents as well. That whole idea seemed to go by the wayside after season 2. After that, Carol and Mike seem to forget that the boys and girls (respectively) aren't their biological siblings. Only occasionally is it referenced, like in the "Dough Re Mi" episode when Carol asks Alice what age Greg was when his voice started changing.

There are so many season 1 episodes that are just lame, like the episode where all the kids are sick and they obsess over having a male or female doctor. "Why don't you just have both?" I said. Duh. By the end of the episode, they come to the same conclusion that I did. I also dislike the episode where Cindy has to choose between her mom or dad to see her in the play. Why doesn't the school just plan multiple performances? And when they do a second performance, they only do it for the Bradys! What about all the other kids' parents who couldn't come?

I think seasons 2-4 are my favorites. I've always favored the Marcia and Greg centered episodes because they were my favorite kids. Though all the kids have their moments. I also love all the singing episodes, especially the Johnny Bravo episode in season 5. I love the Hawaii episodes, more so than the Grand Canyon--but that could be because I love Vincent Price so much. I also like how the relationship between Greg and Peter changes, they become more friends than brothers, with both guys being girl crazy.

I like most of season 5, but I would agree that the show goes downhill after Jan wins "Most Popular Girl." Between that episode and the conclusion of the series, there are two episodes I do like: The one with Greg and Marcia's driving test and the one where Peter meets his doppleganger. One of the worst episodes toward the end of the series, aside from the horrible UFO episode, is the one where Cindy wants to be the next Shirley Temple. That may have been a good season 1, 6 year old Cindy episode... not a season 5, 12-13 year old Cindy. She was way too old for that storyline.

Does anyone else besides me think that Peter should have at least been in high school by season 5? Why is he still in middle school? Are Peter and Jan the same age? I always figured that Peter was older.

My favorite seasons from favorite to least favorite: 4, 3, 2, 5, 1

Peter probably stayed back. Remember when he got that D in science?

I think that season 3 and especially season 4 is when the show reached it's peak. The actors performances reached their stride and really came together with each other during this time.

I like the later episodes. I think the kid actors are better and more comfortable in their roles. They seem very natural as opposed to the earlier episodes.