OK...I tried to bring this up on the Monkees board and almost got verbally killed by someone in the process (they were comparing in a poll Monkee vs. Partridge and I was saying that the PF probably has more in common with the Bradys).

Anyway, I first wanted to say that Im a fan of both shows. They each in their own way have a timeless quality about them but IMO, I think the P Family is a far superior show even though the BBunch may have a better reputation and stronger overall following judging by how many times the concept has been reincarnated.

The writing on the Partridge Family was much more 'adult'. Not saying that this is the cornerstone of my comparison but theres racier dialogue in the Partridge Family (for what it was) than the Brady Bunch I think the brother/sister relationship with Keith and Laurie is more realistic and reminds me of the relationship I have with my sis in how we banter back and forth. The plots and relationships overall for the most part are far more realistic and the show teaches good values.

I think the Brady Bunch started out that way and when you watch the earliest of these episodes, theres more heart to them before it became (IMO) Gilligan's Island in suburbia although there are moments to be found throughout the remainder of the run. As time went on though I think it got away from the original concept of the series which was pretty cool to begin with. Maybe this had something to do with TV practices at the time. The Brady Bunch tried to duplicate, somewhat successfully, the music/sitcom formula of the Partridge Family as time went on as well but it came off more as a gimmick than genuine (although I still love those episodes).

So why I have a soft spot for both shows as I grew up with them both, when I watch the Brady Bunch now, it comes off a little hokey and its more for the pure nostalgia. The Partridge Family still makes me laugh more consistantly and perhaps has aged a little better even though it may live in the shadow of the Brady Bunch.

I don't know...just my thoughts. Anyone?

The Partridge Family is my favorite, the cast were terrific and the music was
good even though the family didn't really play & sing except for David & Shirley. They seemed so cool back then; where the Bradys were more like the
ordinary family, not as cool, but you still liked them.

Firstly, let me say that I am a BIG BB fan and have only recently started to watch TPF. I saw 12 random episodes of TPF a few years ago and recently bought the first two seasons on dvd in a half price get one free offer. I have about two episodes to go before starting season two.

I do like TPF though it doesn't hold a special place in my heart the way the Bradys do. I have only really watched the first season of TPF compared to all BB episodes, tv movies etc.

TPF is more mature and realistic that TBB. The youngest Partridge girl mentions sex in a very early episode. I also really like the songs recorded for TPF.

TBB was aimed at a younger audience I think and the show is very much centered on the family and family problems. TPF has a working family and as such a number of stories arise from that situation.

It is strange that TBB kids did complete real tours whereas their singing tv rivals(?) did no such thing. Cassidy did but that was him solo. TBB kids did sing themselves.

One thing I do prefer about TBB over TPF is that the show was really about the kids and the grown ups featured in their stories for the most part. TPF was really about the mother and the 3 eldest kids. The 2 youngest kids have so far (that I have seen) not really had a storyline about them.

I liked the Brady Bunch better, but the Partridge Family was very good as well.

I liked the Brady Bunch better, but the Partridge Family was very good as well.

I'll take the Brady's any day - I've always been miffed that the Cowsills never got to do the PF. The only one I really liked on the PF was Shirley - who is surely pretty and quite talented.

I like them both and I see no need for a contest :D

It's just fun and games Jude. It's not like our opinions matter.

And i wasn't being serious--see the smiley icon? :)

The Bradys by default. I've seen many more episodes of TBB. :lol:

I liked the Brady Bunch better.

i like them both

I'll have to go with The Brady Bunch. I think it is the more likeable, enjoyable show. I have thought about buying The Partridge Family DVD's, but I just never got into the show. While I like some of The Partridge Family music and am also a David Cassidy fan, the TV show episodes don't really appeal to me. Just a matter of taste I guess, but I would say overall The Brady Bunch is the more popular show when it comes down to a vote.

I guess the difference in the two shows is The Brady Bunch is the most fun of the two shows. The episodes are generally lighthearted in nature. One thing I like about it is each of the six kids get their turns at being the focal point of the episodes. Some episodes are "Bobby" stories, some are "Cindy" stories, etc. A lot of thought and care went into the making of the series, and it shows when watching the episodes.

The Partridge Family episodes are generally more topical, and touched on issues that were present during that era. The humor is more understated, the show is a bit more sophisticated while The Brady Bunch is more laugh out loud funny. In The Partridge Family, Danny Bonaduce was the one who carried much of the humor, while in The Brady Bunch all six kids got in on the act. In The Partridge Family, the two youngest kids were given little to do in the episodes.

Well if they were are right now at the same time an I couldn't record one of them, I would watch the Partridge Family.

I think The Partridge Family is more modern and the humor is more sophisticated than The Brady Bunch. I really like that they used African Americans as supporting characters at a time when that wasn't done frequently. Still, I'm not the biggest fan of their music and I wouldn't want to be in a band with my mom.

I have to say the Partridge Family, because of the humor. I still laugh at the show, it is true Danny was the funniest character on the show especially the interactions between him and Ruben; classic comedy.

On the website TV.com, voters give The Brady Bunch a rating of 8.1 while The Partridge Family has a rating of only 6.0. While both shows have merit, I would say this indicates that overall The Brady Bunch is considered the better show.

I have to say the Partridge Family, because of the humor. I still laugh at the show, it is true Danny was the funniest character on the show especially the interactions between him and Ruben; classic comedy.

Yeah, Danny and Ruben were great together. :lol:

One thing I do prefer about TBB over TPF is that the show was really about the kids and the grown ups featured in their stories for the most part. TPF was really about the mother and the 3 eldest kids. The 2 youngest kids have so far (that I have seen) not really had a storyline about them.

As far as I've seen, and I've seen most PF eps, the two younger kids shared ONE storyline in four years, Season 2 ep "Home Is Where the Heart Was", where the kids ran away from home but ended up at Reuben's apartment. Even in that one, they didn't seem to have much to say.

As far as I've seen, and I've seen most PF eps, the two younger kids shared ONE storyline in four years, Season 2 ep "Home Is Where the Heart Was", where the kids ran away from home but ended up at Reuben's apartment. Even in that one, they didn't seem to have much to say.
They were like Carrie and Grace from Little House on the Prairie, often seen but seldom heard. In the case of LHOP, Carrie and Grace really existed, so can see why they stayed on the show. Why were Chris and Tracy even there anyway - they served almost no purpose and were always in the shadows of the older three kids. :confused:

Well Chris did serve a purpose as far as the band is concerned. It wouldn't have been much of a band without a drummer! Don't know if I can come up with a purpose for Tracey though?

Well Chris did serve a purpose as far as the band is concerned. It wouldn't have been much of a band without a drummer! Don't know if I can come up with a purpose for Tracey though?
They must have liked Chris enough to have 2 of them!! :lol:

Both of these shows are guilty pleasures. If I had to pick I would go with the Brady Bunch because I have seen more of that.

Susan Dey (https://www.corinnehsmith.com/littlewomen1978.htm) actually co-starred alongside Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) in a 1978 television (https://www.willowandthatch.com/little-women-literary-film-adaptations/) miniseries (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/we-watched-15-straight-hours-of-little-women-and-things-got-weird/2019/12/20/a0f35a66-1dec-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html) adaptation (https://theedgeoftheprecipice.blogspot.com/2015/04/little-women-1978-movie-version.html) of Little Women (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women_(1978_miniseries)). Meredith Baxter and William Shatner also appeared in it.

''There is no rivalry between 'The Brady Bunch' and 'The Partridge Family,''' says Barry Williams (https://www.metv.com/stories/barry-williams-there-is-no-rivalry-between-the-brady-bunch-and-the-partridge-family)

The inside scoop is different from public perception.

My top five characters in the two shows were probably Danny, Reuben, Alice, Shirley, and Keith.

The Partridge Family was just a much more mature show. I can't imagine the Bradys pulling off the "Me and My Shadow" script (written by Dale McRaven), where the Partridges try to hide from a mystery writer for 24 hours.

TPF has much more sophisticated humor than TBB, I've been rewatching it recently and I've actually laughed out loud, there is some seriously funny stuff there.

There are some key difference in the two shows:

In TPF, the two youngest kids get very few lines and their personalities aren't fully developed - after all there were TWO Chris's and no one really cared which was which. Tracy had zero personality, her few lines being delivered in a deadpan voice. These two were there only for show - to bang the drums and a tambourine. On the other hand, Bobby and Cindy Brady were just as important as everyone else in the cast, had distinct personalities, and got their own story lines.

The character of Danny, especially his relationship with Rueben, took TPF to a whole other level. The Brady kids were all squeaky clean compared to the devious, smart mouthed Danny. Danny was kind of a mess - chubby with unruly red hair and freckles (compared to the "perfect" Brady boys) - but his antics and verbal repartee with Mr. Kincaid were some of the funniest scenes in the show. There is no Brady counterpart to Danny, and Alice isn't in the same league with Reuben Kincaid. She was mainly there to make lame wisecracks while Dave Madden's Rueben Kincaid was true comic genius.

Keith vs Greg - well they were both the teenaged heart throbs, dating all the cute girls and occasionally messing it up or having two dates for the same night and that kind of thing. But Keith was DAVID CASSIDY and no one could top that. (Sorry Barry!)

Laurie vs. Marcia - Laurie had more of an edge, and stood up for social causes with more authenticity than Marcia ever did (think of Laurie running for Prom Queen so she could make a point about sexual discrimination compared to Marcia going out for Frontier Scouts and then dropping out before she was initiated because she'd rather read a fashion magazine.)

Shirley vs Carol - no contest, Shirley wasn't just the "little housewife" like Carol Brady, she was a single working Mom, beautiful and talented. She was sexy and dated a few men during the series which added some romantic interest. Florence Henderson's Carol was attractive and talented, but never had the sex appeal of her counterpart and didn't "do" anything except assist Alice in the kitchen and ask Mike what he thought about this or that problem with the family.

Mike- he has no counterpart in TPF, and he set an entirely different tone for TBB. Mike dispensed wisdom and discipline in a non-nonsense manner and he headed up a much stricter household than the Partridges. Numerous episodes of TBB were dedicated to "mom and dad finding out" something the kids had done for which they might get in trouble. OTOH, Shirley was rarely shown meting out punishment, she was the more liberal "touchy feely" type of parent. TBB seemed determined to conclude each episode with a "moral of the story" based on solid old-fashioned values while TPF was a little more elastic in letting the characters deal with some situations rather outside of the box and not always having a neat and tidy resolution. (Keith tries to prevent Laurie from dating a guy with a bad reputation and gets lectured about listening to gossip, then it turns out the gossip was entirely true and the guy really does try to take advantage of her. Messy, but real.)

In sum, although the shows ran during roughly the same years, TBB was still rooted in traditional values and family roles while TPF was dealing with more contemporary themes - nothing profound, of course, this was a sitcom, but it was more progressive than anything you'd see on TBB. TBB was a show for and about kids, while TPF was targeted to an older teen and young adult audience.