If there had been a 6th season of BB, without Mr. Brady, whether they killed him off or his being an extended business trip, could the show have gone further?

Now assuming they would not have recasted the role, wouldn't fans have felt that something was missing without him?

I read somewhere once that Lyle Waggoner was considered, until they learned he had been fired from "The Carol Burnett Show" for appearing in Playgirl in 1973. Of course, the Brady dad appearing in Playgirl was not appropriate.

I don't think there would ever have been a sixth season. By the fifth season, the writing was on the wall the show was almost over.

IMO, the show went past it's mark anyway, but to answer your question....No, the show wouldn't have survived without Mike (Mr. Brady)....at least I don't think it would have.

I think that cousin Oliver was an omen-child signaling that the end was near. So I don't think the show could have lasted much longer anyway. But without Mr Brady, that would have been even more difficult to go on.

I disagree with the rest of you. Mike Brady did not appear in the final episode of The Brady Bunch and I didn't miss him at all. So I think they could have continued on without him. The should wouldn't have been the same without him but it could have carried on without him.

If they went on for a few more seasons then they probably would have done well to get new writers. The old ones could write for kids but couldn't write teenagers for s@#t.

Carol would have married someone else who had 3 kids and then there would be nine on the show and then Mike would never be mentioned again just like the first spouses :crazy:

I disagree with the rest of you. Mike Brady did not appear in the final episode of The Brady Bunch and I didn't miss him at all. So I think they could have continued on without him. The should wouldn't have been the same without him but it could have carried on without him.

That is a good point and I noticed the same when I watched it years ago. I daresay that just to fill the void though, some never before mentioned uncle would have came to stay with the Bradys and taken on a pseudo father role.

I disagree with the rest of you. Mike Brady did not appear in the final episode of The Brady Bunch and I didn't miss him at all. So I think they could have continued on without him. The should wouldn't have been the same without him but it could have carried on without him.

The absence of Mike Brady was primarily the reason that the show could not have gone on. He wanted out, and I'm sure that the Schwartzes knew that the show would not have been the same without him. As much as they didn't enjoy the working relationship, they knew he was an important part of the show.

I think it might have lasted one more season. Maybe half a season. But what would have been the point? It would have lost a major element and it wouldn't have been the same.

The absence of Mike Brady was primarily the reason that the show could not have gone on. He wanted out, and I'm sure that the Schwartzes knew that the show would not have been the same without him. As much as they didn't enjoy the working relationship, they knew he was an important part of the show.

I think it might have lasted one more season. Maybe half a season. But what would have been the point? It would have lost a major element and it wouldn't have been the same.
Other shows have carried on after the departure of a main character. Some example's include Good Times carrying on without James Evans(John Amos) and That 70's Show carrying on without Eric Forman (Topher Grace). The Brady Bunch could have done the same thing.

Other shows have carried on after the departure of a main character. Some example's include Good Times carrying on without James Evans(John Amos) and That 70's Show carrying on without Eric Forman (Topher Grace). The Brady Bunch could have done the same thing.

The star of Good Times was Jimmie Walker, not the father by any stretch. And That 70's only lasted one more season without Topher Grace, as I said Brady Bunch might have done. So, yes, it could have lasted one more season, like I suggested.

It might have suffered the Happy Days Syndrome if it had tried to go on much longer. Just getting worse and worse, turning into an entirely different show without Ron Howard.

Besides, the producers were ready to quit when they did. Their relationship with the children on Brady Bunch had suffered as well due to their lame musical venturing which went to their heads.

I think it needed one last season to wrap things up. Show Peter in high school. Show Greg in college, wherever he decided to go, and what he wanted to major in. Probably Greg would have lived at home. I think if they made one more season, maybe they would have had Mike on phone conversations with the family, that way he'd still appear in the opening credits. because he'd call the family each episode from his extended business trip that would have lasted several months. Possibly have him in a few shows, say the family visits him in China or wherever he went, and they did a several parter.

They needed to close up one thing. Alice and Sam getting married. It would have been nice to see that happen in the original series. It was hinted at so much and then made a joke. But I think had the series gone on one more year, the two would have definitely married since the kids were now growing up. In 1981, during the Brady Girls get married, Alice hinted that she got married several years before, which meant she married in 1977/1978. By that time, only Bobby, Cindy and Jan would have been living at the house, everyone else would have finally graduated high school and gone off to college or wherever they went, as Peter graduated high school supposedly in 1978. I think Alice would have left the Brady family once she married, no matter what point that would have been, but she probably would have left once there were less kids for Mike and Carol to watch over that were living at home still.

Possibly in the final episodes Greg would have moved to College. Marcia was a year below him and I think would have graduated as well and also moved off to college. So now Carol would have only had to deal with 4 kids at home instead of 6.

I think the series finale would have been just that. Mike returning home from the business trip, Alice and Sam marrying, Mike being best man and Carol maid of honor, Marcia and Greg moving off to college and out of the Brady house for good, Peter getting the attic for himself and Bobby getting the room all to himself. I think that would have been a much better end to the show had it gone on one more year.

I disagree with the rest of you. Mike Brady did not appear in the final episode of The Brady Bunch and I didn't miss him at all. So I think they could have continued on without him. The should wouldn't have been the same without him but it could have carried on without him.


That was for one episode. I probably wouldn't miss any of the other characters if they were gone for only one episode!

Robert Reed really didn't like the episode about the soap commercial. I agree because I think it was one of the worst episodes on the show. So he was an important part of the show.

Are you talking about the one with the Hippyish TV director? I liked that one! Even as a kid I knew did the voice for Gargamel on The Smurfs just from hearing it! Cousin Myrna was annoying though.

Like My Three Sons and Eight is Enough, there would be a problem if one of the kids left the show. It would have effected the premise of the widower with 3 sons marrying a widow (or divorcee) with three daughters. Plus they would have had to change the theme song and the squares. That's why in the future incarnations of the show we had to have "fakes". (Fake Jan, Fake Cindy, Fake Marcia) If Robert Reed did leave the show, there would have had to be a FAKE Mike Brady, and the audience would not have accepted that.

Really, the entire 6th season, which would have been the last had they brought Mike back for one more, they could have had Mike in phone conversations. They could have taped them seperately, on a different stage, away from Schwartz so they'd be no arguing, but have Mike return for the series finale to close the show.

I think it needed one last season to wrap things up. Show Peter in high school. Show Greg in college, wherever he decided to go, and what he wanted to major in. Probably Greg would have lived at home. I think if they made one more season, maybe they would have had Mike on phone conversations with the family, that way he'd still appear in the opening credits. because he'd call the family each episode from his extended business trip that would have lasted several months. Possibly have him in a few shows, say the family visits him in China or wherever he went, and they did a several parter.

They needed to close up one thing. Alice and Sam getting married. It would have been nice to see that happen in the original series. It was hinted at so much and then made a joke. But I think had the series gone on one more year, the two would have definitely married since the kids were now growing up. In 1981, during the Brady Girls get married, Alice hinted that she got married several years before, which meant she married in 1977/1978. By that time, only Bobby, Cindy and Jan would have been living at the house, everyone else would have finally graduated high school and gone off to college or wherever they went, as Peter graduated high school supposedly in 1978. I think Alice would have left the Brady family once she married, no matter what point that would have been, but she probably would have left once there were less kids for Mike and Carol to watch over that were living at home still.

Possibly in the final episodes Greg would have moved to College. Marcia was a year below him and I think would have graduated as well and also moved off to college. So now Carol would have only had to deal with 4 kids at home instead of 6.

I think the series finale would have been just that. Mike returning home from the business trip, Alice and Sam marrying, Mike being best man and Carol maid of honor, Marcia and Greg moving off to college and out of the Brady house for good, Peter getting the attic for himself and Bobby getting the room all to himself. I think that would have been a much better end to the show had it gone on one more year.


This is a great idea and I think that the show would have ben fine had they done it this way; wrapped things up and just talked about him; explaining his absence via a long business trip or something. They could have had him write letters to the kids who were graduating explaining why he wasn't there to celebrate with them.

If the show had gone on to a sixth season, I know that Sherwood had said they had planned to "kill" off Mike Brady.

Does anyone think that Reed might have agreed to make an occasional appearance in a potential sixth season? Just to keep the show going for the sake of the kids? (i.e. the actors who played the kids)

But it seems as thought EVERYONE kind of wanted out after the 5th season. Not that they wouldn't have come back for a sixth, but I think everyone knew that the show had run its course.

It was too bad that the actors in the show never got to say proper good byes to each other or have a "final" episode.

Re; The final ep without Reed. I do think the show could have been written so as not to include Reed, although once we knew that his lines from that show were given to Carol, it's pretty obvious which lines those were.

But even though the kids genuinely liked each other, there was probably a lot of tension on the set toward the end of the show (no doubt a lot of it caused by Reed himself).

I used to like "Good Times" when it first aired (although it's almost impossible for me to watch it today). But when James (the father) was killed off, that really changed the show in a huge way (and not for the better imo). He was a strong father figure, and even though J J was the real "star" of the show, it really went downhill after Amos left.

All I know is, if the BB had come back for a sixth season, I would have still watched it... just to see Jan for another season :)

Are you talking about the one with the Hippyish TV director? I liked that one! Even as a kid I knew did the voice for Gargamel on The Smurfs just from hearing it! Cousin Myrna was annoying though.

But back then best known as Tigger! That's T I double G E R. TTFN. AKA Ta Ta for now!