The Partridge Family lasted four seasons. There is nothing wrong with the first three. But in season 4 the awful kid singer Ricky was introduced and was featured way too much. Would it have lasted longer if Ricky was never introduced? I think the Partridges would have gone on to at least five seasons if not more.

Nah, I think that was about it! I remember I loved the Partridge family at first couple of seasons. I had a big crush on Keith. But kind of lost interest in the show and found other guys to crush on , had nothing to do with Ricky. IMO four seasons was about enough! I found the Brady Bunch more entertaining and the characters grew more than the Partridges!!

ABC put them on against All in the Family and CBS's killer lineup of comedies. I doubt that anything short of switching networks would have saved them.


Or brought in some other new characters. Not kids like Ricky ! Like a good looking guy , possible love interest for Laurie, or a pretty girl for Keith, have them be musicians and singers.;) Something like that! ;) It got kind of old being a "Family gig"! Nothing against the Mom, or Shirley Jones, she was a lovely woman. And the kids, Danny, Chris and Tracy. But four years was enough of a family band! Had they maybe added another guy and girl of Keith and Laurie's age it would have stayed a hit! ;)

That kid Ricky was AWFUL and his singing could give you a stroke! He was so horrible in every way. I cringed every time I saw him.
He definitely ruined the show.

I've never cared much for The Partridge Family TV show, always preferred The Brady Bunch. However, The Partridge Family music was good, at least in the beginning. The first album (self titled one), Up To Date, and Sound Magazine are all great albums. It was downhill after that, starting with the Shopping Bag album the music began getting stale. There was still an occasional decent song here and there, but basically after the Sound Magazine album the glory days were gone.

Sound Magazine is a near perfect album, excellent in every way, it would have been very difficult for them to create another album that good. The Christmas album was overall a disappointment, and the first sign that the wheels were starting to come off the spokes. They were under pressure to keep churning the albums out, eventually it took it's toll and had a negative effect on the quality of the music.

I agree that the addition of Ricky was of no benefit to the show whatsoever. But the show had already pretty much run it's course, I don't think there would have been a 5th season, Ricky or no Ricky.

Ricky was their cousin Oliver. The show was sinking in the ratings and on the verge on being cancelled anyway. For whatever reason, TV producers response to this was to bring in new characters to supposedly enliven the show. I don't know if it's ever worked but the new characters are often blamed for the demise of the shows.

Ricky was their cousin Oliver. The show was sinking in the ratings and on the verge on being cancelled anyway. For whatever reason, TV producers response to this was to bring in new characters to supposedly enliven the show. I don't know if it's ever worked but the new characters are often blamed for the demise of the shows.
Ricky was A BILLION times worse than Oliver.

Ricky was their cousin Oliver. The show was sinking in the ratings and on the verge on being cancelled anyway. For whatever reason, TV producers response to this was to bring in new characters to supposedly enliven the show. I don't know if it's ever worked but the new characters are often blamed for the demise of the shows.

There's a good topic. Can you think of a show where a new character totally re-energized a show?

There's a good topic. Can you think of a show where a new character totally re-energized a show?
Jo on The Facts of Life.

Jo on The Facts of Life.

Yes. I like it. Good choice.

I can't think of one where the show was flatlining. You have an example like Reverend Jim on Taxi, but that was a pretty good show that was still young and building. Detective Dietrich didn't actually become an every week regular till Season 4, but really solidified a show that, again, was already good.

Jo was also early (2nd year?), but I don't see the show going nine years without her.

... Would it have lasted longer if Ricky was never introduced? I think the Partridges would have gone on to at least five seasons if not more.

No, it wouldn't have lasted longer just as Brady Bunch wouldn't have lasted longer without Cousin Oliver.

I can't watch the Ricky episodes. I can tolerate Cousin Oliver better but he didn't do stupid songs. I do think the later season 4 episodes without him much better but the damage was done. By the 4th season the show was sinking, and for some reason ABC decided to move it from Friday night ( where it ran with the Brady Bunch) to Saturday where it got beat by All In The Family. Ironically Brady Bunch was never moved but got cancelled too.

There's a good topic. Can you think of a show where a new character totally re-energized a show?


How about Woody and Rebecca on Cheers?


As for little Ricky, I didn't mind him too much and I liked Cousin Oliver too. The most irritating "new kid" for me might have been Linda on Make Room For Daddy.

I don't think the show could have lasted another season because the move to Saturdays opposite "All In The Family" was an absolute bonehead move by ABC that had no chance to succeed. Another reason it was about to end had to do with David Cassidy himself. He had grown tired of his role as Keith and it was well known that he was considering quitting the show if it had returned for a 5th season. The rumor was that he might have been replaced by Rick Springfield, who was just starting out back then, and he even had his own cartoon series on ABC called "Mission: Magic". Personally, I would have liked to have seen David's brother Shaun Cassidy take over the role since by this time he was becoming a bigger name as a teen idol than David and being on the same show would have been a huge boost to his career.

I've never cared much for The Partridge Family TV show, always preferred The Brady Bunch. However, The Partridge Family music was good, at least in the beginning. The first album (self titled one), Up To Date, and Sound Magazine are all great albums. It was downhill after that, starting with the Shopping Bag album the music began getting stale. There was still an occasional decent song here and there, but basically after the Sound Magazine album the glory days were gone.

Sound Magazine is a near perfect album, excellent in every way, it would have been very difficult for them to create another album that good. The Christmas album was overall a disappointment, and the first sign that the wheels were starting to come off the spokes. They were under pressure to keep churning the albums out, eventually it took it's toll and had a negative effect on the quality of the music.



I agree that the addition of Ricky was of no benefit to the show whatsoever. But the show had already pretty much run it's course, I don't think there would have been a 5th season, Ricky or no Ricky.

I agree 100% with that assessment of their albums. The first three are great and I think they could've had more Top 20 hits had other tracks been chosen as singles than some that were. Also a real shame that "Listen to the sound" was never released by them as it's a great song.

I agree 100% with that assessment of their albums. The first three are great and I think they could've had more Top 20 hits had other tracks been chosen as singles than some that were. Also a real shame that "Listen to the sound" was never released by them as it's a great song.

Sound Magazine is such an excellent album and could have had several hit singles, but strangely I Woke Up In Love This Morning was the only hit. One Night Stand, Echo Valley, I'm On My Way Back Home, Summer Days, and 24 Hours A Day could have been hits as well. Sound Magazine plays like a greatest hits record, there's not a weak track on the album.

Ricky was A BILLION times worse than Oliver.

Couldn't agree more.

Aside from the episode where he's introduced, Ricky's not really involved in any plots, is he? He's comes in, says something wise beyond his years, sings a song, and goes away?

Isn't that bad enough?

Actually the question is very far reaching.
It is like asking if the Partridge Family would have never been thought up as a TV show if Bernard Slade were never born.

While the scheduling info is correct David also announced before the 4th season that he was going to quit.

He mentions it in The 1998 VH-1 Behind The Music episode and TPF episode from the following year says the same.


Plus I can't see why anyone would have stopped watching because of Ricky.

A 5th season of regular Partridge Family would have been preferable to the awful 2200 A.D. spin-off. That is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. And if David Cassidy was really tired of the Partridges, he wouldn't have reprised his role there in the animated spin-off the very next season. And while Ricky was an awful addition, I would agree now that being sent against All in the Family killed it more as Ricky was gradually phased out. It is like ABC couldn't wait to get rid of their Friday 2 hour comedy block, as that block went away fall 1974 with The Brady Bunch and Room 222 also cancelled, and The Odd Couple moved elsewhere. It would be over a decade until ABC brought back a 2 hour Friday comedy block again in 1985.

[COLOR="Green"]A 5th season of regular Partridge Family would have been preferable to the awful 2200 A.D. spin-off. That is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. And if David Cassidy was really tired of the Partridges, he wouldn't have reprised his role there in the animated spin-off the very next season.


Like I said I heard it from the man himself.

They should have done an episode where Ricky is decapitated in a terrible accident. And then Chris or Tracy could walk over to his severed head and say guilelessly, “You look like you need cheering up!’

That kid Ricky was AWFUL and his singing could give you a stroke! He was so horrible in every way. I cringed every time I saw him.
He definitely ruined the show.

Was it really the actor singing or some studio singer?

I agree 100% with that assessment of their albums. The first three are great and I think they could've had more Top 20 hits had other tracks been chosen as singles than some that were. Also a real shame that "Listen to the sound" was never released by them as it's a great song.

Who actually sung on those albums?

Was it really the actor singing or some studio singer?

I can't imagine bringing in a real singer to lip sync to, who was that bad. I think I'd rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.

You know Ricky wasn't working out since he mercifully disappeared after a few episodes.

I think Shirley and David had him killed. They were required to gaze on adoringly as that supremely untalented kid sang his little numbers. But I’m pretty sure that one day, as soon as the camera was off, they snapped his neck. Bye Ricky!

I think Shirley and David had him killed. They were required to gaze on adoringly as that supremely untalented kid sang his little numbers. But I’m pretty sure that one day, as soon as the camera was off, they snapped his neck. Bye Ricky!:brent

A 5th season of regular Partridge Family would have been preferable to the awful 2200 A.D. spin-off. That is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. And if David Cassidy was really tired of the Partridges, he wouldn't have reprised his role there in the animated spin-off the very next season. And while Ricky was an awful addition, I would agree now that being sent against All in the Family killed it more as Ricky was gradually phased out. It is like ABC couldn't wait to get rid of their Friday 2 hour comedy block, as that block went away fall 1974 with The Brady Bunch and Room 222 also cancelled, and The Odd Couple moved elsewhere. It would be over a decade until ABC brought back a 2 hour Friday comedy block again in 1985.

The "2200 A.D." show was meant for Saturday morning kid's viewing and was not actually a "replacement" for the original Partridge Family TV show.
It did seem odd though that since a lot of teens were into the original Partridge Family, a Saturday-morning spinoff was ever made.

The cartoon show was more for kindergartners or maybe kids up to age 8. The teen fans of the original Partridge Family would know that the cartoon was based on the TV show and some might have watched the cartoon just because it was all they had of their favorite show. And of course by the time a lot of teens reached their mid to late teens they completely out-grew The Partridge Family music and the main heartthrob but, much younger kids who watch Saturday morning cartoons might not exactly have gotten the concept and might not have known the original "Partridge Family" before the cartoon.

It seems that a lot of the comments on this thread are from people who were not around when the original series first aired. There is a lot of misunderstanding of what happened with the course of the show in the 4 seasons that it lasted.
The fact is that the ratings were dwindling a good amount of time before it went off the air, even by early the third season. The people in charge of the show and TV time slots felt it was time to make a maneuver that would eventually take the show off the air completely. The addition of Ricky has
had speculations. Some say it was to attract viewers to a much younger audience than the teen audience that the show originally attracted sine that audience was growing a few years older and were no longer into the soft pop and the bubble gum image of the characters.
The show was definitely headed for the chopping block significantly before the addition of Ricky. The Partridge Family just Jumped The Shark. (Don't forget that the the very term was coined because someone noticed that the TV show "Happy Days" came to a point where the episodes were dull and stupid and lacked creativity or wit, and decided to use the term because of one particularly boring episode in which "Fonzie" supposedly jumps over a toy shark, which is an episode I never saw but looking at re-run snippets on YouTube it seems he never jumped over any shark and "Fonzie" was always a dislikable character who I think should have been shown being eaten by a shark . That would have gotten better ratings. I never could understand how "Fonzie" became so popular.

But also as far as the cancellation of The Partridge Family, as a lot of us know the Brady Bunch very much had the same fate coming to them and they too Jumped The Shark essentially at the same time. And they added "Cousin Oliver" in the same spirit.

I think I mentioned this in this or other posts. The Partridge Family, I would say, started out as a good concept because it was within the mood of the times, the early 1970's. The music even though it was easy-listening rather than Punk rock had its place.
However it should have lasted no more than two seasons. When it comes to TV shows, there are only re-hashes of plots and episodes and eventually trying to find new situations for main characters gets to where it cannot be done, and shows that lasted much longer such as All In The Family and MASH just stayed on the air too long even though they are now considered classic sitcoms.

I think Shirley and David had him killed. They were required to gaze on adoringly as that supremely untalented kid sang his little numbers. But I’m pretty sure that one day, as soon as the camera was off, they snapped his neck. Bye Ricky!

Do you mean Shirley and David, or Shirley and "Keith" ?

The "2200 A.D." show was meant for Saturday morning kid's viewing and was not actually a "replacement" for the original Partridge Family TV show.
It did seem odd though that since a lot of teens were into the original Partridge Family, a Saturday-morning spinoff was ever made.

The cartoon show was more for kindergartners or maybe kids up to age 8. The teen fans of the original Partridge Family would know that the cartoon was based on the TV show and some might have watched the cartoon just because it was all they had of their favorite show. And of course by the time a lot of teens reached their mid to late teens they completely out-grew The Partridge Family music and the main heartthrob but, much younger kids who watch Saturday morning cartoons might not exactly have gotten the concept and might not have known the original "Partridge Family" before the cartoon.

It seems that a lot of the comments on this thread are from people who were not around when the original series first aired. There is a lot of misunderstanding of what happened with the course of the show in the 4 seasons that it lasted.
The fact is that the ratings were dwindling a good amount of time before it went off the air, even by early the third season. The people in charge of the show and TV time slots felt it was time to make a maneuver that would eventually take the show off the air completely. The addition of Ricky has
had speculations. Some say it was to attract viewers to a much younger audience than the teen audience that the show originally attracted sine that audience was growing a few years older and were no longer into the soft pop and the bubble gum image of the characters.
The show was definitely headed for the chopping block significantly before the addition of Ricky. The Partridge Family just Jumped The Shark. (Don't forget that the the very term was coined because someone noticed that the TV show "Happy Days" came to a point where the episodes were dull and stupid and lacked creativity or wit, and decided to use the term because of one particularly boring episode in which "Fonzie" supposedly jumps over a toy shark, which is an episode I never saw but looking at re-run snippets on YouTube it seems he never jumped over any shark and "Fonzie" was always a dislikable character who I think should have been shown being eaten by a shark . That would have gotten better ratings. I never could understand how "Fonzie" became so popular.

But also as far as the cancellation of The Partridge Family, as a lot of us know the Brady Bunch very much had the same fate coming to them and they too Jumped The Shark essentially at the same time. And they added "Cousin Oliver" in the same spirit.

I think I mentioned this in this or other posts. The Partridge Family, I would say, started out as a good concept because it was within the mood of the times, the early 1970's. The music even though it was easy-listening rather than Punk rock had its place.
However it should have lasted no more than two seasons. When it comes to TV shows, there are only re-hashes of plots and episodes and eventually trying to find new situations for main characters gets to where it cannot be done, and shows that lasted much longer such as All In The Family and MASH just stayed on the air too long even though they are now considered classic sitcoms.

So you expected them to cancel a show when the ratings were still good?

So you expected them to cancel a show when the ratings were still good?

Good Question. Perhaps it can only be looked at in retrospect now that it is in the past and we can know what happened overall but when a show is doing so well then essentially the only place it can go next is downhill. It would have been better if TPF was discontinued before then and left certain viewers wanting more than wanting no more. Of course that is asking for the impossible or asking for something that in the TV-Show world is NOT what it is all about. The idea as far as those in charge were concerned was to get as much money as possible (and whatever else desirable) from good ratings until nothing else is left.

I think there is a well-known term, "Brilliant but Cancelled" regarding certain TV shows that ever aired. It refers to TV shows that were cancelled before staying on the air too long. For cancelled TV shows it is something of a honor in trivia history . Shows like The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch and even All in The Family and MASH and One Day At A Time and certain others
underwent major changes for Jumping The Shark.
In certain cases such as with Laverne And Shirley, who were a pair of young roommates in the late 1950s, their characters were so funny and endearing as they were that when the series went into its later seasons the pair were still depicted as still being like ditsy girls even though they had aged several years. With TPF and TBB the youngest kids of the family were cute and caused trouble so as to make good plots. The teens of the family often were the "fall guys" or had typical problems of worrying about passing grades, or attracting a schoolmate who was not attracted to them etc etc, but when they all grew older it was unrealistic that some of them would would still be living at home or acting like 8-year-olds when they were ready to go into high school.

I really liked the show "Joan of Arcadia." Of course it was not a sitcom and I did not like some of the plots but one thing about it is that all the episodes combined were designed to amount to a finale that ended the entire series in a neat way making it seem as if everything that the main character, ("Joan" a high-school-aged female) went through with her random talks with "God" was about finally looking at it all in retrospect. It was a dignified end to a TV series IMO.
Perhaps mid-way the producers knew it would be best to make certain episodes with certain plots so that they accumulate to what finally happens in the last episode.
I don't know if it was planned by the producers from the beginning to have the series run a certain amount of time and a certain amount of episodes and then concluding. .
I don't know how common that is. It seems producers would have to know beforehand not-only plots and twists and long term scenarios within plots, but whether the series would still be interesting to the targeted viewers by a certain time after the series had been on the air, that is if it does not fail on the get go and is cancelled after maybe one broadcast. I think that happened with a planned series based on the movie "The Sunshine Boys."

However as far as ratings and the attention-span of the viewing public, it is often best to quite while ahead.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-30-et-lowry30-story.html

Good Question. Perhaps it can only be looked at in retrospect now that it is in the past and we can know what happened overall but when a show is doing so well then essentially the only place it can go next is downhill. It would have been better if TPF was discontinued before then and left certain viewers wanting more than wanting no more. Of course that is asking for the impossible or asking for something that in the TV-Show world is NOT what it is all about. The idea as far as those in charge were concerned was to get as much money as possible (and whatever else desirable) from good ratings until nothing else is left.

I think there is a well-known term, "Brilliant but Cancelled" regarding certain TV shows that ever aired. It refers to TV shows that were cancelled before staying on the air too long. For cancelled TV shows it is something of a honor in trivia history . Shows like The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch and even All in The Family and MASH and One Day At A Time and certain others
underwent major changes for Jumping The Shark.
In certain cases such as with Laverne And Shirley, who were a pair of young roommates in the late 1950s, their characters were so funny and endearing as they were that when the series went into its later seasons the pair were still depicted as still being like ditsy girls even though they had aged several years. With TPF and TBB the youngest kids of the family were cute and caused trouble so as to make good plots. The teens of the family often were the "fall guys" or had typical problems of worrying about passing grades, or attracting a schoolmate who was not attracted to them etc etc, but when they all grew older it was unrealistic that some of them would would still be living at home or acting like 8-year-olds when they were ready to go into high school.

I really liked the show "Joan of Arcadia." Of course it was not a sitcom and I did not like some of the plots but one thing about it is that all the episodes combined were designed to amount to a finale that ended the entire series in a neat way making it seem as if everything that the main character, ("Joan" a high-school-aged female) went through with her random talks with "God" was about finally looking at it all in retrospect. It was a dignified end to a TV series IMO.
Perhaps mid-way the producers knew it would be best to make certain episodes with certain plots so that they accumulate to what finally happens in the last episode.
I don't know if it was planned by the producers from the beginning to have the series run a certain amount of time and a certain amount of episodes and then concluding. .
I don't know how common that is. It seems producers would have to know beforehand not-only plots and twists and long term scenarios within plots, but whether the series would still be interesting to the targeted viewers by a certain time after the series had been on the air, that is if it does not fail on the get go and is cancelled after maybe one broadcast. I think that happened with a planned series based on the movie "The Sunshine Boys."

However as far as ratings and the attention-span of the viewing public, it is often best to quite while ahead.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-30-et-lowry30-story.html


Think you're making a big to do out of it.


They put it out there and the public enjoyed it for those 4 years and we should leave it at that.

"Fonzie" was always a dislikable character who I think should have been shown being eaten by a shark . That would have gotten better ratings. I never could understand how "Fonzie" became so popular.
:eek: Fonzie rocks. He is one of the best TV characters of all time.

I really liked the show "Joan of Arcadia." Of course it was not a sitcom and I did not like some of the plots but one thing about it is that all the episodes combined were designed to amount to a finale that ended the entire series in a neat way making it seem as if everything that the main character, ("Joan" a high-school-aged female) went through with her random talks with "God" was about finally looking at it all in retrospect. It was a dignified end to a TV series IMO.
Perhaps mid-way the producers knew it would be best to make certain episodes with certain plots so that they accumulate to what finally happens in the last episode.
I don't know if it was planned by the producers from the beginning to have the series run a certain amount of time and a certain amount of episodes and then concluding. . I highly doubt the Joan of Arcadia producers planned to just do two seasons. It deserved a longer run for sure. Sadly Ghost Whisperer, the inferior show that replaced it, lasted three more seasons than Joan of Arcadia.

I never understood how the Partridges wound up 200 years in the future and living in outer space. It was bad enough when the kids were solving mysteries with that low-rent Scooby Doo knockoff.

It was bad enough when the kids were solving mysteries with that low-rent Scooby Doo knockoff.[/QUOTE]

Don't see what your issues was with it.

yes, the sitcom would have continued for another season if it wasn't for the anime Partridge series

I saw an episode with Ricky this morning. WTF? What were the producers thinking? That kid couldn’t sing at all. Why did he get a solo in every episode? Was the Oscar-winning Shirley Jones thinking, “They make me sing backup and mix my vocals down on the album versions, yet this brat gets all these solos?”

I keep waiting for Keith or Danny to hit that kid over the head with a guitar, but it never happens.

I believe that the main thing that killed the show was the groups declining popularity.
It's biggest fans were growing older, and their tastes in music were evolving. And I say this from experience.

There just came a day for me where a band lead by their mother just didn't seem as hip as Alice Cooper. Then.......Deep Purple. And after a friend brought over a Black Sabbath album one day,..I no longer wanted anything to do with kiddie-pop.

Oh, I'm sure that there were die hard fans who played their records until the grooves wore out.....even today I can listen to bands like Ohio Express, in small doses, and find enjoyment in it.
But back in the day there was a strong incentive to try to find the cutting edge, and ride it.

And I just recall that (from my perspective) the Partridge family took on a "too tame" aura right about the same time I felt that I needed to grow up.

The songs during the last season aren’t their best, certainly. They don’t even seem to be trying that hard.

Ricky didn’t kill the show. But man, he was awful!

The series had already started going on decline mode in the 3rd season so I think the 4th season was definitely going to be the last regardless if Ricky had joined the cast or not. And ABC made sure there would be no 5th season by placing the series 4th season on Saturday night up against #1 rated All In The Family. If that wasn't a set up for failure then I don't know what is. David Cassidy wanted out anyway, after 4 seasons he had enough and was ready to move on.

I have been watching the 4 th season and Ricky is so annoying and I feel bad for the cast having to smile and laugh at his singing. But its funny how his mom and sister vanish and are never heard from again. And then Ricky just disappears never to be mentioned again. I guess the family just moved away? Lol

I have been watching the 4 th season and Ricky is so annoying and I feel bad for the cast having to smile and laugh at his singing. But its funny how his mom and sister vanish and are never heard from again. And then Ricky just disappears never to be mentioned again. I guess the family just moved away? Lol

Maybe they couldn’t get happy.

Isn't it funny that they try to launch his career and yet nothing happened? I think I read they put out a Ricky record but it flopped.

Ricky was bad but I think the show was on the decline and would have been cancelled anyway. It's funny how Ricky got more attention than Chris and Tracey.

Ricky was bad but I think the show was on the decline and would have been cancelled anyway. It's funny how Ricky got more attention than Chris and Tracey.

Yeah, he'd almost always have more 'lines' in his tags than the two youngest Partridges combined would have for entire episodes. Oh, and Ricky never seemed to interact with them- just Shirley, Keith, Laurie and sometimes Danny.

Sound Magazine is such an excellent album and could have had several hit singles, but strangely I Woke Up In Love This Morning was the only hit. One Night Stand, Echo Valley, I'm On My Way Back Home, Summer Days, and 24 Hours A Day could have been hits as well. Sound Magazine plays like a greatest hits record, there's not a weak track on the album.

I agree with you that some of these songs would have made great singles - especially "Summer Days", but back then it was common for labels to only release about two singles from most LPs - mainly because there was usually another album from the same artist six months/one year later.

They didn't start releasing lots of songs as singles until the '80s, when it was quite common to have four or more hits from an album.

Isn't it funny that they try to launch his career and yet nothing happened? I think I read they put out a Ricky record but it flopped.

As a record collector, I happened to be looking thru some 45 PRM picture sleeves at a record show a few years back and found Ricky Segall's "Sooner or Later" picture sleeve. I picked it up for a buck. Never saw the record though.

It's neat to have but not something I'd ever listen to. It's probably not worth very much.

https://www.discogs.com/Ricky-Segall-And-The-Segalls-Ricky-Segall-And-The-Segalls/release/3088988

:brent
LOL, sad and funny!

In addition, Susan and David were beginning look their real ages, versus young college kids.

I just saw the episode where Ricky was introduced. I thought it was cute. His mom was a hot mess! I thought Ricky was cute, did he only make cameos or was he a regular during season 4? Maybe if they had only let him act versus the annoying singing, maybe there would have been better reception. That was a little disturbing when he told Keith his older sister had a great body. Come on! The kid was only 5 or 6 the most. Did his mom or sis appear any more times on the show.?

I was 3 when the show premiered, and 7 when it got cancelled. Therefore I grew up with the reruns. I liked Oliver on the BB, but he could annoying as well at times. However, I never saw the shark episode with Fonzie. However it is sad Erin Moran's ( Joanie)career tanked post the show. Even sadder about her tragic death. It is what it is, good shows get cancelled for whatever reason.

I believe that the main thing that killed the show was the groups declining popularity.
It's biggest fans were growing older, and their tastes in music were evolving. And I say this from experience.

There just came a day for me where a band lead by their mother just didn't seem as hip as Alice Cooper. Then.......Deep Purple. And after a friend brought over a Black Sabbath album one day,..I no longer wanted anything to do with kiddie-pop.

Oh, I'm sure that there were die hard fans who played their records until the grooves wore out.....even today I can listen to bands like Ohio Express, in small doses, and find enjoyment in it.
But back in the day there was a strong incentive to try to find the cutting edge, and ride it.

And I just recall that (from my perspective) the Partridge family took on a "too tame" aura right about the same time I felt that I needed to grow up.

I do wonder if The Partridge Family had a decidedly "uncool" (https://books.google.com/books?id=sTUDAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT225&lpg=PT225&dq=the+partridge+family+uncool&source=bl&ots=ppdFoPDRIr&sig=ACfU3U1AVXxI4AEW6kzuFm-1bPTlfTxhJA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdtP-rlZuFAxX1SDABHVkbDc4Q6AF6BAg7EAM#v=onepage&q=the%20partridge%20family%20uncool&f=false) element (https://community.cbr.com/showthread.php?107690-Confession-time-quot-unhip-quot-quot-uncool-quot-music-you-re-embarrassed-to-admit-liking&p=6455323&viewfull=1#post6455323) about them even from the start. I also wonder if Shirley kind of stuck out as a sore thumb with her being up there with her kids. It made it look like she was their chaperone to school dance who suddenly decided that she wanted to "join in" on the fun. Or she came across as a borderline stage mom who was living vicariously through her kids.

I have been watching the 4 th season and Ricky is so annoying and I feel bad for the cast having to smile and laugh at his singing. But its funny how his mom and sister vanish and are never heard from again. And then Ricky just disappears never to be mentioned again. I guess the family just moved away? Lol

There's even one episode where Ricky for whatever the reason, accompanies the Partridges on a road trip. Even watching it at the time, I was thinking, where the hell is that boy's mother?

I've never cared much for The Partridge Family TV show, always preferred The Brady Bunch. However, The Partridge Family music was good, at least in the beginning. The first album (self titled one), Up To Date, and Sound Magazine are all great albums. It was downhill after that, starting with the Shopping Bag album the music began getting stale. There was still an occasional decent song here and there, but basically after the Sound Magazine album the glory days were gone.

Sound Magazine is a near perfect album, excellent in every way, it would have been very difficult for them to create another album that good. The Christmas album was overall a disappointment, and the first sign that the wheels were starting to come off the spokes. They were under pressure to keep churning the albums out, eventually it took it's toll and had a negative effect on the quality of the music.

I agree that the addition of Ricky was of no benefit to the show whatsoever. But the show had already pretty much run it's course, I don't think there would have been a 5th season, Ricky or no Ricky.

Ricky's addition just seems like the show was I suppose, grasping at straws and trying to find what could stick as a means of keeping the show from getting completely stale going in to its fourth year.

I have been watching the 4 th season and Ricky is so annoying and I feel bad for the cast having to smile and laugh at his singing. But its funny how his mom and sister vanish and are never heard from again. And then Ricky just disappears never to be mentioned again. I guess the family just moved away? Lol

I get why many viewers don't like (https://www.amazon.com/Partridge-Family-Season-4/product-reviews/B001LRTT3A) Ricky and think that his arrival (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/23796934-the-worst-cast-additions-or-replacements-in-the-history-of-television-) in Season 4 (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/who-came-up-with-the-idea-for-that-kid-in-the-4th-season-of-the-partridge-family.387688/) was when the show (https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4966518/) "jumped the shark" (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125348/http://www.jumptheshark.com/p/partridgefamily.htm). I suppose that more cynical types are not comfortable with being subjected (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/26513704-who-are-the-worst-child-performances-in-film-and-television-) to overly innocent, sweet, and/or precocious (https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/36125) children (whose only real character trait or calling card is how cute (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/that-kid-on-the-partridge-family.948934/page-2#post-23715099) they are) on screen. What even more annoying is that Ricky seemingly got more of a spotlight and exposure than either Chris or Tracy throughout the entire series combined.

Like I said, there was practically nothing to Ricky's character other than being an extremely cute (https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/4/25/1656292/-Which-was-the-worst-child-actor-addition-to-a-television-show-that-made-it-jump-the-shark) little boy who sung (https://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-partridge-calamity.html) pre-school level songs. It didn't matter whether or not it organically made sense or his character to be around (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/30748797-they-didn-t-seem-to-fit-in-the-cast) in any given episode. Just having him perform while everybody else sat and watched in awe with big smiles on their faces just came across as extremely cheesy and dorky, even for a show like The Partridge Family (http://dannybonaduce.net/dannybonaduce/2009/01/10/partridge-family-season-4-dvd-just-released-read-review/).

Also, who is Ricky at the end of the day, supposed to appeal (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065333/reviews) too? I get that with Keith (David Cassidy), he was essentially there for the teenybopper girls to swoon over. And likewise, Laurie (Susan Dey) was there to give the boys watching a pretty girl that they could be infatuated with and who could care less about Keith. But with Ricky, did anybody unironically enjoy his singing (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ricky-seagull-talk-about-jumping-the-shark.241856/) or saw him as more than simply being a "Cousin Oliver-type"? That's kind of unfair though because you could argue that Robby Rist on The Brady Bunch unlike Ricky Segall (https://dcbikeblogger.wordpress.com/tag/ricky-segall/) on The Partridge Family, had genuine comedic talent.

Ricky's addition just seems like the show was I suppose, grasping at straws and trying to find what could stick as a means of keeping the show from getting completely stale going in to its fourth year.

Seems to me that ABC was losing interest in the show and wanted to put an end to it since they placed it for the 4th and final season on Saturday night up against #1 rated All In The Family on CBS.

I have been watching the 4 th season and Ricky is so annoying and I feel bad for the cast having to smile and laugh at his singing. But its funny how his mom and sister vanish and are never heard from again. And then Ricky just disappears never to be mentioned again. I guess the family just moved away? Lol

There was no justifiable reason for Ricky to be on the show because he never really interacted with the Partridge family or got involved too heavily in the plots. All that he really did was pop up out of nowhere to sing an out-of-tune song because one of the Partridges "needed cheering up" while the family just sat there with forced smiles.

I believe that the main thing that killed the show was the groups declining popularity.
It's biggest fans were growing older, and their tastes in music were evolving. And I say this from experience.

There just came a day for me where a band lead by their mother just didn't seem as hip as Alice Cooper. Then.......Deep Purple. And after a friend brought over a Black Sabbath album one day,..I no longer wanted anything to do with kiddie-pop.

Oh, I'm sure that there were die hard fans who played their records until the grooves wore out.....even today I can listen to bands like Ohio Express, in small doses, and find enjoyment in it.
But back in the day there was a strong incentive to try to find the cutting edge, and ride it.

And I just recall that (from my perspective) the Partridge family took on a "too tame" aura right about the same time I felt that I needed to grow up.

I also wonder if The Partridge Family and by extension, The Brady Bunch (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=447837), were simply victims of a changing TV landscape (https://www.reddit.com/r/sitcoms/comments/18xu7if/comment/kg8rldw/). It seemed like the big sitcoms on American TV come 1973-74 (http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2017/09/1973-74-sitcom-scorecard-brady-bunch.html) were the stuff (linkedin.com/pulse/history-televison-part-v-andrew-daitchman) that Norman Lear and MTM were putting out. They weren't exactly "wholesome" family sitcoms (http://www.tellytalk.net/threads/the-brady-partridge-war.9317/) as far as I could tell.

I just saw the episode where Ricky was introduced. I thought it was cute. His mom was a hot mess! I thought Ricky was cute, did he only make cameos or was he a regular during season 4? Maybe if they had only let him act versus the annoying singing, maybe there would have been better reception. That was a little disturbing when he told Keith his older sister had a great body. Come on! The kid was only 5 or 6 the most. Did his mom or sis appear any more times on the show.?

In Season 4 (https://www.amazon.com/Partridge-Family-Season-4/product-reviews/B001LRTT3A), it seemed like the producers were dead set on introducing new young characters (https://bradybunchreviewed.wordpress.com/2017/08/11/summer-special-johnny-come-lately-the-new-kid-in-town/#comment-5249) to interact with the Partridge family and have them be recurring characters. It wasn't just Ricky but older kids like identical twins David and Andy Williams (Andy Williams’ nephews) and Reuben Kincaid’s nephew, Alan.

I think a main issue with Ricky that probably hasn't been addressed yet is that they didn't really know where to go with his character since the main conflict involving his mom and the Partridges was resolved by the end of Ricky's first episode. So of course, we never see Ricky's mom or his sister again for the rest of the season. Ricky's mom could've been something of a recurring antagonist to Shirley had they played their cards differently.

Instead, Ricky's mere presence just screws up the show's dynamic. I mean, the show already had a couple of cute little kids in the form of Chris and Tracy, but the writers/producers never seemed to want to develop them. So at the end of the day, they always seemed like window dressing even before Ricky's arrival.

While the scheduling info is correct David also announced before the 4th season that he was going to quit.

He mentions it in The 1998 VH-1 Behind The Music episode and TPF episode from the following year says the same.


Plus I can't see why anyone would have stopped watching because of Ricky.

I was just watching the final episode (https://www.quora.com/What-happened-in-the-last-episode-of-The-Partridge-Family), "· ...---... (S.O.S.)" (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0670140/) the other day, and there seemed to be little inclination that this was going to be absolutely, the final episode in terms of providing a real sense of closure. It just comes across as like any other episode.

The "2200 A.D." show was meant for Saturday morning kid's viewing and was not actually a "replacement" for the original Partridge Family TV show.
It did seem odd though that since a lot of teens were into the original Partridge Family, a Saturday-morning spinoff was ever made.

The cartoon show was more for kindergartners or maybe kids up to age 8. The teen fans of the original Partridge Family would know that the cartoon was based on the TV show and some might have watched the cartoon just because it was all they had of their favorite show. And of course by the time a lot of teens reached their mid to late teens they completely out-grew The Partridge Family music and the main heartthrob but, much younger kids who watch Saturday morning cartoons might not exactly have gotten the concept and might not have known the original "Partridge Family" before the cartoon.

It seems that a lot of the comments on this thread are from people who were not around when the original series first aired. There is a lot of misunderstanding of what happened with the course of the show in the 4 seasons that it lasted.
The fact is that the ratings were dwindling a good amount of time before it went off the air, even by early the third season. The people in charge of the show and TV time slots felt it was time to make a maneuver that would eventually take the show off the air completely. The addition of Ricky has
had speculations. Some say it was to attract viewers to a much younger audience than the teen audience that the show originally attracted sine that audience was growing a few years older and were no longer into the soft pop and the bubble gum image of the characters.
The show was definitely headed for the chopping block significantly before the addition of Ricky. The Partridge Family just Jumped The Shark. (Don't forget that the the very term was coined because someone noticed that the TV show "Happy Days" came to a point where the episodes were dull and stupid and lacked creativity or wit, and decided to use the term because of one particularly boring episode in which "Fonzie" supposedly jumps over a toy shark, which is an episode I never saw but looking at re-run snippets on YouTube it seems he never jumped over any shark and "Fonzie" was always a dislikable character who I think should have been shown being eaten by a shark . That would have gotten better ratings. I never could understand how "Fonzie" became so popular.

But also as far as the cancellation of The Partridge Family, as a lot of us know the Brady Bunch very much had the same fate coming to them and they too Jumped The Shark essentially at the same time. And they added "Cousin Oliver" in the same spirit.

I think I mentioned this in this or other posts. The Partridge Family, I would say, started out as a good concept because it was within the mood of the times, the early 1970's. The music even though it was easy-listening rather than Punk rock had its place.
However it should have lasted no more than two seasons. When it comes to TV shows, there are only re-hashes of plots and episodes and eventually trying to find new situations for main characters gets to where it cannot be done, and shows that lasted much longer such as All In The Family and MASH just stayed on the air too long even though they are now considered classic sitcoms.

The fundamental problem with a show like The Partridge Family is that there were few actually developed or defined characters with distinct personalities. You can tell that most of the creative effort went into the songs over character driven plot points. So the plots themselves on The Partridge Family often wound up becoming pretty inert (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inert).

No, it wouldn't have lasted longer just as Brady Bunch wouldn't have lasted longer without Cousin Oliver.

Even without Cousin Oliver, The Brady Bunch already had over 100 episodes (which was the minimum threshold for syndication) by the time that it ended. Plus, the show was never really that big of a ratings. It had steady ratings but it never cracked the top 30 in the Nielsens. And keep in mind that there were only three American TV networks that were around at the time. You also had a very problematic star in Robert Reed, who among other things, flat out refused to appear in what would be the series finale.