https://popculturereferences.com/when-did-the-brady-bunch-jump-the-shark/

In a feature looking at if or when a TV series "jumped the shark," Brian asks you all to determine when (or if) The Brady Bunch jumped the shark.

Today, we look at when (or if) you folks believe that The Brady Bunch “jumped the shark.” (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125231/http://www.jumptheshark.com/b/bradybunch.htm)

This is “Just Can’t Jump It,” (https://popculturereferences.com/category/just-cant-jump-it/) a feature where we examine shows and whether they “jumped the shark.” Jumped the shark (coined by Jon Hein (http://www.jonhein.com/)) means that the show had a specific point in time where, in retrospect, you realize that show was going downhill from there (even if, in some rare occasions, the show later course-corrected). Not every show DOES jump the shark. Some shows just remain good all the way through. And some shows are terrible all the way through. What we’re looking for are moments where a show that you otherwise enjoyed hit a point where it took a noticeable nose dive after that time and if so, what moment was that?

The Brady Bunch was a popular family sitcom about a man named Brady (Robert Reed) with three sons (Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland) who met a lovely lady (Florence Henderson) with three daughters of her own (Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen). The show ran five seasons, but amusingly, after the show was canceled, the show became a sensation in syndication, and has remained an iconic series ever since.

So first…DID IT JUMP THE SHARK? Definitely.

WHEN DID IT JUMP THE SHARK I mean, everyone wants to say Season 5’s “Welcome Aboard,” which introduced Cousin Oliver to the show. Robby Rist was a good child actor, but obviously he didn’t fit on the show. However, here’s my thing, the show was already terrible by that point, ya know? By mid-Season 5, the show had clearly run out of plots. So I’m going to go with “My Brother’s Keeper,” where Bobby saves Peter’s life, and Peter becomes his slave. It’s so, so, so unbelievably dumb. It’s the sort of thing you come up when you have no other plots available and think, “What’s the dumbest sitcom plot that we could do?” EDITED TO ADD: I totally forgot that it even involved a line on the floor of their bedroom! It was overflowing with dumb sitcom gags! So I think the show had jumped before Oliver got there, so, really, poor Oliver has received a bad break by getting blamed for everything!

Let me know what you think in the comments or on social media!

This is an easy one. Most would agree the addition of Oliver was the shark jumping moment. From there on, Oliver was instrumental in all the scripts except for Two Petes In a Pod. I disagree that My Brother's Keeper was a bad episode. It actually was very realistic compared to other Brady episodes. The brothers had a real fight and we hear a toilet flush from toilet that did not exist. It sort of was ground breaking. I agree the last season was not the best because the kids were older and the bubble gum scripts did not work so well. But Oliver was a mistake.

I don't think it ever jumped, though it was disappointing to not have Mr. Brady in the last episode. I didn't mind Oliver in the show.

I don't think it ever jumped, though it was disappointing to not have Mr. Brady in the last episode. I didn't mind Oliver in the show.

I agree. There were some funny episodes near the end. I didn't have any problem with Oliver.

The biggest problem for me was how much Oliver looked like John Denver who was popular at the time, but not popular with the kool kids like me. You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest....

Never.

But Schwartz was disappointed in the kids when they wanted to start having more control. I think that's the main reason the show ended so soon.

The biggest problem for me was how much Oliver looked like John Denver who was popular at the time, but not popular with the kool kids like me. You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest....

How do you feel about John Denver in retrospect?

The biggest problem for me was how much Oliver looked like John Denver....Ah man!!

How do you feel about John Denver in retrospect?

Now I would listen to him before I would listen to Aerosmith.

Now I would listen to him before I would listen to Aerosmith.

That is an interesting comparison.

That is an interesting comparison.

My mom was the glee club teacher for the local jr high. Someone wanted her to sing Annies's song at their wedding. She rehearsed it over and over and over. I wanted to put Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic on the high fi. Total clash

Now, I would listen to Denver (but not a whole lot) before Aerosmith and say, Karen Carpenter, before the Cars. What was nerdy has had more staying power.

I don't think Oliver hurt things that much... He was only in, what like 3 or 4 episodes at the very end?

By the time Oliver came along, the Brady Bunch had already pretty much run it's course and was past its prime. With all the Brady kids growing up, I think Oliver was the last attempt to have a little kid on the show in an attempt to get back the energy of the early years when the show was in its glory days that made the show what it was, when the Brady kids were younger.


I think the show would have ended anyway even had Oliver not came along

Another key moment of the show happened right before Oliver's arrival. Cindy finally let her hair down and did not wear pig tails. They were trying to prevent her from growing up but then it got too weird. The ending was coming whether they knew it or not. Makes you wonder how freaky that 6th season would have been. Greg in college. Does Marcia move to the attic? Jan and Peter learn to drive.

And Cindy would be saying, it's always Jan, Jan, Jan!

Another key moment of the show happened right before Oliver's arrival. Cindy finally let her hair down and did not wear pig tails. They were trying to prevent her from growing up but then it got too weird. The ending was coming whether they knew it or not. Makes you wonder how freaky that 6th season would have been. Greg in college. Does Marcia move to the attic? Jan and Peter learn to drive.

I've heard many things through the years about how a 6th season might have been...including killing Mike off or having a new actor play Mike OR just having Mike constantly be away on perpetual business trips, as it was pretty likely Robert Reed would not be returning.

So, losing both Mike's and Greg's character, not sure how that would have been

Another key moment of the show happened right before Oliver's arrival. Cindy finally let her hair down and did not wear pig tails. They were trying to prevent her from growing up but then it got too weird. The ending was coming whether they knew it or not. Makes you wonder how freaky that 6th season would have been. Greg in college. Does Marcia move to the attic? Jan and Peter learn to drive.

I don't know for sure if this is a tell-tale example of the producers and writers not wanting or allowing Cindy's character to "grow up" (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/TheBradyBunchS5E20TheSnooperstar), but I can't be the only one who found the image (https://bradybunchreviewed.wordpress.com/2018/11/02/episode-20-the-snooperstar/) of her dressing up like a young Shirley Temple and singing (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_GqIfAb-gJA) "The Good Ship Lollipop" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Good_Ship_Lollipop) to be bizarre:
XliASJh4uHI

Keep in mind that this is from (https://jimihaze68.com/2021/01/27/s5-e20-the-snooperstar/) the final season (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brady-bunch-s-5-e-20-the-snooperstar/id1484281005?i=1000566610813) (1973-74), when Susan Olsen would've I believe, been about 13 years old. And the whole thing appears to be played totally straight and without a hint of irony. They even got Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell from Gilligan's Island) to join in.

Even as a 10 year old in 1973, I knew the series would be ending soon after watching the Snow White episode in Season 5. It was cringe to watch even at 10 years old.

Keep in mind that this is from the final season, when Susan Olsen would've I believe, been about 13 years old. And the whole thing appears to be played totally straight and without a hint of irony. They even got Natalie Schafer (Mrs. Howell from Gilligan's Island) to join in.

When this episode was filmed Susan probably would've been nearly 13. While the scene itself is kind of bizarre, the stranger thing is that a kid that age could be so easily fooled by her siblings. IIRC they even tried to warn her that they were pulling her leg, and that she didn't believe.

Both Natalie Schafer and Jim Backus (who had two different roles on BB) were probably used to strange scripts on a Sherwood Schwartz show.