https://www.metv.com/stories/the-brady-bunch-abcs-unassuming-weapon-in-the-ratings-war-with-cbs

What exactly made The Brady Bunch such a hit?

https://www.metv.com/stories/the-brady-bunch-abcs-unassuming-weapon-in-the-ratings-war-with-cbs

What exactly made The Brady Bunch such a hit?

I think the Brady Bunch tried to be a '50's style family sitcom. Every episode had a problem, solution, and moral similar to shows like Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, etc.

Yet they also attempted to be somewhat current with clothing, music, and so on.

Now being a kid when it was originally on I either connected or wanted to connect with the kids on the show. Tie that in with the other shows like The Partridge Family, Room 222, The Odd Couple, and Love American Style they were an unbeatable lineup.

True some episodes were silly and maybe even not realistic ( see Robert Reed on those episodes). But it was all good clean fun. Considering we were on the tail end of the Vietnam War people still looked at tv shows for an escape from the real world. It wasn't until the end of the run that more thought provoking sitcoms like All in the Family took over.

I think the Brady Bunch tried to be a '50's style family sitcom. Every episode had a problem, solution, and moral similar to shows like Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, etc.

Yet they also attempted to be somewhat current with clothing, music, and so on.

Now being a kid when it was originally on I either connected or wanted to connect with the kids on the show. Tie that in with the other shows like The Partridge Family, Room 222, The Odd Couple, and Love American Style they were an unbeatable lineup.

True some episodes were silly and maybe even not realistic ( see Robert Reed on those episodes). But it was all good clean fun. Considering we were on the tail end of the Vietnam War people still looked at tv shows for an escape from the real world. It wasn't until the end of the run that more thought provoking sitcoms like All in the Family took over.

I have been watching the Donna Reed show lately and I keep thinking about the Brady bunch many times.

I do not believe that "The Brady Bunch" was a ratings success. I read that it only got renewed for half seasons at a time. It took off when it went into syndication.