Some people in the past have mentioned that some of their least favorite episodes of The Brady Bunch include the following:

"The Snooperstar" (Cindy plays Shirley Temple)

"Top Secret" (Bobby and Cousin Oliver think Mike's an FBI guy, while Sam is a double-agent)

"The Hair-Brained Scheme" (Greg's graduation--and orange hair!)

Personally I thought they were funny just like the episodes that came before them. What sets them apart from the rest?

:quest:

LOL, you must have seen my post on the "favorite character thread." Like I said on that post, I love the series from beginning to end, but don't you get a feel that the show is a little kookier toward the end? I read on someone's post on from jumptheshark.com that they were scrambling for story lines at the end of that season because they hadn't planned on doing that many episodes but were told they needed more... or something along those lines. Now, I don't know if that is true or not, (especially since some of the episodes seem different earlier in the season) but I definitely sense that the show's plots at the end of the series were "simpler" than before. Granted, the Brady Bunch never had really any indepth storylines to begin with, but I feel a common theme among the final ones: the wacky misunderstandings and silly tricks played. While that doesn't entail every episode toward the end, it pops up more than usual on the Bradys.

111. 111. Out of This World--Bobby and Peter think they see a UFO--Greg is just playing a trick

112. Welcome Aboard--the kids think Carol is pregnant because Bobby and Cindy heard wrong. It's really going to be the arrival of cousin Oliver

114. Top Secret--Bobby and Oliver think Mike's architectural plans for Sam are really "top secret" plans

115. The Snooperstar--Cindy reads Marsha's diary and thinks a talent scout wants her.

Besides wacky misunderstandings and tricks, we have some other just silly storylines (which I do love, don't get me wrong): Peter and a look-a-like (part of that episode a trick IS played), Greg's hair gets oranged by Bobby's get-rich-quick-scheme.

Still, maybe some of you don't see much of a difference in these episodes compared to the rest of the series. And episodes in every season have some tricks being played. I still say there is a flood of them toward the end. Maybe not because they were in a hurry to write plots like I put above, according to that person on jumptheshark, but maybe because they were running out of ideas. ?? I do want to finish by saying, I love the show all the way, I never thought it jumped the shark, I just don't like a few episodes here and there. (Really the only episodes I don't like that I mentioned above are the UFO one and the secret agent one.)

While that [wacky misunderstandings and tricks played] doesn't entail every episode toward the end, it pops up more than usual on the Bradys.

Unfortunately for me I have only seen one episode of The Bradys, the two-hour premiere with Bobby in the Nashville 500 (or was it 400?).

111. 111. Out of This World--Bobby and Peter think they see a UFO--Greg is just playing a trick

That was a good (and funny!) episode.

112. Welcome Aboard--the kids think Carol is pregnant because Bobby and Cindy heard wrong. It's really going to be the arrival of cousin Oliver

That was an OK episode.

114. Top Secret--Bobby and Oliver think Mike's architectural plans for Sam are really "top secret" plans

That was a good episode.

115. The Snooperstar--Cindy reads Marsha's diary and thinks a talent scout wants her.

That was a good episode.

Peter and a look-a-like (part of that episode a trick IS played),

That was an OK episode.

Greg's hair gets oranged by Bobby's get-rich-quick-scheme.

That was an OK episode.

I never thought it jumped the shark, I just don't like a few episodes here and there.

Just like me! I'm one of the 56 (last I visited the page!) who voted it never jumped. Some of those comments are very interesting!

Originally posted by James
Unfortunately for me I have only seen one episode of The Bradys, the two-hour premiere with Bobby in the Nashville 500 (or was it 400?).
I'm sorry, when I said,

"... I feel a common theme among the final [Brady Bunch episodes]: the wacky misunderstandings and silly tricks played. While that doesn't entail every episode toward the end, it pops up more than usual on the Bradys,"

I didn't mean the spinoff, "The Bradys," I meant the actual "Brady Bunch." I should have been more careful how I worded it, considering "The Badys" is also I show. The point I was trying to make in that above quote was that, even though throughout all 5 season of "The Brady Bunch" tricks being played were occational plots, the end of the 5th season was when it appeared more than usual.

Now, about the spinoff in 90 called "The Bradys..." I only saw the "Brady 500" as well, but that whole short lived series was full of drama. You should check out a place (like tvtome.com) that offers the epsiode guide for the show. Very different plots than what you'd find on "The Brady Bunch."

Snooperstar is one of my favorite Brady episodes! That, the Christmas one from the first season when Carol loses her voice and Cindy the tattletale episode. Top 3 right there :)

"The Brady Bunch" was only picked up for 13 episodes at the beginning of its final season, rather than a full season of 22. And when most of the rest of the ABC Friday night lineup was cancelled midseason, Sherwood Schwartz thought "The Brady Bunch" would be as well. But ABC picked up the final 9 episodes of the season, and Sherwood had to scramble for scripts, which is why there are a good number of weak episodes. Too bad, since there were some decent ones at the beginning of that season.

Thank you so much TV Guy! I knew there had to be a logical explanation to the last half of the season. I'm glad I have the details for it now--I had no idea they wanted ONLY 13 episodes--I assumed 18, but 13 totally makes sense since some of the episodes I consider weak were in the middle of the season. One of the threads on this board discussed the 6th season that never was. It really makes me think of the 5th season that never was. It is really a shame since season 5 started out decent. I still watch it all the way through, but there is no denying it gets lame.

Originally posted by TV Guy
"The Brady Bunch" was only picked up for 13 episodes at the beginning of its final season, rather than a full season of 22. And when most of the rest of the ABC Friday night lineup was cancelled midseason, Sherwood Schwartz thought "The Brady Bunch" would be as well. But ABC picked up the final 9 episodes of the season, and Sherwood had to scramble for scripts, which is why there are a good number of weak episodes. Too bad, since there were some decent ones at the beginning of that season.

Now I think I understand why Barry Williams called much of the last season's episodes "low energy" in Growing Up Brady!

The last season of 'The Brady Bunch' wasn't as good as the first 4. I didn't like the look-a-like episode of Peter. It was done on Gilligan's Island like...3 times, and that's probably why I don't like the Brady Bunch episode with look-a-likes....

I also think that some of the final season's episodes seemed sillier than those of the previous seasons because the kids were growing up, but the storylines weren't. Thank God Sherwood Schwartz finally let Eve Plumb grow up, and look at what a beauty she turned into. But poor Susan Olsen, still uttering those silly lines and walking around with those curls. That's why I hate the "Snooperstar" episode so much. It might have been cute if Cindy were a couple of years younger, but to see Susan Olsen at her age doing that Shirley Temple impersonation was just embarrassing. I think a sixth season could have been great if they would have gotten rid of Schwartz and let somebody come in who could guide the show in a better direction.

As lame as some of the final-season shows are, they're still mostly pretty funny. The ones I hate are Out of this World, the pool one, and the secret-agent one. For all of the grief Oliver gets, he was only in six shows, and only two of them stunk, IMO.

Wow, I am amazed! Personally, my favorite season of The Brady Bunch is the last one. I even think it's the highest peak of the show. I must be the odd one here.

I didn't care for the Top secret episode that much .. I thought it was boring. I liked all the other episodes from that season though especially the one where Bobby has a thing for that Millicent girl.

Originally posted by Mijada
I didn't care for the Top secret episode that much .. I thought it was boring. I liked all the other episodes from that season though especially the one where Bobby has a thing for that Millicent girl.

Is this ep w/ Millicent the one that TVLand is showing in promos now w/ "I Wanna Be Loved by You"? It seems to fit w/ the Roaring '20s party that the Bradys are rehearsing for.

Also, although the last ep has a goofy plot, for me it has a genuine LOL moment in the way that Greg squeals when Peter starts laughing at Greg's orange hair. I can't describe it in words here, except it was like saying "MMM" with a quickly rising and falling sound behind it.

Originally posted by jehobden


Is this ep w/ Millicent the one that TVLand is showing in promos now w/ "I Wanna Be Loved by You"? It seems to fit w/ the Roaring '20s party that the Bradys are rehearsing for.

Yes, that's the same ep. If you notice Bobby is not dancing with the rest of the family because he is afraid that he may have caught the mumps by kissing Millicent, so he's trying to stay away from everyone.

I had no issue with the eps from the last season and no I do not think Cousin Oliver Ruined the show. That is so ridiculous. That poor kid also joined the latter end of the May Tyler Moore show as well.

Uncle Sherwood seemed to insist, so desperately, on Susan Olsen's retaining her "Baby/Dainty June" demeanor, I'm surprised that he didn't enforce a Kitty CarryAll (sp?) clause in her contract, right through to the bitter end. As the show wound down, Thindy was beginning to bear a dethided rethemblance to Bette Davith, in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane!

(a/k/a Joey Scott) http://www.boomspeed.com/carshaw/pacifier.gif http://www.boomspeed.com/carshaw/LittleBear.gif http://www.boomspeed.com/carshaw/LassoAnt.gif

LOL, Li'l Bengie Bellamy! Very funny post. And Welcome to the Boards. :wave:

Speaking of Benjie Bellamy, I finally figured out that Lester, Marcia's last boyfriend in "Going, Going Steady", the tall blond boy whom Marcia pointed toward the Brady kitchen, was played by the same Rory Stevens who played Benjie Bellamy on LITB. He also appeared on The Munsters once, but since he was in a robot costume, as a robot friend whom, I think, Grandpa made for Eddie, his face was never seen. He also had a part in the movie Carrie later in his career.

Rory Stevens didn't play Benji. Joey Scott did. Rory was Chuckie Murdock in Leave It To Beaver. That "Going, Going Steady" episode was just on, and I thought that last boyfriend of Marsha's could have easily been Benji, but I just found out today by accident that Rory Stevens, who played the boyfriend, was not the one who played Benji. And as far as the Munster episode you mentioned, I'm 99 % sure that was Rory as well. Joey Scott was in a Munster's episode too, but according to the descriptions of the episode, you named the one with Rory.

Curiously, imdb.com says Joey Scott was in the Munster's episode, but when you look up that episode on tvtome.com, JOE Scott is listed. That seems hardly questionable, but Joe Scott and Joey Scott are listed as two different people in imdb.com, with separate "resumes." Tvtome.com has them as two different people as well. Imdb actually says Joe Scott and Joey Scott are in that same Munsters episode. Because of that, I'm sure it is just one person. But imdb has been known to be wrong before.

Here's a picture of Rory on Leave It to Beaver. Incase you didn't know, Rory is the real life brother of Rusty Stevens who was Larry Mondello on Leave It to Beaver.

Sorry, I got my young blond kids from LITB mixed up. Chuckie Murdock caused enough of his own troubles for Beaver too though. :)

Yes. Lol. I posted his picture because its so easy to mix up the little blond boys on the show. And I found out on accident who played who. I wouldn't have known otherwise. I was on a Brady Bunch episode guide and came across the Going Steady episode, saw Rory's name, and went from there. The website I went to to get Rory's picture I posted, also had Jimmy Mathers, Jerry's little brother. I couldn't believe how similar they looked! I had never seen Jimmy before. It was really unbelievable.

Jimmy Mathers also appeared on a first season ep of Bewitched, where June Lockhart, between regular roles on Lassie and Lost in Space, played his mom. He also played Hayley Mills' younger brother in the Disney movie Summer Magic. His resemblance to his brother is remarkable.

Yes, the pictures I saw of Jimmy were from the Bewitched episode he was on. I can't remember ever seeing that episode. I'm sure if I had I would have been so suprised to see him and how much he looks like his brother!