Do You Consider 'The Partridge Family' A Copy Cat Of 'The Brady Bunch?'...

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Originally Posted by thebigcookie

Well, I grew up watching the Brady Bunch in reruns since the late 90s on Nick at Nite, but I never saw the Partridge Family until it started on Antenna TV this January. I had always heard of it and knew the song Come on Get Happy many years before I ever saw it. And I think they are both good, although my favorite of the two would have to be the Brady Bunch. I really like the music on the Partridge Family, especially the songs in the first two seasons. Season 3 was ok, but Season 4 wasn't that good. I found Ricky Segall to be very annoying, worse than Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch. I don't see what he was needed for. His character doesn't even play a big part in any episodes except the first episode he appears in at the beginning of Season 4. He just has an annoying song to sing. I was glad when they got rid of him halfway through that season. If syndication has to edit anything, I would be just fine editing out the Ricky songs. However, I thought it was cool when Mr. Kincaid grew a mustache for the last season. But all the other characters are great. I honestly wish the Brady Bunch had lasted longer. It was a good show.

The Brady Bunch had Jumped-The-Shark also, big time. It would have been just-as-ridiculous to have it continue any further seasons .
There wasn't anywhere else to go with the plots .

All In The Family may have been much much much more popular than the Brady Bunch or The Partridge Family but it also had stayed on the air too long and should have taken a cue from The Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family.

All In The Family stayed on the air for some 10 years. The characters' situations had to change. Gloria and Mike could no longer just live in Gloria's parent's home after Mike had graduated and he and Gloria had had a child.
Also the actors just grew tired of being Archie, Edith, Mike and Gloria for all those years.

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Originally Posted by old grouch

The Cowsills were pretty groovy. They sang 'Indian Lake' and 'The Rain, the Park, and Other Things'. They look a little bit like the Jonas Brothers in that picture. It's too bad they didn't get their own show, if not a sitcom, then a variety show simular to 'Sonny and Cher.'

A bit about variety shows:
There was also a variety show with Donny and Marie Osmond. Reportedly it had good ratings even though it was considered drek. Actually Sonny and Cher variety hour was a fairly good concept and show at first but it eventually Jumped The Shark. It is arguable whether the Sonny and Cher show was better or worse or no better than the Donny and Marie Show. After the Sonny and Cher variety hour it seemed to be that a few other variety shows tried to copy it including Donny and Marie. Most or all other variety shows had only one person hosting it. I can only think of the Carol Brunette show now.
The Brady Bunch variety hour tried to copy Donny and Marie but it was more "phony" in that a group of actors were pretending to be related to each other as a "Family act" and I think it was the only variety show that ever did that and in which there were so many people "hosting" a variety show.
Variety shows have been very few in TV history. There have not been any since the 1970s as far as I know. The kind in which the hosts also sing dance and perform along with guest stars. I think that The Carol Brunette show was probably the most respectable variety show ever. Others that came after it were comparatively watered-down copy cats. Anyone know of variety shows before or during Carol Brunette's?

As far as the Cowsills being put to host a variety show, I guess if it was done instead of the Partridge Family, I wonder if all the Cowsills would have been put to host the show which would have been odd back then, or only if one of the younger boys and the young girl of the family would have been at the front of the cameras most like Donny and Marie were put to host the show while the rest of the Osmond Brothers were mostly in the background. Reportedly the rest of the Osmond Brothers felt that their talents were overshadowed by their younger brother and sister and that is how the Osmond Brothers failed to make it as a respectable rock band which is what they really wanted to do rather than host a kiddie-like variety show.
Perhaps the same would have happened to the Cowsills.

[Svenfan1234]

I don't think they were a copy. They were both good family sitcoms, and had a lot in common. The Brady Bunch lasted 5 seasons and Partridge Family only 4.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by icecream

Not at all. The Partridge Family is much better than The Brady Bunch.

This is probably only a matter of personal opinion, but why overall, has The Brady Bunch seemingly resonated and stood the test of time in a way that The Partridge Family hasn't? Is it because the some of themes on The Brady Bunch are basically timeless and more universal -- sibling rivalry, various childhood insecurities, childhood crushes, etc.?

[Alan Brady's Hair]

This is probably only a matter of personal opinion, but why overall, has The Brady Bunch seemingly resonated and stood the test of time in a way that The Partridge Family hasn't?

I think the Partridges have been very successful. Wherever I was, it was always in syndication, although usually on a weekend afternoon while the Brady's would be on daily after school.


I think the Bradys just very clearly are a kids show, so they get put into a kids time slot and kids seek it out. The Partridges have mostly kids, but most of the characters talk like adults, so it doesn't really belong in the evening, and it doesn't really belong after school.

For me, the best example of the difference between the two shows is the Partridges' "My Shadow and Me" episode, we're they're playing hide-and-seek with a mystery writers. I just can't imagine the Brady's performing with that script.

[IllinoisTVFan]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

I think the Partridges have been very successful. Wherever I was, it was always in syndication, although usually on a weekend afternoon while the Brady's would be on daily after school.


I think the Bradys just very clearly are a kids show, so they get put into a kids time slot and kids seek it out. The Partridges have mostly kids, but most of the characters talk like adults, so it doesn't really belong in the evening, and it doesn't really belong after school.

For me, the best example of the difference between the two shows is the Partridges' "My Shadow and Me" episode, we're they're playing hide-and-seek with a mystery writers. I just can't imagine the Brady's performing with that script.

I mentioned it before but also the Bradys were about topics that reasonate with everyone, such as family. They rarely did episodes about current topics. The Partridge Family had episodes about what was happening then and some of it has faded.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

I think the Partridges have been very successful. Wherever I was, it was always in syndication, although usually on a weekend afternoon while the Brady's would be on daily after school.


I think the Bradys just very clearly are a kids show, so they get put into a kids time slot and kids seek it out. The Partridges have mostly kids, but most of the characters talk like adults, so it doesn't really belong in the evening, and it doesn't really belong after school.

For me, the best example of the difference between the two shows is the Partridges' "My Shadow and Me" episode, we're they're playing hide-and-seek with a mystery writers. I just can't imagine the Brady's performing with that script.

Danny Partridge in particular (and maybe it's just my imagination), always seemed to talk more like grown up than an actual kid.