Since "The Brady Bunch"performed very poorly

[Rezny@gmail.com]

in the ratings,did 1)ABC ever threaten to cancel the series? and 2)Did Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz ever discuss syndicating the series either during the network run or after the show ended?

[sixfingers]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

in the ratings,did 1)ABC ever threaten to cancel the series? and

They often didn't know if they were going to come back for the next season and it was kind of a surprise that the second half of the fifth season was even made.

It is generally said that the only reason it kept going was because it was so popular among kids.

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

2)Did Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz ever discuss syndicating the series either during the network run or after the show ended?

That just wasn't done back then, and Schwartz had to agree that the time to end the show had come. The kids weren't so cute any more, contracts had to be renegotiated, they were making unreasonable demands and Robert Reed was kind of iffy. Killing him off his character was considered but in then end it just wasn't worth it.

Producing a second rate 6th and possibly 7th season might have harmed its secondary syndication value.

[Bachu]

In Brady, Brady, Brady they mention that they show actually went into syndication whilst new episodes were on the air.

[sixfingers]

Originally Posted by Bachu

In Brady, Brady, Brady they mention that they show actually went into syndication whilst new episodes were on the air.

He was talking about first run syndication, as in producing new shows not shown on a network, like Star Trek: The next generation did. Of course, that show did it from the beginning, it was never tied to a network. Too close for comfort continued on in first run syndication for a while after being canceled by the network.

As for secondary syndication, showing old shows not in the current season outside the network, during the initial run, I'm skeptical about that. They certainly didn't do that in the Sacramento area, old seasons weren't shown around here until after the show was canceled.

That was actually a fairly rare practice back then, usually done only with shows that had already run for at least 5 seasons, and the old shows were often renamed to avoid confusion with the first run episodes. The Andy Griffith show, for example, was renamed Andy of Mayberry and the first few seasons of Gunsmoke were renamed Marshall Dillon.

It should also be pointed out that a lot of the information in the Brady Bunch books is flat out wrong.

[Jude The Obscure]

The show was in daytime reruns on ABC while the fifth season was airing and continued for another year. The show entered broadcast syndication in 1975, from where the ratings exploded, causing ABC to ponder maybe it did make a mistake--which lead to the guest appearance on Donny & Marie --HUGE ratings and then voila'...the VARIETY HOUR was born.

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by sixfingers

He was talking about first run syndication, as in producing new shows not shown on a network, like Star Trek: The next generation did. Of course, that show did it from the beginning, it was never tied to a network. Too close for comfort continued on in first run syndication for a while after being canceled by the network.

As for secondary syndication, showing old shows not in the current season outside the network, during the initial run, I'm skeptical about that. They certainly didn't do that in the Sacramento area, old seasons weren't shown around here until after the show was canceled.

That was actually a fairly rare practice back then, usually done only with shows that had already run for at least 5 seasons, and the old shows were often renamed to avoid confusion with the first run episodes. The Andy Griffith show, for example, was renamed Andy of Mayberry and the first few seasons of Gunsmoke were renamed Marshall Dillon.

It should also be pointed out that a lot of the information in the Brady Bunch books is flat out wrong.

Yes,I DID mean first run-syndication.And since Brady,Brady,Brady was Written by "The Brady Bunch"creators -producers Sherwood Schwartz and son Lloyd Schwartz,as I said in another post when son Lloyd came to our town promoting his new play,the book Brady Brady Brady probably IS the true story.

[brgmgb]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

The show was in daytime reruns on ABC while the fifth season was airing and continued for another year. The show entered broadcast syndication in 1975, from where the ratings exploded, causing ABC to ponder maybe it did make a mistake--which lead to the guest appearance on Donny & Marie --HUGE ratings and then voila'...the VARIETY HOUR was born.

I can't confirm the year or season, but I do remember watching reruns of the Brady Bunch on WLS channel 7 in Chicago (the ABC affiliate) while the show was still in first run on Friday nights. I remember, because as soon as the morning rerun was over, I had to get on my bike and head to school for summer band.

[treky]

Originally Posted by sixfingers

He was talking about first run syndication, as in producing new shows not shown on a network, like Star Trek: The next generation did. Of course, that show did it from the beginning, it was never tied to a network. Too close for comfort continued on in first run syndication for a while after being canceled by the network.

As for secondary syndication, showing old shows not in the current season outside the network, during the initial run, I'm skeptical about that. They certainly didn't do that in the Sacramento area, old seasons weren't shown around here until after the show was canceled.

That was actually a fairly rare practice back then, usually done only with shows that had already run for at least 5 seasons, and the old shows were often renamed to avoid confusion with the first run episodes. The Andy Griffith show, for example, was renamed Andy of Mayberry and the first few seasons of Gunsmoke were renamed Marshall Dillon.

It should also be pointed out that a lot of the information in the Brady Bunch books is flat out wrong.

also "STARTREK: DEEP SPACE NINE" did it, too.

[sixfingers]

Back to the subject at hand, if Schwartz had been convinced that BB was still a viable show then they might have considered first run syndication with a group of stations after it was canceled from the network, but it's doubtful. It just wasn't done back then.

Remember, Schwartz also did Gilligan's Island, which, unlike BB was the top rated show in each of the three slots it ran in. If ever a show cried out for being continued in first run syndication, Gilligan's Island was it. Yet when it was canceled by the network, that was it.

It seems more likely that GI would have been picked up by a rival network, and it's kind of surprising that didn't happen.

BB just wasn't viable enough for that kind of scheme. It's really amazing it lasted as long as it did, all things considered.

[Tweety]

I remember when the show went into daytime syndication... I didn't watch the show during the first couple of seasons, I don't think I started watching until about the 3rd season... I'd gotten used to the kids being the ages that they were, and used to seeing them during the 5th season.

Then, when I saw the daytime reruns from season one (while season 5 was airing in prime time), I was practically in shock lol. The kids looked SO YOUNG. They almost didn't seem like the same kids to me.

[jehobden]

Originally Posted by brgmgb

I can't confirm the year or season, but I do remember watching reruns of the Brady Bunch on WLS channel 7 in Chicago (the ABC affiliate) while the show was still in first run on Friday nights. I remember, because as soon as the morning rerun was over, I had to get on my bike and head to school for summer band.

Since you saw them on an ABC affiliate, they were probably the ABC network weekday morning reruns.

[Steve Carras]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

Yes,I DID mean first run-syndication.And since Brady,Brady,Brady was Written by "The Brady Bunch"creators -producers Sherwood Schwartz and son Lloyd Schwartz,as I said in another post when son Lloyd came to our town promoting his new play,the book Brady Brady Brady probably IS the true story.

What is this, a new book from the producers? I kind of missed the story here.

[Steve Carras]

Originally Posted by Bachu

In Brady, Brady, Brady they mention that they show actually went into syndication whilst new episodes were on the air.

What the hell is what you're talking about? Is this a special ir a book? PLEASE respond!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve Carras]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

Yes,I DID mean first run-syndication.And since Brady,Brady,Brady was Written by "The Brady Bunch"creators -producers Sherwood Schwartz and son Lloyd Schwartz,as I said in another post when son Lloyd came to our town promoting his new play,the book Brady Brady Brady probably IS the true story.

This is a new book, right? It's on Amazon. Can anybody put this in a new thread?

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by Steve Carras

What is this, a new book from the producers? I kind of missed the story here.

Brady Brady Brady: The Complete Story of THE BRADY BUNCH as Told by the Father/Son Team Who Really Know was co-written by Sherwood and Lloyd Schwartz. However they didn't write the book together. Sherwood wrote the first part of the book and Lloyd wrote the last part. The book was published last year (2010) by Running Press.