Watching 'Kelly's Kids', the Backdoor 'Brady Bunch' Pilot

[TMC]

http://splitsider.com/2013/03/watchi...y-bunch-pilot/

One show that couldn’t get this off the ground, though, was The Brady Bunch. The Bradys might have been the first family of television, but they never recreated their own success. And that wasn’t due to a lack of half-hearted tries. On January 4, 1974, with eight episodes until the show’s finale, Carol and Mike Brady gave their 30-minutes of family warmth to two new characters, Ken and Kathy Kelly, next-door neighbors and childless couple. Still under the Brady title, the bunch provided guidance for an otherwise messy episode, which tackled everything from adoption to racism.

The episode, entitled “Kelly’s Kids,” shifts focus from Mike and Carol to Ken and Kathy who adopt Matt, a nine-year-old boy. From the time the episode begins to the conclusion under Alice’s watchful eyes, a lot happens. Too much, in fact. Aside from meeting Ken, Kathy, and Matt, Schwartz also introduces two more boys, Steve and Dwayne, as well as the Kathy’s racist neighbor Mrs. Payne. Kelly’s Kids could have been three separate episodes.

To convince viewers that a Kelly’s Kids series is worth their time, Schwartz loads up on Brady characterizations and themes, and tosses in a little Free to be You and Me for good measure, because it’s 1974. This leads to some awkward confrontations, particularly those involving the bigoted Mrs. Payne, which never seem to get the attention they deserve. For an episode of the Brady Bunch, these moments stick out like a sore thumb.

The inclusion of regular characters maintains the built in audience. Mike, Carol, and Greg Brady pop-up in this episode to introduce the Kellys and listen to them ramble. In this case, like Cliff Huxtable in early Different World episodes, the Bradys are brand recognition and it hurts the show. Ken and Kathy do their best to pose as Mike and Carol. They smile and joke at their kids’ frankness and present a warm, loving home for their adopted children. However, when Mike and Carol appear, they make Ken and Kathy look like the carbon copies they are. Mike and Carol make it known: This is the Brady residence.

Eventually, Schwartz would re-tool the idea into Together We Stand, a 1986 sitcom starring Elliot Gould, Dee Wallace Stone, and Data from The Goonies. Moving away from the Bradys worked for 19 episodes, which wasn’t bad for a show that premiered over a decade after “Kelly’s Kids.” The idea might never be a good one, but it lasted longer on its own accord than when playing second fiddle.

Backdoor pilots generally ring false, because a long running show needs time to develop its own beats. Piggybacking on another’s success can only go so far, and even with some new ideas on board, the similarities overbear the plot. “Kelly’s Kids” was a pretty bland attempt at continuing The Brady Bunch, and an example that many shows would learn from. Using a popular character to build an audience works, but throwing new ones into the show for the sake of a pilot is a frivolous waste of a 109th episode.

[comedyfreak]

We'll never know since the show never was launched past the back door pilot stage. Mrs. Kelly went on to become Diana Taylor on General Hospital.

[Marvo301]

Even nepotism didn't help! Matt Kelly was played by Todd Lookinland the younger brother of Mike Lookinland who played Bobby on The Brady Bunch.

[gilligan fanatic]

I have a mixed opinion on Kelly's Kids. On one hand it is a sweet idea, but on the other the idea seems forced "can't we all just get along" idea. Some of it seems really dated (I don't think anyone would find it as big of a deal today). I have a couple episodes of Together We Stand, but can't say I have really watched them through.