B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping The Brady Bunch into the ol’ VCR. 

I’m not sure if it was because the 60s and 70s were such a pivotal influence on the 90s or what, but we sure did love The Brady Bunch for a hot minute. 

From The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel to the “Sunshine Days” episode of The X-Files, we were obsessed. I mean, who could forget A Very Brady Christmas, the 1988 classic where Mike Brady was stuck in a collapsed building while all of his children had major life crises? 

Who among us didn’t steal the book Bradymania from our sister as a child?

Hell, even our beloved Gilmore Girls references The Brady Bunch Hour in the episode where Rory receives her Harvard application. 

Why were/are the Bradys so beloved?

I think, first and foremost, they’re familiar. The Brady Bunch has been parodied and referenced so much within pop culture that I’d argue it’s one of the most well-known shows of all time. 

Secondly, I think it’s an easy form of escapism. The Brady Bunch was the “perfect” blended family. Even when Marcia’s nose was flattened like a pancake, we just chalked it up to the antics of the Brady boys. 

I love that Nick at Nite basically revolutionized AI for a Brady Bunch bumper. 

There was always a resolution, and the stakes were so incredibly low that there was no stress. The storylines were simplistic (not in a bad way), and the clothes were downright groovy. 

I also think that’s why it was so easy to make fun of. The perfection and naivety of The Brady Bunch is so unbelievable that it spawned two parody movies that some of us (me) still quote to this day. 

The Brady Bunch is a pop culture behemoth, and I don’t think it will ever go away. Sure, the references have slowed over the years, but most of us are still familiar with Jan’s unhinged jealousy and Marcia’s narcissistic tendencies. We’re still left wondering where both Tiger and Cousin Oliver disappeared to. We’ll never understand how Carol Brady’s hair stayed in place. Essentially, The Brady Bunch is a major social experiment as to what withstands the sands of time. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m joining my boyfriend, George Glass, for dinner. 

Funko read Jan for FILTH. 

Image source: Amazon