Here’s a story, of a made up family. Six boys and girls, two ladies and dear dad. Blended families were not yet the norm then. But Sherwood Schwartz created nothing bad.
The Brady Bunch first aired in 1969 and continued through until 1974, going into syndication the following year continuing to mesmerize young audiences with it’s simplified idealistic family life. The premise, if you’ve yet to see an episode, sees a widow, played by Robert Reed, with three sons, marry a woman played by Florence Henderson, who has three daughters. As if this wasn’t enough people living under one roof, stay-at-home mom Carol, gets a live-in housekeeper / assistant, Alice, as part of the deal when she marries Mike Brady.
The show has stood the test of time by focusing on universal childhood/ teenage dilemmas: sibling rivalry, battles of the sexes, self-esteem and other coming of age traumas, rather than political upheavals or current events from the time in which it was produced. The show also dealt with jealousies / insecurities that are unique to blended families. Issues are always addressed without violence and in the end even the kids have a reasonable maturity. There never seems to be any real financial stress on the family, save for one episode about responsibilities and a telephone, which for most large or blended families watching, really was an escape from reality.
