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The Brady Bunch

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A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy ) is a genre of comedy that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy , which features different characters and settings in each skit , sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships.

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124-463: The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC . The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls. After its cancellation in 1974, the series debuted in syndication in September 1975. Though it was never a ratings hit or a critical success during its original run,

248-470: A sea shanty sound, was uncredited, but according to Russell Johnson in his book Here on Gilligan's Isle , it was performed by a group called the Eligibles. The show's original pilot episode featured a calypso theme song by future film composer John Williams and different lyrics. The original length of the voyage was "a six-hour ride," not "a three-hour tour." John Williams (or Johnny Williams as he

372-400: A "vast wasteland" of bad television. The final day of filming the pilot was Friday, November 22, 1963, the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . The cast and crew learned of the assassination late that morning, Hawaii time. Between the filming of scenes, they crowded around a radio listening to news bulletins. A reminder of the tragedy appears in the opening sequence of

496-540: A 30-minute time slot. Throughout their history, American sitcoms have often drawn inspiration from British counterparts. Popular shows like All in the Family , Three's Company , and Sanford and Son were adapted from successful British series. More recently, The Office achieved significant popularity in the United States , following the success of its British counterpart. Numerous television networks in

620-522: A book, Love to Love You Bradys , which dissects and celebrates the Variety Hour as a cult classic. A TV reunion film called The Brady Girls Get Married was produced in 1981. Although scheduled to be shown in its original full-length film format, NBC decided at the last minute to divide it into half-hour segments and show one part a week for three weeks. The fourth week debuted a spin-off sitcom titled The Brady Brides , which carried on from where

744-510: A cameo appearance at the end of the film. In 2008, Sherwood Schwartz stated he would like a modern-day movie adaptation of Gilligan's Island with Michael Cera as Gilligan and Beyonce Knowles as Ginger. The New Adventures of Gilligan is a Filmation -produced animated remake that aired on ABC on Saturday mornings from September 7, 1974, to September 4, 1977, for 24 episodes (16 installments airing in 1974–75 and eight new ones combined with repeats in 1975–76). The voices were provided by

868-521: A cheerful " dumb blonde " by Nancy McCarthy . The pilot's opening and ending songs were two similar calypso -styled tracks written by John Williams and performed by Sherwood Schwartz impersonating singer Sir Lancelot . The lyrics of both differ from those of the TV series, and the pilot's opening theme song is longer. The short scenes during this initial music include Gilligan taking the Howells' luggage to

992-544: A core group of characters who interact in a recurring setting, such as a family, workplace, or institution. However, British sitcoms typically consist of shorter series, often six episodes, and are frequently developed by a smaller writing team. The majority of British sitcoms are half-hour comedies recorded in studio settings using a multiple-camera setup. While many adhere to traditional sitcom conventions, some have ventured into more unconventional territory. For example, Blackadder and Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister shifted

1116-433: A divorcée, but the network objected to this. A compromise was reached whereby Carol's marital status (whether she was divorced or widowed) was never directly revealed. Schwartz shopped the series to the "big three" television networks of the era. ABC , CBS , and NBC all liked the script, but each network wanted changes before they would commit to filming, so Schwartz shelved the project. Although similarities exist between

1240-539: A dream sequence. The show was filmed at the CBS Radford Studios complex in Studio City, Los Angeles . The same stage was later used for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Roseanne , the latter of which featured a daydream parodying Gilligan's Island in one episode. The lagoon was drained and used as a parking lot during the show's off-season. It was the last surviving element of the show, which

1364-414: A follow-up to The New Adventures of Gilligan , the castaways escape from the island by building a spaceship and get shipwrecked on a distant planet. Only 13 episodes aired on CBS between September 18, 1982, and September 3, 1983. In the episode "Let Sleeping Minnows Lie", they travel to an island and get shipwrecked there, and Gilligan observes, "First we were stranded on an island, then we were stranded on

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1488-521: A house and living together. The clashes between Jan's uptight and conservative husband, Philip Covington III (a college professor in science who is several years older than Jan, played by Ron Kuhlman) and Marcia's tousled and more bohemian husband, Wally Logan (a fun-loving salesman for a large toy company, played by Jerry Houser ), were the pivot on which many of the stories were based, not unlike The Odd Couple . Florence Henderson and Ann B. Davis also appeared regularly. Ten episodes were aired before

1612-449: A new medium. The word was not commonly used until the 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filmed in front of a live studio audience using a multiple-camera setup , the latter of which continues in some modern productions such as The Big Bang Theory and Fuller House . Other formats make use of a laugh track or "canned laughter". Since the 1990s, sitcoms have since expanded to animated sitcoms , with successful shows of

1736-467: A planet, and now we're stranded on an island on a planet." Syndication is handled by Warner Bros. Television (under Turner Entertainment Co. , which in 1986 acquired United Artists Television 's share of the series as part of the classic pre-1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library). It aired on TBS from 1986 to 2003, where it also aired with colorization on season one for a while. TBS aired Gilligan's Island weekday mornings at 8:05 a.m. ET throughout

1860-419: A real window where the false one was in the TV show footage). Contemporary establishing shots of the house were filmed with the owner's permission for the 1990 TV series The Bradys . The owner refused to allow Paramount to restore the property to its 1969 look for The Brady Bunch Movie in 1995, so a facade resembling the original home was built around an existing house. The house was put up for sale, for

1984-566: A regular gay character (Terry Bader as journalist Leslie). In 1987, Mother and Son won the Television Drama Award for portraying a woman suffering from senile dementia and her interaction with her family, presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission . In 2007, Kath & Kim ' s first episode of series 4 attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally. This

2108-591: A repackaged version at a lower price, but it does not include the bonus disc that was part of the original complete series release. The TV film A Very Brady Christmas was released as a stand-alone DVD in Region 1 on October 10, 2017. In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the original series, CBS/Paramount released The Brady-est Brady Bunch TV & Movie Collection in Region 1 on June 4, 2019. The collection contains every episode of The Brady Bunch , The Brady Kids , The Brady Brides , and The Bradys , as well as

2232-488: A result of the popular attention it garnered in this sequence, it was referred to in the press as "the Brady Bunch effect". In a 2010 issue of TV Guide , the show's opening title sequence ranked number eight on a list of TV's top-10 credits sequences, as selected by readers. In 1966, following the success of his TV series Gilligan's Island , Sherwood Schwartz conceived the idea for The Brady Bunch after reading in

2356-418: A song called "Isle Thing," a parody of Tone Lōc 's " Wild Thing ," about a rapper whose girlfriend introduces him to the show. Yankovic also mentions the show in his song "Stop Draggin' My Car Around," and he used one verse from the closing theme lyrics in " Amish Paradise " (1996), a parody of Coolio 's " Gangsta's Paradise " (1995). The song has also been covered by many bands, including Bowling for Soup for

2480-557: A staple of the government broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In the 1970s and 1980s many British sitcoms also screened on the Seven Network . By 1986, UK comedies Bless This House and Are You Being Served? had been re-screened several times by ABC Television ; they were then acquired and screened by the Seven Network. In 1981, Daily at Dawn was the first Australian comedy series to feature

2604-471: A variety show, television films, a dramatic series, a stage play, theatrical films, and a reality series. A final-season Brady Bunch episode, "Kelly's Kids", was intended as a pilot for a prospective spin-off series of the same name. Ken Berry starred as Ken Kelly, a friend and neighbor of the Bradys, who with his wife Kathy ( Brooke Bundy ) adopted three orphaned boys of different racial backgrounds. One of

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2728-527: A while in the series. Schafer was 63 when the pilot was shot, although, reportedly, no one on the set or in the cast knew her actual age, and she refused to divulge it. Initially, she accepted the role only because the pilot was filmed on location in Hawaii. She looked at the job as nothing more than a free vacation, as she was convinced that a show this silly would "never go." Tina Louise clashed with producer Sherwood Schwartz because she initially believed she

2852-523: A widowed architect with three sons—Greg ( Barry Williams ), Peter ( Christopher Knight ), and Bobby ( Mike Lookinland )—marries Carol Martin ( Florence Henderson ), who herself has three daughters: Marcia ( Maureen McCormick ), Jan ( Eve Plumb ), and Cindy ( Susan Olsen ). Mike and Carol adopt each other's children and Carol and her daughters take the Brady surname. Included in the blended family are Mike's live-in housekeeper , Alice Nelson ( Ann B. Davis ), and

2976-408: Is about the Brady kids having various adventures. The family's adults were never seen or mentioned, and the "home" scenes were in a very large, well-appointed tree house. Several animals were regular characters, including two non-English-speaking pandas (Ping and Pong), a talking bird (Merlin) which could do magic, and an ordinary pet dog (Mop Top). The first 17 episodes featured the voices of all six of

3100-508: Is any political commentary , especially regarding the Vietnam War , which was being waged at its largest extent during the height of the series. The regular cast appears in an opening title sequence in which video "headshots" are arranged in a three-by-three grid, with cast members appearing to look around at one another. The sequence used the then-new " multi-dynamic image technique " created by Canadian filmmaker Christopher Chapman ; as

3224-564: Is one of the leading channels in India, dedicated entirely to Sitcoms. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the longest-running sitcom of Indian television and is also known as the flagship show of SAB TV . On Tiptoes and Shabhaye Barareh were among the first and most important sitcoms that led to the growth of this type of comedy in Iran, both receiving wide critical and audience acclaim. El Chavo del Ocho , which ran from 1971 to 1980,

3348-528: Is presented as a woman in two dreams though in one this is only a disguise; in Mrs. Howell's dream he is both her Wicked stepmother as well as a male character, making him the only cast member to have two roles in one dream and also to be the opposite sex in a dream. In the both Professor and Mary Ann's lone dreams, the Professor is a faux Cary Grant . Of the seven castaways, Ginger was the only one who never had

3472-533: The Los Angeles Times that "30% of marriages [in the United States] have a child or children from a previous marriage". He set to work on a pilot script for a series tentatively titled Mine and Yours . Schwartz then developed the script to include three children for each parent. While Mike Brady is depicted as being a widower, Schwartz originally wanted the character of Carol Brady to have been

3596-499: The CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series follows the comic adventures of seven castaways as they try to survive on an island where they are shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts to escape their plight, with the ship's first mate, Gilligan, usually being responsible for the failures. Gilligan's Island ran for 98 episodes. All 36 episodes of

3720-725: The Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series . In 2020, the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek was nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards . This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards , the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories ( Outstanding Lead Actor , Outstanding Lead Actress , Outstanding Supporting Actor , Outstanding Supporting Actress for Eugene Levy , Catherine O'Hara , Dan Levy , and Annie Murphy respectively) and one of only four live action shows, along with All in

3844-651: The Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th Youth in Film Awards . All other awards and nominations for the series have come from the TV Land Awards : During the series' original run, the six Brady kids recorded several albums on Paramount's record label, all credited to "The Brady Bunch". Note that Florence Henderson and Robert Reed did not participate in these recordings, and are not pictured on

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3968-753: The RTR channel. The "boom" of Russian sitcoms began only in the 2000s, when in 2004, the STS started the highly successful sitcom " My Fair Nanny " (an adaptation of the American sitcom " The Nanny "). Since that time, sitcoms in Russia have been produced by the two largest entertainment channels in the country — STS and TNT . In 2007, the STS released the first original domestic sitcom — " Daddy's Daughters " (there were only adaptations before), and in 2010, TNT released " Interns " —

4092-509: The TBS show The Real Gilligan's Island . Israel Kamakawiwoʻole also recorded a comic tribute to the theme song on his album E Ala E. The chorus to rap group Big Tymers ' " Still Fly " is based on the Gilligan's Island theme song. During the 1966–1967 television season, Gilligan's Island aired on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. Although the sitcom's ratings had fallen well out of

4216-468: The United States feature sitcoms in their programming. CBS , TBS, Nickelodeon , and Disney Channel are just a few examples of networks that air sitcoms. Gilligan%27s Island Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz . The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver , Alan Hale Jr. , Jim Backus , Natalie Schafer , Tina Louise , Russell Johnson , and Dawn Wells . It aired for three seasons on

4340-427: The 1953 film Law and Order . In addition to movies, Johnson had landed roles in multiple popular television series such as The Adventures of Superman , The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits . With six other leads, his agent had to talk him into going to the audition, but after meeting Sherwood Schwartz , he started to warm up to the idea of playing the Professor. In discussing his role, he laughingly said he

4464-514: The 1966–1967 television season. Under pressure from CBS network president William S. Paley and his wife Babe, along with many network affiliates and longtime fans of Gunsmoke , CBS rescheduled the Western to an earlier time slot on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. As a result, Gilligan's Island was quietly canceled at practically the last minute while the cast members were all on vacation. Based on Sherwood Schwartz's verbal confirmation that

4588-405: The 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair , the sequence was created and filmed by Howard A. Anderson Jr. , a visual effects pioneer who worked on the title sequences for many popular television series. The use of this innovation here became so familiar through the sitcom's popularity that it was referred to in the press as the "Brady Bunch effect". The end credits feature an instrumental version of

4712-431: The 1990s these included: Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), Zabaan Sambhalke (1993), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Office Office (2001), Ramani Vs Ramani (Tamil 2001), Amrutham (Telugu 2001–2007), Khichdi (2002), Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2005) F.I.R. (2006–2015), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (2008–present), Uppum Mulakum (Malayalam 2015–present), and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain (2015–present). SAB TV

4836-409: The 1990s, often paired with Bewitched . TNT aired it at some point in the 1990s and also aired the colorized season one. Nick at Nite later aired the series from 2000 to 2001. It then shifted to TV Land , where it aired from 2001 to 2003 and again from January to June 2014. In 2004, it aired on Hallmark Channel . In 2015, the show started to air nationally on MeTV . Warner/Turner also handles

4960-482: The 2010s, resulting in a decline in sitcom popularity. Nevertheless, there have been recent efforts to revive the sitcom genre. For instance, Netflix released So Not Worth It in 2021, featuring many creators from popular South Korean sitcoms. Popular South Korean sitcoms include the High Kick series, which has spawned several spin-offs. British sitcoms , like their American counterparts, often revolve around

5084-770: The 50th anniversary). The film's opening credits featured the season-one "Grid" and theme song, with the addition of The Brady Girls Get Married title. The film shows what the characters had been doing since the original series ended: Mike is still an architect, Carol is a real-estate agent, Greg is a doctor, Marcia is a fashion designer, Peter is in the Air Force, Jan is also an architect, Bobby and Cindy are in college, and Alice has married Sam. Eventually, they all reunite for Marcia and Jan's double wedding. The Brady Brides features Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb reprising their respective roles as Marcia and Jan Brady. The series begins with Marcia and Jan and their new husbands buying

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5208-455: The B-25 he was flying as the navigator was shot down, killing the copilot and breaking both of Johnson's ankles. At the time of his audition, he worked primarily in movies and was not very interested in a television show unless he would be the leading character. His film career had been going well, tallying several science fiction and Western film credits, including a role opposite Ronald Reagan in

5332-520: The Brady house were used at least three times for other Paramount TV shows while The Brady Bunch was still in production: twice for Mannix and once for Mission: Impossible . In the case of Mission: Impossible , the Brady furniture was also used. A re-creation of the Brady house was constructed for the X-Files episode " Sunshine Days ", which also revolved around The Brady Bunch . Since its first syndicated airing in September 1975, an episode of

5456-439: The Brady kids took over singing the theme song. In season three, the boys sing the first verse, girls sing the second verse, and all sing together for the third and last verse. In season four, a new version is recorded with the same structure as the season three version, but in season five, the season three version returns. Utilizing Christopher Chapman's " multi-dynamic image technique ", a version of which had famously appeared in

5580-401: The Bradys were a blended family. As described above, the Brady family is shown in a three-by-three grid, tic-tac-toe board-style graphic with Carol in the top center, Alice in the middle block, and Mike in the bottom center. To the right are three blocks with the boys from the oldest on top to the youngest. To the left are three blocks with the girls from the oldest to the youngest. In season two,

5704-519: The Car , which premiered the following year and is frequently cited as one of the worst television shows of all time; it was canceled after one season. The producers looked to Bob Denver, the actor who had played Maynard G. Krebs , the beatnik in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis . Natalie Schafer had it written into her contract that no close-ups would be made of her, but it was forgotten after

5828-417: The Family , The Golden Girls , and Will & Grace where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award. Sitcoms started appearing on Indian television in the 1980s, with serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Nukkad (1986), and Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) on the state-run Doordarshan channel. Gradually, as private channels were permitted to operate, many more sitcoms followed. In

5952-467: The Howells convert the island into a getaway resort with the other five castaways as "silent partners." Ginger was again played by Judith Baldwin. In a 1981 sequel, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island , villains played by Martin Landau and then-wife Barbara Bain try to take over the island to gain access to a vein of "supremium", a valuable but volatile fictional element . This time, Ginger

6076-663: The Skipper (Jonas Grumby) and the Professor (Roy Hinkley); the names are used in a similar radio report early in the series. The name Jonas Grumby appears nowhere else in the series except for an episode in which the Maritime Board of Review blames the Skipper for the loss of the Minnow . The name Roy Hinkley is used one other time when Mr. Howell introduces the Professor as Roy Huntley, and the Professor corrects him, to which Mr. Howell replies, " Brinkley , Brinkley." The plot for

6200-481: The Top 30. Beginning in 2017, The TV Ratings Guide began publishing vintage television ratings as they became readily available from old newspaper publishings. Season 4 ratings came from Variety year-end rankings dated May 30, 1973. The Brady Bunch earned steady ratings during its primetime run (but never placed in the top 30 during the five years it aired) and was cancelled in 1974 after five seasons and 117 episodes; it

6324-588: The United States in 1926 with the radio show Sam 'n' Henry . The subsequent success of Amos 'n' Andy , also created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll , solidified the sitcom's place in American radio programming. The transition to television brought about significant changes in the sitcom format. Mary Kay and Johnny , which premiered in 1947, became the first American television sitcom. Today, American sitcoms typically run for 22 minutes, allowing for approximately eight minutes of advertising within

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6448-472: The Wellingtons and then the same scene of Gilligan and the Skipper awakening on the boat as in the pilot (though slightly differently cut to eliminate most shots of the departed actors) and continues with the characters sitting on the beach listening to a radio news report about their disappearance. No equivalent scene or background information is in the pilot, except for the description of the passengers in

6572-447: The adopted sons was played by Todd Lookinland, the younger brother of Mike Lookinland. While Kelly's Kids was not subsequently picked up as a full series, producer Sherwood Schwartz reworked the basic premise for the short-lived 1980s sitcom Together We Stand starring Elliott Gould and Dee Wallace . A 22-episode animated Saturday morning cartoon series, produced by Filmation and airing on ABC from September 1972 to August 1974,

6696-454: The album sleeves. While session musicians provided backing, the actors from the series provided their own singing voices (which was not always the case for early 1970s television crossover acts). In addition, Chris Knight & Maureen McCormick issued a duet LP in 1973, and five of the six Brady kids also released solo singles between 1970 and 1974; only Susan Olsen did not. None of the singles from The Brady Bunch, or any single or album from

6820-430: The assorted spin-off acts, ever became hits on any national music charts . The group's 1972 album Meet The Brady Bunch was their only charting release, hitting #108 on Billboard's album charts. Also includes solo singles as indicated. Several spin-offs , and sequels , and reality series to the original series have been made, featuring all or most of the original cast. These include another sitcom, an animated series,

6944-452: The boat before cast-off and Gilligan trying to give a cup of coffee to the Skipper during the storm that would ultimately maroon the vessel. After the opening theme song and credits end, the pilot proper begins with the seven castaways waking up on the beached SS Minnow . It continues with them performing various tasks, including exploring the island, trying to fix the transmitter, building huts, and finding food. Contrary to some descriptions,

7068-420: The boys' dog, Tiger. (In the pilot episode, the girls also have a pet: a cat named Fluffy who never appears in any other episodes). The setting is a large two-story house designed by Mike, located in a Los Angeles suburb. The show never addressed what happened to Carol's first husband. In the first season, awkward adjustments, accommodations, gender rivalries, and resentments inherent in blended families dominate

7192-552: The camera, expressing his frustration with Denver's clumsiness, as Oliver Hardy often did. Although most episodes do not have guest stars given the characters are on an uncharted, unknown island, a remarkable number of people manage to find their way to the episode - and to leave without helping the castaways also escape. Among the actors who guest starred were Kurt Russell , Rory Calhoun , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Hans Conreid , Don Rickles , Denny Miller , Phil Silvers , Richard Kiel , and pop group The Wellingtons (folk group) . One of

7316-705: The complete collection of episodes in its entirety. It was shown dubbed in Argentina under the name “La tribu Brady”. Paramount Home Entertainment released all five seasons on DVD in Region 1 from 2005 to 2006, before CBS Home Entertainment took over DVD rights to the Paramount Television library (though CBS DVD releases are still distributed by Paramount). Paramount/CBS has released the series on DVD in other countries as well. In April 2007, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment released

7440-413: The complete series box set , which includes the TV films A Very Brady Christmas and "The Brady 500" (an episode of The Bradys ), as well as two episodes of The Brady Kids animated series. The box art for this set features green shag carpeting and 1970s-style wood paneling. 8 years later on April 7, 2015, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment re-released the complete series box set,

7564-452: The father, Schwartz originally cast Bob Holiday , who was well known for portraying Superman in a Broadway musical , but since Holiday had little on-camera experience, network executives overrode Schwartz's decision and gave the role to TV veteran Robert Reed . As the sets were built on Paramount Television stage 5, adjacent to the stage where H.R. Pufnstuf was filmed by Sid and Marty Krofft , who later produced The Brady Bunch Hour ,

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7688-646: The films A Very Brady Christmas , The Brady Bunch Movie , A Very Brady Sequel , The Brady Bunch in the White House , and Growing Up Brady . The first two seasons are also available on Region 2 DVD for the UK, with audio in English and subtitle choices in Norwegian , Swedish , Danish , or Finnish . The series has also been released on VHS . Ratings data prior to 1972 is scarce for shows that did not place in

7812-416: The first season were filmed in black and white and were later colorized for syndication . The show's second and third seasons (62 episodes) and the three television film sequels (broadcast between 1978 and 1982) were filmed in color. Gilligan's Island received solid ratings during its original run and grew in popularity during decades of syndication, especially in the 1970s and '80s, when many markets ran

7936-647: The first sitcom, filmed as a comedy (unlike dominated "conveyor" sitcoms). Sitcoms, or "시트콤" in Korean, gained significant popularity in South Korea during the 1990s. This popularity was fueled by the success of shows like Dr. Oh's People , LA Arirang , and Men and Women . The use of computer graphics (CG) in sitcoms began to increase in the late 1990s as more broadcasters adopted CG technology. This led to more visually dynamic and creative sitcoms. However, viewer preferences shifted towards dramas and thrillers in

8060-553: The first time as a part of The Brady-est Brady Bunch TV & Movie Collection . Marcia and Jan announce that they are both getting married and plans soon begin for a double wedding. A second TV reunion film, A Very Brady Christmas , aired in December 1988 on CBS and features most of the regular cast (except Susan Olsen , who was on her honeymoon at the time of filming; the role of Cindy was played by Jennifer Runyon ), as well as three grandchildren, Peter's girlfriend, Valerie, and

8184-430: The first time since 1973, in the summer of 2018 with an asking price of $ 1.885 million. Cable network HGTV outbid seven others for it, including NSYNC 's Lance Bass . HGTV has expanded the home for its original series A Very Brady Renovation , with the goal of recreating each of the interior rooms used in the TV series (which had only existed as a Paramount Studios set) while maintaining the original exterior look from

8308-672: The first-season episode entitled "Lost Locket, Found Locket", and "Clinton Way" is clearly legible on Marcia's driver permit in the fifth-season episode "The Driver's Seat"). Although no city was ever specified, it was presumed from references to the Los Angeles Dodgers , the Los Angeles Rams , and a Hollywood film studio, among many others, that the Bradys lived in Southern California , most likely Los Angeles or one of its suburbs. The interior sets of

8432-496: The focus from domestic or workplace settings to the world of politics. A more recent development in British comedy is the mockumentary , a style that blends documentary and comedic elements. Shows like The Office , Come Fly with Me , W1A , People Just Do Nothing , and This Country have successfully employed this format to explore a variety of topics and characters. Sitcoms, or situation comedies, made their debut in

8556-664: The genre including The Simpsons , King of the Hill , and Family Guy . Critics have debated the exact definition of a sitcom, mostly regarding productions created at the turn of the 21st century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use a single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, instead more resembling documentaries or the comedy-dramas of the 1980s and 1990s. Although there have been few long-running Australian-made sitcoms, many American and British sitcoms have been successful in Australia, since sitcoms are considered

8680-460: The growing popularity of those characters, their names were inserted into the lyrics in the second season. The Gilligan theme song underwent this one major change because star Bob Denver personally asked studio executives to add Johnson and Wells to the song. When the studio at first refused, saying it would be too expensive to reshoot, Denver insisted, even going so far as to state that if Johnson and Wells were not included, he wanted his name out of

8804-471: The hapless first mate , Gilligan. In 1997, show creator Sherwood Schwartz explained that the underlying concept, people with different characters and backgrounds being in a situation where they need to learn how to get along and cooperate to survive, is still "the most important idea in the world today." The pilot episode , "Marooned," was filmed in November 1963. The pilot featured seven characters (as in

8928-493: The name La famiglia Brady ( The Brady Family ) starting on March 11, 1987. It was later bought by Fininvest, that aired it on Italia 1 from July 9, 1990 and on Canale 5 from January 5, 1991. ITV broadcast the show in a number of United Kingdom regions, including Thames , Granada , Tyne Tees , Grampian and Ulster from 1975 to 1982. Streaming The Brady Bunch is also available through video-on-demand services Hulu and Paramount+ , although neither streamer offers

9052-499: The omitted episodes would not premiere before 1997 on Comedy & Co. In Italy, under a RAI-Paramount deal, eight episodes were broadcast on Programma Nazionale (today RAI 1) from April 27 to June 15, 1973 under the name Album di famiglia . In the late-70s, it would be shown again in Italian dub on Swiss and Istrian networks. Years later, RAI bought the distribution rights again, and the show began airing on Rai 1 and later Rai 3 under

9176-542: The original cast except for Ginger and Mary Ann (both were voiced by Jane Webb ). Dawn Wells could not participate because she was in a touring production. An additional character was Gilligan's pet, Snubby the Monkey . Gilligan's Planet is an animated science-fiction version produced by Filmation and starring the voices of the Gilligan's Island cast, save for Tina Louise (Dawn Wells voiced both Mary Ann and Ginger). In

9300-401: The original child actors from the show, but Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, and Christopher Knight were replaced for the last five episodes due to a contract dispute. On November 28, 1976, a one-hour television special entitled The Brady Bunch Variety Hour aired on ABC. Eve Plumb was the only regular cast member from the original show who declined to be in the series and the role of Jan

9424-539: The original theme song in their original black-and-white format. The special features include the rare pilot episode with commentary from creator Sherwood Schwartz and three other featurettes. The Complete Second Season includes all 32 season-two episodes in color. Bonuses for this set include a season-two introduction with Russell Johnson and Sherwood Schwartz and audio commentary on the season's third episode, " The Little Dictator ". The Complete Third Season includes all 30 season-three episodes. Special features include

9548-408: The original theme song. Rather than reshooting the rest of the pilot story for broadcast, the show proceeded. The plot thus skips over the topics of the pilot; the bulk of the episode tells of Gilligan and the Skipper setting off on a raft to try to bring help but unknowingly landing back on the other side of the same island. The scene with the radio report is one of two scenes that reveal the names of

9672-494: The others from some unforeseen flaw in their plan. The only episode in which the entire cast leaves the island (albeit temporarily) is "The Friendly Physician" aired in Season 2. Most episodes of Gilligan's Island use variations of five recurring basic plots: Most of the slapstick comedic sequences between Hale and Denver were inspired by Laurel and Hardy , particularly when Hale breaks the fourth wall by looking directly into

9796-403: The pilot contained no detailed accounts of the characters' backgrounds. It concludes with the ending theme song and credits. The background music and even the laugh tracks of the pilot appear nearly identical to those used during the series. The first episode broadcast, "Two on a Raft," is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the series pilot. This episode begins with the theme song performed by

9920-405: The pilot episode was recycled into that season's Christmas episode, "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk," in which the story of the pilot episode, concerning the practical problems on landing, is related through a series of flashbacks . Footage featuring characters that had been recast was reshot using the current actors. For scenes including only Denver, Hale, Backus, and Schafer, the original footage

10044-460: The pilot were two secretaries and a high school teacher. In the pilot, the scientifically inclined Professor was instead a high school teacher played by John Gabriel . Ginger, the movie star, was still red-haired, but she worked as a secretary and was played by Kit Smythe. She was more sarcastic than the later incarnation. Mary Ann, the Kansas farm girl, was instead Bunny, Ginger's co-worker, played as

10168-604: The production crew prepared the backyard of a home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles , as the exterior location for the chaotic backyard wedding scene. Filming of the pilot began on Friday, October 4, 1968, and lasted eight days. The theme song, written by Schwartz and Frank De Vol , and originally arranged, sung, and performed by Paul Parrish, Lois Fletcher, and John Beland under the name the Peppermint Trolley Company , quickly communicated to audiences that

10292-405: The program has since become a popular syndicated staple, especially among children and teenage viewers. The Brady Bunch ' s success in syndication led to several television reunion films and spin-off series: The Brady Bunch Hour (1976–77), The Brady Girls Get Married (1981), The Brady Brides (1981), A Very Brady Christmas (1988), and The Bradys (1990). In 1995, the series

10416-463: The real-life situation of the episode and usually featured symbolism that prompted a change of heart in whichever castaway was dreaming. Of the fourteen dream episodes, all but three are Gilligan's dreams, though one of those has short dreams of each male cast member. Mr. Howell, Mrs. Howell, and Mary Ann each have an episode centering on a dream of theirs, making Mr. Howell the only cast member besides Gilligan who has more than one dream displayed. Skipper

10540-468: The reunion film left off. The film featured the entire original cast; this proved to be the only time the entire cast worked together on a single project following the cancellation of the original series (the complete surviving cast also appeared in these official projects together: Brady Bunch Home Movies from 1995, The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years from 2004, as well as various reunion programs in 2019 for

10664-475: The roles of the Professor and the two young women. Mary Ann became a simple farm girl from Winfield, Kansas . The music and lyrics for the theme song, "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle", were written by Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle . One version was used for the first season and another for the second and third seasons. In the original song, the Professor and Mary Ann, originally considered "second-billed co-stars," were referred to as "the rest." However, with

10788-437: The same island at the end of the film. It starred the original cast, except for Tina Louise, who refused to participate because of her disputes with the producers and was replaced by Judith Baldwin . The plot involved Soviet agents seeking a memory disc from a spy satellite that landed on the island and facilitated the protagonists' rescue. In a 1979 sequel, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island , they are rescued once again, and

10912-411: The series and two 1968 theatrical release films, United Artists' Yours, Mine and Ours (starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball ) and CBS 's With Six You Get Eggroll (starring Brian Keith and Doris Day ), the original script for The Brady Bunch predated the scripts for both of these films. Nonetheless, the outstanding success of Yours, Mine and Ours ( the 11th-highest-grossing film of 1968 )

11036-483: The series would be renewed for a fourth season, some of the cast had bought houses near the set. Three television film sequels were made—the first independently, the other two by MCA/ Universal Television . In the 1978 tv film , Rescue from Gilligan's Island , the castaways successfully leave the island but have difficulty reintegrating into society. During a reunion cruise on the first Christmas after their rescue, fate intervenes, and they find themselves wrecked on

11160-505: The series), but only four of the characters—and their associated actors—were carried forward into the series: Gilligan (Denver), the Skipper (Hale), and the Howells (Backus and Schafer). Because of the three significant character and casting changes between the pilot episode and the first series episode, the pilot was not shown before the series first aired on September 26, 1964. The original pilot eventually aired over 29 years later on TBS . The three characters who did not carry forward from

11284-798: The show every Sunday morning promoted as the "Brady Bunch Brunch". MeTV's sister network Catchy Comedy airs the show weekday mornings. International In West Germany , the show premiered on ZDF under the name Drei Mädchen und drei Jungen ("Three Girls and Three Boys") on August 8, 1971, with episode six "A Clubhouse Is Not a Home", and was shown on Sunday afternoons until halfway through Season 4, culminating with episode 77 "Cyrano De Brady" on October 5, 1974. Some episodes were omitted. From 1984 to 1998, reruns would sporadically occur on Sat.1 . The later reunion show, "The Brady Girls Get Married/The Brady Brides" would be broadcast on ZDF as Eine Reizende Familie ("A Lovely Family") from October 18, 1984, to January 10, 1985. The second half of Season 4, Season 5 and

11408-480: The show has been broadcast somewhere in the United States and abroad every day of the year. Episodes were also shown on ABC Daytime from July 9, 1973, to April 18, 1975, and from June 30 to August 29, 1975, at 11:30 a.m. EST/10:30 CST. The show aired on TBS starting in the 1980s until 1997, Nickelodeon (as part of the Nick at Nite block in 1995 for a special event, and again from 1998 to 2003 and briefly during

11532-532: The show has earned an estimated $ 1 billion in syndication fees alone for Televisa . Gliding On , a popular sitcom in New Zealand in the early 1980s, won multiple awards during its run including Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Direction at the Feltex Awards . The first Russian sitcom series was "Strawberry", which resembled "Duty Pharmacy" in a Spanish format. It was aired from 1996 to 1997 on

11656-470: The show in the late afternoon. The two-person crew of the charter boat SS Minnow and five passengers on a "three-hour tour" from Honolulu run into a storm and are shipwrecked on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The exact location is said to be in conflicting longitudes/latitudes in three episodes. Their efforts to be rescued are typically thwarted by the negligent conduct of

11780-472: The show's first season when the theme song is played. As the Minnow is leaving the harbor and heading out to sea, an American flag flying at half staff can be seen in the background. Bob Denver was not the first choice to play Gilligan; actor Jerry Van Dyke was offered the role, but he turned it down, believing that the show would never be successful. He chose instead to play the lead in My Mother

11904-412: The sitcom was cancelled. This was the only Brady show in sitcom form to be filmed in front of a live studio audience. Bob Eubanks guest-starred as himself in an episode where the two couples appear on The Newlywed Game . Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, The Brady Girls Get Married was rerun on various networks in its original full-length film format. In 2019, the series was released on DVD for

12028-481: The song as well. The studio caved in, and "the Professor and Mary Ann" were added. The theme song in the original pilot did not even mention the character Ginger, with the last two mentioned by name being "the Millionaire and Mrs. Millionaire" followed by "...and the other tourists". The first-season version was recorded by the folk group The Wellingtons . The second-season version, which incorporated more of

12152-469: The spouses of Greg, Marcia, and Jan (Nora, Wally, and Phillip, respectively). The Nielsen ratings for A Very Brady Christmas were the highest of any television film that season for CBS. Sitcom The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as farces and comedy of manners . These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but the term "sitcom" emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into

12276-528: The spring of 2012), Noggin (as part of The N block from March to April 2004), TV Land from 2002 to 2015, Nick Jr. Channel (as part of the NickMom block from 2012 to 2013), and Hallmark Channel from January to June 2013 and again starting September 5–30, 2016. U.S. Since its national launch in 2010, the Weigel Broadcasting –owned classic-TV network MeTV has aired a weekly block of

12400-433: The storylines. In an early episode, Carol tells Bobby that the only "steps" in their household lead to the second floor (in other words, that the Bradys are not a "stepfamily", only "a family"). Thereafter, episodes focus on typical teen and preteen concerns such as sibling rivalry , puppy love , self-image , character building, responsibility, dating , school grades and getting along in social company. Noticeably absent

12524-409: The street, and to make it fully habitable (unlike the sets made on Paramount soundstage #5). The six actors who played the TV children, and who also actively participated in the 2018/19 renovation, posed for a photo in front on November 1 the same year. In May 2023, it was announced that HGTV was selling the house for $ 5.5 million. The house was bought on September 11, 2023 by media executive Tina Trahan,

12648-489: The theme song's third verse. In season one, it was recorded by the Peppermint Trolley Company. From season two on, the theme was recorded in-house by Paramount musicians. The house built in 1959, by Harry M. Londelius Jr. , and used in exterior shots, is located in Studio City , within the city limits of Los Angeles. It originally bore little relation to the interior of the Bradys' on-screen home, but

12772-454: The top-30 programs, during the last few weeks of its third season, the series was still winning its timeslot against its main competition, The Monkees , which aired at the same time on NBC -TV. Therefore, CBS assured Sherwood Schwartz that Gilligan's Island would be picked up for a fourth year. CBS, however, had signaled its intention to cancel the long-running Western series Gunsmoke , which had been airing late on Saturday nights during

12896-452: The trademarks of Gilligan's Island was its frequent use of dream sequences. The showrunners used this device to keep the setting from becoming redundant and showcase the cast's acting talents. Many episodes that feature dream sequences are ranked among the show's most memorable episodes, as most of them parodied or drew inspiration from works of literature, film, and other television shows of the day. The dream sequences always corresponded to

13020-559: The two Filmation-produced animated sequel series, while other companies handle the three TV movie sequels. In the UK, Gilligan's Island had a very brief run on ITV in April 1965, but it was dropped after 13 episodes. It has briefly aired on MBC in the MENA region. Warner Home Video released all three seasons of Gilligan's Island on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2005. The Complete First Season features all 36 episodes unedited with

13144-616: The way south from Alaska. One boat was used for beach scenes after being towed to Kauai in Hawaii. The fourth Minnow was built on the CBS Studios set in the second season. The Minnow was named in reference to Newton Minow , chairman of the U.S. FCC , in response to Minow's landmark 1961 speech " Television and the Public Interest "; the speech lambasted television producers for producing, among other things, "formula comedies about totally unbelievable" characters and creating

13268-399: The wife of former HBO chief executive Chris Albrecht and a longtime fan of the show, for $ 3.2 million. She said she will leave the house as is and not renovate nor update it, and no one will be living in the house, and plans to use it for charity events and fundraisers. In the series, the address of the house was given as 4222 Clinton Way (as read aloud by Carol from an arriving package in

13392-453: Was a factor in ABC's decision to order episodes for the series. After receiving a commitment for 13 weeks of television shows from ABC in 1968, Schwartz hired film and television director John Rich to direct the pilot, then called "The Brady Brood", cast the six children from 264 interviews during that summer, and hired the actors to play the mother, father, and housekeeper roles. For the part of

13516-529: Was adapted into a satirical comedy theatrical film titled The Brady Bunch Movie , followed by A Very Brady Sequel in 1996. A second sequel, The Brady Bunch in the White House , aired on Fox in November 2002 as a made-for-television film . In 1997, "Getting Davy Jones " (season three, episode 12) was ranked number 37 on TV Guide ' s 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time . The show's enduring popularity has resulted in its widespread recognition as an American cultural icon . Mike Brady ( Robert Reed ),

13640-407: Was cancelled shortly after the series crossed the minimum threshold for syndication . At that point in the storyline, Greg graduated from high school and was about to enroll in college. The Brady Bunch was not an award-winning show at the time of its original broadcast in the 1970s. The series and its cast and crew were not nominated for an award until 1989, when Barry Williams was honored with

13764-927: Was criticized by several social commentators as inappropriately disrespectful to the office of the Prime Minister. The show nevertheless proved very popular with both television audiences and critics, becoming the most-watched Australian scripted comedy series of 2011. It was nominated at the 2012 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Television Comedy Series. Although there have been several notable exceptions, relatively few Canadian sitcoms attained notable success in Canada or internationally. Canadian television has had much greater success with sketch comedy and dramedy series. The popular show King of Kensington aired from 1975 to 1980, at its peak garnering an average of 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers weekly. The 1999 movie Trailer Park Boys

13888-772: Was demolished in 1997 as part of an expansion project. Four boats were used as the SS Minnow . One was used in the opening credits and rented in Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu . Another, the Bluejacket , was used in the opening credits shown during the second and third seasons and eventually turned up for sale on Vancouver Island in August 2006 after running aground on a reef in the Hecate Strait on

14012-530: Was followed up by a television series of the same name that ran from 2001 to 2018, airing in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. Corner Gas , which ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009, became an instant hit, averaging one million viewers per episode. It has been the recipient of six Gemini Awards and has been nominated almost 70 times for various awards. Other noteworthy recent sitcoms have included: Call Me Fitz , Schitt's Creek , Letterkenny , and Kim's Convenience , all of which have been winners of

14136-590: Was gutted and renovated in 2018 to match the layout of the soundstage sets. According to a 1994 article in the Los Angeles Times , the San Fernando Valley house was built in 1959 and selected as the Brady residence because series creator Schwartz felt it looked like a home where an architect would live. A false window was attached to the front's A-frame section to give the illusion that it had two full stories (the 2018/19 renovation installed

14260-495: Was hired as the central character. The character of Ginger was originally written as a hard-nosed, sharp-tongued temptress, but Louise argued that this portrayal was too harsh and refused to play her as written. A compromise was reached; Louise agreed to play Ginger as a Marilyn Monroe / Jayne Mansfield type. Her temperament reportedly made her difficult to work with, but she was always professional when it came time to shoot. Louise continued to disagree with producers over her role and

14384-495: Was initially cast as the academic character, a high school teacher. After testing, the network didn't believe the character scored well with the audience. Auditions were held for the revised role of the Professor, which included Dabney Coleman , but the part was ultimately won by Russell Johnson . Before his acting career, Johnson had served as a bombardier in 44 combat missions over the Pacific during World War II. On March 4, 1945,

14508-570: Was often listed in the show credits) was the initial composer of the incidental music for the show (from 1964 to 1965), but was replaced by Gerald Fried for the remaining seasons (1965–1967). The band Little Roger and the Goosebumps recorded "Stairway to Gilligan's Island," a parody of Led Zeppelin 's " Stairway to Heaven ," substituting the words to the Gilligan's Island theme song. In 1987, The Iceman parodied Madonna 's " La Isla Bonita " as "La Isla Gilligan". "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded

14632-501: Was played by Constance Forslund . They are thwarted by the timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters . Jim Backus , who was in poor health then, was written out of the script by saying Thurston Howell III was tending to Howell Industries back on the mainland. David Ruprecht played the role of his son, Thurston Howell IV, who was asked to manage the resort. However, Backus insisted on maintaining continuity and made

14756-504: Was recast with Geri Reischl . Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft , the sibling team behind H.R. Pufnstuf , Donny and Marie , and other variety shows and children's series of the era, the show was intended to air every fifth week in the same slot as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries , but ended up being scheduled sporadically throughout the season, leading to inconsistent ratings and its inevitable cancellation. In 2009, Brady Bunch cast member Susan Olsen, with Lisa Sutton, published

14880-592: Was reused. The last episode of the show, " Gilligan the Goddess ", aired on April 17, 1967, and ended just like the rest, with the castaways still stranded on the island. It was not known at the time that it would be the series finale, as a fourth season was expected but then canceled. The shipwrecked castaways are desperate to leave the island, and various opportunities frequently present themselves but invariably fail, nearly always due to some bumbling error committed by Gilligan. Sometimes, this results in Gilligan saving

15004-559: Was the highest rating for a first episode in the history of Australian television, until the series premiere of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities in 2009, which garnered 2.58 million viewers. In 2013, Please Like Me received an invitation to screen at the Series Mania Television Festival in Paris, was praised by critics, and earned numerous awards and nominations. Also in 2013, At Home with Julia

15128-546: Was the most-watched show on Mexican television and had a Latin-American audience of 350 million viewers per episode at its popularity peak during the mid-1970s. The show continues to be popular in Central America as well as in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, the United States, and other countries. Syndicated episodes average 91 million daily viewers in all its American markets. Since it ceased production in 1992,

15252-479: Was the only cast member who refused to appear in any of the three post-series TV movies. After many years of distancing herself from the show, she appeared in a reunion of the cast on two television talk shows in 1982 and 1988 and on an episode of Roseanne in 1995 when the Roseanne cast re-enacted Gilligan's Island . In the pilot episode, the character of Ginger was played by actress Kit Smythe. John Gabriel

15376-466: Was unsure what was more difficult, remembering the Professor's technically oriented lines or looking up what they meant. Dawn Wells was a former Miss Nevada when she auditioned for the Mary Ann role. Her competition included Raquel Welch and Pat Priest . The pilot episode featured a different character ("Bunny") played by actress Nancy McCarthy . After it was shot, the network decided to recast

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