In 1976, two years after the Brady Bunch TV series was canceled, Sid and Marty Krofft decided to produce a variety show starring the cast of the series. It all started off as a TV special called "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour", which was a huge ratings success, leading to a regular series simply titled "The Brady Bunch Hour". With the exception of Eve Plumb (who was smart to sit this one out), the entire cast reprised their respective roles from the TV series itself. Ann B. Davis, who played Alice, their housekeeper, occassionally appeared while Geri Reschl substituted for Eve Plumb as Jan.
Unike most shows on TV, this show was sporadicaplly shown on the ABC network, with a promo shown on when the show wasn't going to be on with Reed and Henderson saying "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour won't be seen this week, but we will be back again soon."
Even if this poor excuse for a TV series, or variety show, was shown weekly, it still would've been a disaster. This variety show should have had "Avoid at all costs" written all over it. It really was and still is that bad. It doesn't even survive on a "So Bad! It's Good!" kind of level. This series was not only idiotic and dumb, it was insultingly idiotic and dumb. Granted, the Krofftettes were pretty and were awesome dancers, which was the only really good thing about this show. but the rest of the show was simply terrible and basically jaw dropping in the worst sense. It would make anyone wonder why did the Krofft's, who produced many other wonderfully memorable shows, such as H.R. Pufnstuff, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, The Krofft Super Show, The Banana Splits (co-produced with Hanna-Barbera), The Lost Saucer, Lidsville, The Bugaloos, Donny & Marie (their 1976 variety show) and later shows, such as Pryor's Place and D.C. Follies, would even think of creating and producing such a stinker TV show such as this one. What were they thinking? They definitely made a wrong number on this particular show. This is definitely bottom of the barrel stuff in the worst way.
Even the comedy skits were unfunny, in spite of the studio audience audience laughing (makes you wonder if they used a laugh track machine when the audience wasn't really laughing at all). Though it was improvisational, the Brady cast was terrible at this sort of thing. Rip Taylor, though, was the only funny thing when it came to this sort of thing, as he was a genius at improvisational comedy compared to the Brady cast. The only really funny skit that this show had was when Greg and Marsha were talking about how their parents were once young and hung out at the local roller rink, with Donny & Marie making a guest appearance in the skit. IMHO, even Donny & Marie's variety show at the time was actually funnier and smarter than this pathetic excuse for a TV series, or variety show. As a TV special, which was a ratings winner and led to this being a regular series, it was funny, warm and entertaining, but eight more episodes made after that success was just too much. It only lasted three months, from January to March 1977. Thank goodness for small favors. IMHO, even The Brady Kids cartoon show was even better than this show.
Sherwood Schwartz, who created the original Brady Bunch series, wasn't involved in the production of this series. He only gave it the green light to be produced. Not only that, the original Brady Bunch series was actually canceled in part because of the musical act. Schwartz heard through the grapevine that the kid cast wanted half of the episodes in the sixth season, which ABC did request, to be musically oriented and themed. Schwartz pulled the plug on the series after that, though it was still a ratings success, and it was a smart thing that he did, IMHO. The Brady kid cast weren't really the best singers, IMHO. Granted. Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, her replacement Geri Reschl, and even Florence Henderson, had really good singing voices, IMHO, but the rest weren't so good. Chris Knight was okay, but not great. Knight actually resigned from the original TV series after this and since then, the original Brady Bunch series has been rerun consistently since then. Even the original Brady Bunch series was better than this and also, the two spoof movies made in the 1990's are even better than this. Though I did watch the variety hour when I was a kid, I didn't know better at the time, but later on, when revisiting this thanks to video sites, such as YouTube, I came to see how really bad, idiotic and dumb this show really was. Live and learn.
The only episodes released on home media, VHS and DVD, were the TV special and the fourth episode by Rhino.
Overall, a really crummy, stinky and really terrible series and again, one of THE worst spin-off''s ever created. Again, it doesn't even survive on a "So Bad! It's Good" level.
Unike most shows on TV, this show was sporadicaplly shown on the ABC network, with a promo shown on when the show wasn't going to be on with Reed and Henderson saying "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour won't be seen this week, but we will be back again soon."
Even if this poor excuse for a TV series, or variety show, was shown weekly, it still would've been a disaster. This variety show should have had "Avoid at all costs" written all over it. It really was and still is that bad. It doesn't even survive on a "So Bad! It's Good!" kind of level. This series was not only idiotic and dumb, it was insultingly idiotic and dumb. Granted, the Krofftettes were pretty and were awesome dancers, which was the only really good thing about this show. but the rest of the show was simply terrible and basically jaw dropping in the worst sense. It would make anyone wonder why did the Krofft's, who produced many other wonderfully memorable shows, such as H.R. Pufnstuff, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, The Krofft Super Show, The Banana Splits (co-produced with Hanna-Barbera), The Lost Saucer, Lidsville, The Bugaloos, Donny & Marie (their 1976 variety show) and later shows, such as Pryor's Place and D.C. Follies, would even think of creating and producing such a stinker TV show such as this one. What were they thinking? They definitely made a wrong number on this particular show. This is definitely bottom of the barrel stuff in the worst way.
Even the comedy skits were unfunny, in spite of the studio audience audience laughing (makes you wonder if they used a laugh track machine when the audience wasn't really laughing at all). Though it was improvisational, the Brady cast was terrible at this sort of thing. Rip Taylor, though, was the only funny thing when it came to this sort of thing, as he was a genius at improvisational comedy compared to the Brady cast. The only really funny skit that this show had was when Greg and Marsha were talking about how their parents were once young and hung out at the local roller rink, with Donny & Marie making a guest appearance in the skit. IMHO, even Donny & Marie's variety show at the time was actually funnier and smarter than this pathetic excuse for a TV series, or variety show. As a TV special, which was a ratings winner and led to this being a regular series, it was funny, warm and entertaining, but eight more episodes made after that success was just too much. It only lasted three months, from January to March 1977. Thank goodness for small favors. IMHO, even The Brady Kids cartoon show was even better than this show.
Sherwood Schwartz, who created the original Brady Bunch series, wasn't involved in the production of this series. He only gave it the green light to be produced. Not only that, the original Brady Bunch series was actually canceled in part because of the musical act. Schwartz heard through the grapevine that the kid cast wanted half of the episodes in the sixth season, which ABC did request, to be musically oriented and themed. Schwartz pulled the plug on the series after that, though it was still a ratings success, and it was a smart thing that he did, IMHO. The Brady kid cast weren't really the best singers, IMHO. Granted. Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb, her replacement Geri Reschl, and even Florence Henderson, had really good singing voices, IMHO, but the rest weren't so good. Chris Knight was okay, but not great. Knight actually resigned from the original TV series after this and since then, the original Brady Bunch series has been rerun consistently since then. Even the original Brady Bunch series was better than this and also, the two spoof movies made in the 1990's are even better than this. Though I did watch the variety hour when I was a kid, I didn't know better at the time, but later on, when revisiting this thanks to video sites, such as YouTube, I came to see how really bad, idiotic and dumb this show really was. Live and learn.
The only episodes released on home media, VHS and DVD, were the TV special and the fourth episode by Rhino.
Overall, a really crummy, stinky and really terrible series and again, one of THE worst spin-off''s ever created. Again, it doesn't even survive on a "So Bad! It's Good" level.