Every ‘Brady Bunch’ Spin-Off, From Cartoons to Soap Dramas—Barry Williams and more Share the Backstory

In the grand tradition of television dynasties, few families have endured with quite the same strange charm and unexpected longevity as The Brady Bunch. Premiering in 1969 to modest ratings and middling critical reception, the series didn’t truly bloom until syndication transformed it into a cultural touchstone—a time capsule of late-’60s wholesomeness, bell-bottoms and perm-perfect optimism.

“Frankly, the show at the time it was produced was already the past,” Christopher Knight, who plays Peter Brady, tells Woman’s World. “That type of family, that type of unity, while still in existence, it was quite a bit different during the late ’60s. If things are bad now, it was worse then politically and socially. You wouldn’t know it from The Brady Bunch, and the household that we were depicting really was a throwback to the late ’50s, early ’60s. That has to be part of its ongoing appeal.”

And that appeal allowed The Brady Bunch, like other iconic TV properties—All in the Family, Happy Days, Star Trek—to become much more than just a show; it became a franchise.

While All in the Family gave rise to serious comedic fare like Maude, The Jeffersons and Good Times, and Happy Days created a universe of teen-centric spin-offs including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, The Brady Bunch took a very different path. Its spin-offs were less about expanding themes or launching edgy commentary, and more about embracing (or sometimes clumsily updating) the comforting, slightly surreal tone of the original.

Over the decades, the Bradys would be animated (The Brady Kids), turned into a musical variety act (The Brady Bunch Hour), aged into soap opera territory (The Bradys) and even recruited by HGTV for a full-blown home renovation reality series (A Very Brady Renovation). Along the way, there were holiday specials, TV movies, weddings, recastings and more than one attempt to revive the brand with a wink and a smile—some more successful than others.

Unlike the gritty realism of Norman Lear’s spin-offs or the sleek, science-fiction optimism of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek, the Bradyverse—as you’ll see in the behind-the-scenes guide that follows—endures on pure nostalgia, kitsch and a peculiar kind of cultural resilience. And even when spin-offs misfired (and many did), they were rarely boring. What other family can claim a variety show with synchronized swimming and a failed drama where Marcia battles alcoholism?

1. “The Peter Sterne Amateur Hour” (The Brady Bunch, 1973)

Number of episodes: 1 (Season 4, Episode 16 – “Amateur Night” on The Brady Bunch)
Premise: Not a spin-off, but definitely a launchpad. In this toe-tapping episode, the Brady kids form a pop group to win a talent show—and end up kickstarting a real-world music career. Their rendition of “It’s a Sunshine Day” helped spawn albums, concerts, and set the stage (literally) for their next big TV gig.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Christopher Knight (actor, Peter Brady): “I hated that part of it—I had no talent or interest in singing. I just got swept up in it. When the show ended, I saw it as a chance to leave that behind. The group wanted to continue performing, but I didn’t. It felt substandard to me. I was disconnected. I loved acting, but not being onstage pretending to sing. The attention didn’t feel earned. I’d think, I’m supposed to be professional—who are we kidding? It didn’t feed me creatively. So I said, ‘I’m quitting the group and going back to high school.’ And with the show ending, I didn’t have to be a Brady anymore.”

2. The Brady Kids (1972–1973)

Number of episodes: 22
Premise: In true ’70s fashion, The Brady Bunch went animated—because nothing says Saturday morning like groovy tunes, a wizard bird named Marlon, panda cubs and superhero cameos. The Brady Kids sent the gang on wild, logic-defying adventures that made little sense but somehow fit perfectly in an era where even Greg Brady could cross paths with Wonder Woman.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Erika Woehlk (author, Bradypedia—The Complete Reference Guide to Television’s The Brady Bunch): “The Brady Kids featured the first animated TV appearance of Wonder Woman, and behind the scenes, things got messy. Three of the original Brady actors dropped out in Season 2 following a dispute over pay. Filmation needed 22 episodes to hit syndication, but the kids—encouraged by their manager—demanded more money. Filmation refused. Eve, Mike and Susan stayed, thanks mostly to their parents’ encouragement, but Barry, Maureen and Chris quit. Filmation replaced them with other voice actors—two of them the producer’s own kids—for the final five episodes. After episode 22, the show was canceled.”

Barry Williams (actor, Greg Brady): “That was goofy. Looked a lot like The Archies, didn’t it? Same company, same wardrobe, same figures—with our heads stuck on them.”

Erika Woehlk: “Barry, Maureen, and Chris officially canceled their Filmation contracts in July 1973. For Season 1, they were paid $138 per episode, plus a $127.65 bonus—not much for voice actors even then. In October, Barry and Chris sued Filmation for using their likenesses without permission. The characters looked just like their live-action counterparts, so they claimed the studio was profiting off their images without proper compensation. The case was eventually settled in their favor—five years later.”

Christopher Knight: “I still don’t get the logic behind it. Cartoons like that are made by very creative people, but we had no role in creating it. I guess they were going for a Scooby-Doo vibe, so they added characters like Marlon the bird and the pandas. It was odd. Later, when I saw shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I realized some creators just know how to throw in random elements to hook kids. We might’ve lasted longer, but the deal fell apart. By then, I was aware of how success leads to pressure to do more—like the music stuff. I told them I couldn’t sing. My mom even said, ‘They said you could spit on a record and people would buy it.’ That really offended me. I’ve always believed in respecting the audience. That’s not where I wanted to invest my energy.”

3. Kelly’s Kids (1974)

Number of episodes: 1 (Season 5, Episode 13 of The Brady Bunch)
Premise: This backdoor pilot saw Brady neighbors Ken and Kathy Kelly adopt three boys—one Black, one Asian, one white—in a well-meaning attempt at an Afterschool Special-meets-Eight Is Enough series. It didn’t take off, but fun fact: one of the kids was played by Todd Lookinland, brother of Brady regular Mike Lookinland.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Erika Woehlk: “No network picked up the series at the time. But over a decade later, Sherwood Schwartz reworked the concept and sold it as Together We Stand, a half-hour sitcom starring Elliott Gould and Dee Wallace. One of the kids was played by Jonathan Ke Quan—better known as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies. The show ran for 19 episodes before they killed off Gould’s character in a car accident, leaving the mom to raise the kids alone. Not exactly comedy gold, that.”

4. The Brady Bunch Hour (1976–1977)

Number of episodes: 9
Premise: What if the Bradys ditched architecture and moved to SoCal to star in a variety show—with musical numbers, sketch comedy and synchronized swimming? That fever dream became The Brady Bunch Hour. Eve Plumb bowed out, so Geri “Fake Jan” Reischl stepped in. Born from a hit Donny & Marie reunion sketch, it ran for nine glitter-soaked episodes before quietly exiting stage left.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Ted Nichelson (author, Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour): “The idea came from a Donny & Marie episode that featured the Brady cast and scored high ratings. ABC quickly approached Sid and Marty Krofft to create a Brady variety special. It came together fast—filming started just before Thanksgiving 1976. The first episode was elaborate: big sets, a swimming tank, the works. Barry Williams was proud of the show—they worked hard, even if it seems cheesy now. Maureen McCormick saw it as a chance to launch a singing career. She believed in the Kroffts, who were at the top of the variety game.”

THE BRADY BUNCH HOUR, Christopher Knight, Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Florence Henderson, Robert Reed, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, Geri Reischl, 1977

“Chris Knight was floundering at UCLA and used the show as an excuse to step away. But music wasn’t his thing—he didn’t enjoy it. Eve Plumb’s father, a music producer, didn’t trust the Kroffts and didn’t want Eve involved. She also had a big TV movie sequel lined up and the timing and money weren’t right. Mike Lookinland wasn’t interested until his mom told him to ask for double the money—ABC agreed, and everyone got a raise. Susan Olsen liked comedy and hoped for fun sketches, but dreaded singing. Robert Reed actually wanted to do it. He was between projects, thought it’d be fun and liked working with Florence and the kids. Geri Reischl, who replaced Eve, was a trained singer and dancer. She and Florence Henderson carried the vocals, with Barry and Maureen rounding out the sound. Geri was key to making the musical numbers work.”

Lloyd J. Schwartz (producer, various Brady Bunch spin-offs): “Neither my father nor I were involved. Paramount owned the concept. We were fine with the Donny & Marie appearance, but not the spin-off. I watched half an episode—it was ridiculous. I mean, nobody knows singing and dancing like Robert Reed, right?”

Christopher Knight: “That show marked my return to the industry after UCLA. I was dealing with personal struggles and didn’t know how to ask for help. Music was never my thing, but they kept bringing me back to it. I negotiated to only do limited singing—just the sketch intros and closings—but that fell apart. I ended up doing painful bits with Rip Taylor and Florence. I’ve always felt music doesn’t speak to me. That song, ‘You’ve Got the Music in You’? I’m the guy on the other end of that spectrum.”

Barry Williams: “We had amazing guest stars—Tina Turner, Milton Berle, Vincent Price, Charo, Paul Williams, even Lee Majors and Tony Randall. I left Pippin on Broadway to do it. I figured I could perform for 600 people a night or 35 million a week. So I did the show.”

5. The Brady Girls Get Married (1981)

Number of episodes: 1 (TV Movie)
Premise: Big hair, pastel suits and a double wedding? Must be the ’80s. Marcia and Jan both get engaged—naturally deciding to share a ceremony—and the whole gang reunites for a syrupy, sentimental celebration. Eve Plumb returns, Alice is still Alice, and the ratings were strong enough to lead directly into The Brady Brides.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Erika Woehlk: “The entire cast reunited for what began as a TV movie about a double wedding for Marcia and Jan. It’s 1981, a few years after the failed variety hour experiment. This is the first time we see the Brady family in their typical setting—in other words, not animated, singing, or dancing. The kids are grown and some have careers, which makes it interesting to see what the writers chose for them. Marcia is a fashion designer. We’re not told what Jan’s profession is here (in The Brady Brides, we later learn she’s an architect, following in Mike’s footsteps). Cindy is a freshman in college, and Bobby is a sophomore. Peter has joined the Air Force, and Greg is in an obstetrics residency, having just finished medical school.”

“The biggest revelation, I think, is that Carol Brady now has a job! All the kids have left the nest, and Alice is no longer living with the Bradys either—she married Sam the butcher! That leaves Mike and Carol alone in a large home. The Brady Girls also introduces viewers to an expanding Brady family. For the first time, we meet spouses. The whole premise of this TV movie, after all, is to get Marcia and Jan married—and so they do. Marcia marries Wally Logan, a humorous guy who works for a toy company. Jan marries Phillip Covington III, a straight-laced college professor. All of this serves as a prelude to the next spin-off, the half-hour comedy The Brady Brides.”

Christopher Knight: “I don’t really have much of an opinion on it. I wasn’t very involved. It was a more adult version of the Bradys, and I didn’t form much of a connection to it because I wasn’t a big part of it. I wasn’t quite ready yet to embrace being a Brady. I was actually working on the soap opera Another World at the time, and had to take a week off to go to L.A. and film my small role.”

“I remember thinking, ‘Okay, this Brady thing doesn’t seem to be dying,’ which led me to believe that maybe it never would. Eventually, while I was in Australia, I came to realize that there’s warmth and strength in having been a Brady, and maybe it wasn’t something to run away from. These subsequent reiterations kept it alive—every seven years or so, someone would ask us to come back. That’s when I realized it probably wasn’t going away.”

Barry Williams: “I wasn’t involved in the Brady Brides series, so that would be my least favorite of all the reunions.”

Ted Nichelson: “When The Brady Girls Get Married was written, Bob [Reed] was starring in Deathtrap on Broadway in November or December of 1980 and he wasn’t cast in the film. He called Sherwood Schwartz and was, like, ‘What do you mean I’m not in this? The only person that’s going to give away my girls is me.’ And Bob actually bought himself out of Deathtrap and paid his own way to Los Angeles to shoot his part in that TV movie. He had to be in that movie. Sherwood was happy to have the original actor, but they were all set to replace him with someone else.”

6. The Brady Brides (1981)

Episodes: 7
Premise: Newlyweds Marcia and Jan share a house—and sitcom chaos—with their mismatched husbands: laid-back Wally and uptight Phillip. Think The Odd Couple, but with more pastels and Brady cameos. Despite returning favorites and even a Newlywed Game tie-in, the magic didn’t quite translate, and the show wrapped shortly after it began.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Lloyd J. Schwartz: “There’s a perception on some people’s parts that The Brady Brides was a failure, but that wasn’t the case. It was actually winning its time slot. It followed Harper Valley P.T.A., which I also created. They aired back-to-back and were the only things doing well on NBC at the time. But what happened was new management came in and it certainly wasn’t [network executive] Grant Tinker’s kind of show, so that was the end of it.”

7. A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

Number of episodes: 1 (TV Movie)
Premise: The Bradys reunite for the holidays—complete with matching outfits, grown-up problems, and a recast Cindy (Susan Olsen sat this one out, honeymooning; enter Jennifer Runyon). Between job woes, marital strain and Mike nearly getting buried alive (yes, really), it was a surprisingly dramatic stocking stuffer. Viewers loved it—so naturally, a series followed.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Erika Woehlk: “What I liked about it was how much the family had grown—just like in real life. Greg is now married to Nora, and they have a son, Kevin. Marcia and Jan are still with Wally and Phillip. Marcia and Wally have two kids, Jessica and Mickey. Peter gets engaged to Valerie during the movie. Bobby and Cindy are still single.”

“It’s a good holiday special where the entire family comes back to the remodeled Brady residence for Christmas. The house itself feels like a character, but it’s jarring to see the late-’80s renovations—glass brick windows where the stained glass used to be, a white kitchen, new furniture. Still, the bones of the place were there, and in that sense, it still felt like home. Aside from the super-cheesy ending, the one thing I really didn’t like was what they did to poor Alice. She gets a note—written on butcher paper, no less—from her husband Sam saying he’s leaving her for a much younger woman. It was just so cold. Even for a fictional character, that was harsh. Meat locker cold, Sam.”

Christopher Knight: “At that point, I was working as an actor, and it was fun to recreate a life for Peter—something more adult. But I don’t think that’s necessarily what the audience wanted. People remember The Brady Bunch in a certain way, and here we were as grown-ups, with maybe not enough script horsepower to make the drama work. It tried to go deep, and maybe that was a bit of an overreach. Still, it was fun to do and I realized I always have a great time with this group. In the end, that’s what really matters.”

8. The Bradys (1990)

Number of episodes: 6
Premise: The Bradys went full soap opera in this drama-heavy sequel: Bobby’s paralyzed, Marcia’s drinking, Jan can’t have kids and Mike runs for office. With no laugh track and a lot of life crises, this Friday-night experiment swapped sunshine for sentiment. The whole original cast returned (including Susan Olsen), but viewers weren’t sold. Six episodes later, the Brady bunch bowed out—for real this time.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Lloyd J. Schwartz: “What we wanted to do wasn’t what they did. We envisioned just one or two TV movies a year—little check-ins with the Brady family. But CBS insisted a series was where the money was, and you can’t fight that. So it became The Bradys, which I’m not unhappy with. I just think they put it on at the wrong time. It didn’t have young kids and it wasn’t conceived for the time slot they gave it. The dramatic approach itself was sound. These were kids who had grown up, and now had adult problems. There wasn’t really another way to do that on a continuing basis.”

Erika Woehlk: “Ah, where to begin? This was a one-hour drama that lasted a mere six episodes in 1990. It was poorly conceived. Nobody wants to see the Bradys in such an un-Brady-like way. Let me give you a few examples: Marcia’s now a struggling alcoholic and her husband is chronically unemployed. Peter’s a serial philanderer who’s been engaged four times. Jan and Phillip have marriage issues they try to solve by adopting a child. Bobby is paralyzed in a race car accident. Yes, folks—that happened.”

“Why? Because CBS bought the Brady franchise. And after the huge success of A Very Brady Christmas, they saw potential. It could have been a solid milk cow for the network. Instead, they decided to rejigger it into something new and ‘fresh.’ Well, hindsight is 20/20. The lesson? Don’t tamper with the feel-good, undramatic, apolitical formula that is the Bradys. They changed everything. Mike Brady runs for City Council. The Brady house moves from 4222 Clinton Way to a new, undisclosed location. It’s not just the family that’s different—the whole world feels off. It’s no surprise it only lasted six episodes. And had it gone longer? Mike would’ve died in a helicopter crash. Carol would have grieved by running off to a ski lodge. Jan gets pregnant. Cindy’s Jewish boyfriend Gary proposes, only to be confronted by her great-aunt Bridget, who turns out to be an anti-Semite. All I can say is, thank goodness it ended when it did. We never had to see Carol sing at Mike’s funeral.”

Barry Williams: “It was…anachronistic. When you think of the Bradys, you want fun and silly—not drama. That was a misstep. In one episode, Maureen went from being lovely Marcia to alcoholic Marcia to recovered Marcia. In one episode. Overkill feels like the right word.”

9. A Very Brady Renovation (2019)

Number of episodes: 4 (+ specials)
Premise: HGTV bought the real Brady house and turned it into the set we all remember—orange Formica, floating staircase and all. Even better? Every Brady kid joined the remodel, teaming up with HGTV stars for a nostalgia-packed renovation. Part DIY fantasy, part fan tribute, it was a surprise hit and the ultimate retro reboot.
Behind-the-scenes insights:

Christopher Knight: “I think it’s a kick in the pants—and quite a stroke of luck—to be honored in this way, because that’s ultimately what it was. They gave us a 50th anniversary celebration, a kind of send-off, by transforming this house to match what people always believed it looked like inside. It’s a hoot that this even came our way, and the fact that they made deals with everyone is wonderful.”

“It was the first time in 35 years that we all worked together. That’s significant and gratifying. It adds to the idea of legacy, especially since this house now represents the 50th anniversary of The Brady Bunch. It’s a kind of final recognition—that this Brady thing needs to physically remain because it’s such a powerful reminder of a time when it felt like everybody got along. So let’s make that house into something permanent—something that doesn’t go away. The reality is, after 50 years, they wanted to make the house real. That’s powerful to me. I didn’t even know where the house was before this project—I’d never worked there. And apparently, it’s the second most-photographed house in America, though I’m not sure who keeps track of these things.”

10. The Lost Spin-off

Before Florence Henderson passed away in 2016, there were serious discussions about yet another Brady Bunch sitcom—a bold new take that would have reimagined Carol Brady’s life in a much different light.

Behind-the-scenes insights:

Lloyd J. Schwartz: “We had talked to CBS about it, and I think we were going to go through Adam Sandler’s company. I had read in the paper—or maybe online—that Florence was dating men in their 50s while she was in her 80s. So I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be interesting?’ In the show we were developing, Mike Brady had passed away, and Carol ends up marrying one of Greg’s friends. I called her and said, ‘I’m going to take a page out of your life here.’ She was entirely in favor of it.”

Kimberly Potts (author, The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch): “Florence was actually very excited about the idea. It was something she seriously considered. I think she would’ve been great in that role. She looked amazing, was beautiful and she had the presence to really pull it off. Sure, it might have been shocking or even a little weird for longtime fans who were used to seeing her with Mike, but it also would’ve been a lot of fun. It definitely would’ve gotten people talking.”

Lloyd J. Schwartz: “It would have been a cougar situation, but with the added complexity of marrying her son’s best friend—which could have been dynamite. As we saw on The Brady Brides and in her stage work, Florence was just so good in front of an audience. A three-camera show would’ve been fantastic for her. On Brady Brides, she lit up and absolutely fed off the crowd’s energy. It was really wonderful to see.”