The Brady Brides / The Bradys (Brady Bunch Spinoffs)

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Welcome to TV and the Basement,
the podcast that takes you on a journey

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down memory lane to revisit the shows
we used to watch and love. I'm

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your host Journey Joe Mitchell, and
we're dusting off the VHS tapes and flipping

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the channels back to the classic series
that had us glued to our screens.

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Today, I'm back in the Basement
with Mitten's the Cat and we're watching some

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more of the bizarre spinoffs of The
Brady Bunch. First up, it's The

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Brady Brides, created by Sherwood Schwartz, the mastermind behind The Brady Bunch.

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The Brady Brides aired for ten episodes
in nineteen eighty one. The series follows

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the lives of Marcia Maureen McCormick and
jan Brady Eve Plum as they embark on

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their newlywed adventures. The chemistry between
McCormick and Plum brought their characters to life

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and created a dynamic that resonated with
audiences. Joining the Brady sisters were their

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respective husbands, Wally Logan and Philip
Covington. IID Jerry Hawser portrayed Wally Logan,

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Marsha's husband, who was a fashion
photographer Ron Coolman played the role of

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Philip Covington, Jan's husband, a
college professor. Filming for The Brady Brides

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took place in Los Angeles, California, at the CBS Studio Center. The

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iconic Brady House was recreated for the
spinoff series, allowing fans to once again

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step into the familiar surroundings of the
Brady family. The set designers meticulously recreated

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the iconic interior, from the open
staircase to the orange and green kitchen,

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ensuring that the show maintained its nostalgic
appeal. The production of The Brady Brides

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faced several challenges, including working around
the schedules of the original cast members.

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Maureen McCormick and Eve Plum had both
moved on to other projects since the end

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of The Brady Bunch, and coordinating
their availability required careful planning. Despite these

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obstacles, the production team managed to
create a seamless continuation of the Brady family

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story, bringing the characters back to
life for a new generation of viewers.

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Upon its release, The Brady Brides
received a warm reception from fans of the

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original series. Audiences were eager to
see the beloved Brady sisters embark on their

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newly wet adventures, and the show
delivered with its signature blend of humor,

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heart, and nostalgia. The chemistry
between the cast members shown through, making

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it easy for viewers to become emotionally
invested in the character's journeys. The series

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began as a TV reunion movie called
The Brady Girls Get Married. NBC then

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decided to cut it up into half
hours, which became the first three episodes

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of The Brady Brides. The reunion
movie featured the entire original cast. This

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would prove to be the only time
the entire cast worked together on a single

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project. Following the cancelation of the
original series. As we rejoined The Brady's,

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the stuff about the Treehouse and the
Variety Show are wiped away like they

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never happened. Even replacement Jan is
gone, replaced herself by real Jan.

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Mike is still an architect, Carol
is a real estate agent, Marcia is

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a fashion designer. Jan is also
an architect. Greg is a doctor,

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Peter is in the Air Force,
Bobby and Cindy are in college, and

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Alice has married Sam. Eventually,
they all reunite for Marcia and Jan's double

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wedding As the movie evolved into the
weekly series. The show featured guest appearances

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from several original cast members, including
Florence Henderson as Carol Brady and Anne B.

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Davis as Alice Nelson. Another interesting
tidbit is that the famous opening theme

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song of The Brady Bunch was reimagined
for The Brady Brides. The catchy tune

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was updated to reflect the new chapter
in the Brady sisters' lives, providing a

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sense of continuity while still adding a
fresh twist. The Brady Brides only aired

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for ten episodes, with plots including
Wally pretends to be Philip to an FBI

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agent and the finale in which Wally
and Philip model Marsha's dresses for a fashion

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show. In nineteen ninety eight,
We'd meet the Brady's again for a very

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Brady Christmas. This time we'd have
a replacement Cindy, as Susan Olsen was

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off on her honeymoon when they filmed. Cindy is played by Jennifer Runyon.

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Also missing from the original cast was
Alan Melvin, who was the original Sam

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the Butcher. As veteran actor Lewis
Rquette assumed the role for the film,

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Greg is now married to Nora Brady, whereas Peter is engaged to Valerie Paxton.

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Unlike previous incarnations of the Brady Bunch, there is more drama this time

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around. Greg's wife, Nora is
spending Christmas with her family. Peter is

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sexually involved with his boss Valerie,
and his inferior position and salary is affecting

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his self confidence. Bobby has dropped
out of college to become a race car

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driver, but has not revealed this
to his parents. Marsha's husband Wally,

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was fired from his job at a
toy company. Jan is separating from her

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husband Philip, and Cindy is fighting
for her independence since she is the youngest

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and still gets treated like the baby
of the family. Cindy is currently a

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college undergraduate and in an issue similar
to Bobby's, Cindy lies to her parents

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about overwhelming college student issues, when
in actuality she plans to go skiing in

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Aspen with her roommates. Even their
former housekeeper, Alice, is dealing with

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a serious issue. Her husband Sam
has recently left her for another woman.

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In the end, it all works
out and Alice even takes Sam back.

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The success of a very Brady Christmas
led to a weekly series called The Brady's.

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This Time Original Cindy is back,
but now we have replacement Marsha.

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Maureen McCormick had a daughter and turned
down the deal after learning that she would

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then be committing to a whole series
than a movie. She was replaced with

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actress Leah Ayres as fake Marsha.
This time there's a lot more drama.

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Mike begins a political career. Bobby's
budding car racing career ends abruptly in the

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first episode after an accident leaves him
a paraplegic. As he recovers, he

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marries his college girlfriend, Tracy,
played by MTV VJ Martha Quinn. Peter

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breaks up with his fiancee from a
Very Brady Christmas and begins dating the daughter

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of Mike's political rival. Jan and
Philip, unable to conceive children of their

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own, adopt a Korean girl named
Patty. Stay at home mother Marsha battles

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alcoholism while Wally loses yet another in
a series of jobs, the latest being

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as Mike's campaign manager. Wally and
Marsha, who along with their two children,

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have been forced to move in with
Mike and Carol eventually decide to open

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their own catering business to support their
family. Radio host Cindy begins a romantic

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interest with her boss, a widower
more than ten years her senior who has

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two children. The series lasted only
six episodes. That would be it for

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the original Brady cast on TV,
but I hope you enjoyed this look back

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at the story of a man named
Brady. Until next time, I'm Journey

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Joe Mitchell and I'll be watching TV
in the basement.