Book ~ "The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch: How the Canceled Sitcom Became the Beloved Pop Culture Icon We Are Still Talking About Today" (2019) Kimberly Potts

From Goodreads ~ There isn't a person in this country who hasn't heard of "The Brady Bunch". Whether it's the show they watched growing up or the one their parents did - whether adored, or great to poke fun at - "The Brady Bunch" is unarguably one of the most enduring and inspiring TV shows of our time. It's lived a dozen lives, from its original comedy debut and big-screen movies, to the Emmy-winning TV auteurs it has inspired - everyone from Vince Gilligan to Jill Soloway - and promises to live many more. 

In "The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch", TV and pop culture writer Kimberly Potts will draw upon her deep knowledge of and appreciation for The Brady Bunch and television and pop culture history, as well as her contacts, connections and experience, to provide an industry insider narrative of The Brady Bunch. 

With fresh interviews, "The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch" will examine the show's lasting effects on its audience and take readers behind-the-scenes and into the lives of our most beloved characters, all to document why "The Brady Bunch" was one of the most groundbreaking shows of its time - and why it remains to this day, unforgettable. 

Hard to believe but The Brady Bunch recently their 50th anniversary! 

I was seven to eleven years old when the original The Brady Bunch aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, and I can't remember watching it.  Maybe we didn't get it on our local stations (there was no cable back then) or maybe my parents didn't like it so we didn't know about it.  I do remember watching The Partridge Family when it was originally on, though (it originally aired from September 25, 1970, until March 23, 1974). 

But I have since watched The Brady Bunch and I can't say I'm a fan.  I didn't think the acting was all that great and the stories were dumb.  But I'm looking at it from an adult's perspective and that's not how Sherwood Schwartz, the creator and producer, envisioned it ... he wanted it to be from the children's perspective.

But I like reading and learning about the behind-the-scenes scoops of different shows that I've watched and their stars.  The book starts with letting us know who Sherwood Schwartz was.  We learn how the actors were chosen for their parts, how the theme song came about, being on the show, why Robert Reed was so cranky, The Brady Bunch vs The Partridge Family "rival", the sequels, the effect of The Brady Bunch on today's culture (TV, music, plays/musicals, etc.) and more.  There are colour pictures in the end.

It was an interesting book to read.  I kind of skimmed over the chapters that detailed some of the shows that have included bits and parodies because I've never seen some of those shows or plays/musicals.