While celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Brady Bunch, Marcia actress Maureen McCormick revealed that the cast and crew had a “genuine love” for each other. It’s one of the many reasons she thinks the show resonates with fans. To this day, McCormick thinks everyone’s love for each other is transparent on the sitcom.
The classic television show debuted back in 1969. McCormick played the eldest sister on the sitcom for all five seasons the show was filmed until it went off the air in 1974. Interestingly enough, The Brady Bunch wasn’t the massive success fans may think it was at the time of its release. In fact, the sitcom didn’t become a critical success until it was in syndication.
Yet the show eventually became a staple of classic TV viewing the longer re-runs aired. Generation after generation grew up watching Maureen McCormick and the rest of the cast in the kitschy family sitcom. The Brady Bunch has been part of American pop culture for decades now, but no one could’ve guessed that when it debuted.
Some of the surviving cast members spoke to the New York Post in 2019 – 50 years after the show’s first episode. While celebrating all things The Brady Bunch, McCormick opened up about why she thinks it still resonates with so many fans around the world.
“The bottom line is that it was about love, coming together, working out innocent problems people had. And a lot of them were basic problems that still exist. We all kind of celebrated working it out together. And I think we all really loved each other — there was a genuine love for all people on the show. I think that resonates,” McCormick said to the NY Post.
‘The Brady Bunch’ Star Christopher Knight Explained Why the Show Resonates Years Later
During the same interview, actor Christopher Knight also chimed in on the topic. He played middle brother Peter Brady on the classic ’70s TV show.
While his comments mirror his co-star McCormick’s thoughts, he shared another reason the show still resonates with so many. He says the sitcom was made for younger fans at first. However, over time the show evolved to include other age ranges. Especially as original fans of the show grew older and introduced The Brady Bunch to newer generations. Knight thinks the nostalgia of the show plays a huge role in its lasting popularity.
“I think it’s now a nostalgia thing, but initially it was a child’s show for children to tap into. And then it became nostalgia as soon as people got old enough to look on what they consumed as a child. We’re doing that right now. Regardless of whatever generation you are… it’s the same loop for everyone, regardless of their era. The Brady Bunch has never not been around [it seems],” Knight explained to the NY Post.
