How The Brady Bunch Influenced TV We Know And Love Today
Anyone who knows me knows I love a good makeover. That’s why I was one of the eight million viewers who tuned in to watch part one of HGTV’s “A Very Brady Renovation.” The series documents the miraculous transformation of the house that served as the exterior of the Brady’s house on the show. That house was a real home in Studio City, California and when the homeowner passed in 2018, the house went on the market. It’s been reported stars like Miley Cyrus and Lance Bass tried to buy the home but HGTV swooped in with a higher than listing price offer and closed the deal.
HGTV reunited the actors who played the Brady kids and the network’s biggest design stars (Leanne and Steve Ford, The Property Brothers, Lara Spencer, etc...) to do the near impossible: renovate the Studio City house to reflect the interior spaces that were filmed on a soundstage at Paramount Studios. The home exterior was a single level ranch house but the interior was clearly two levels. Remember the iconic Brady staircase? Their mission was to renovate the Studio City house without changing how it looked from the street.
The series documents the extraordinary lengths the cast and design experts went to to reconfigure the house and find or recreate the original furnishings seen on the show. It was an hour of pure nostalgia. Like so many of you who are over 40 (well over 40 in my case) or who watched it on Nickelodeon, I grew up watching “The Brady Bunch.” Remember the episode when Monkees frontman Davy Jones in that groovy striped suit surprised Marsha in the living room and took her to prom? I could have died. The Brady Bunch also introduced me to one of my favorite things: makeovers. Remember when Marsha brought home Molly, a socially awkward, clumsy schoolmate with big horn rimmed glasses (today they'd be on trend) and frumpy clothes? In one afternoon, Marsha transformed Molly into a stunning beauty.
Here’s what just occurred to me while watching part one: Introducing regular citizens to their favorite celebrities and makeovers are both common fare on morning and daytime TV shows. The Today Show makes over their viewers almost daily. On Oprah, we surprised countless viewers with their favorite celebrities. We had Jon Bon Jovi deliver pizza to a fan’s house and Robert Pattison showed up at a major fan’s Twilight viewing party. I wonder if that’s because so many TV producers, like me, who've done tons of makeovers and celebrity-fan surprises, grew up watching “The Brady Bunch” where we saw it first. What do you think?
So, whether you’re a big Brady fan or just into 70s interior design, I recommend the series. It’s a great TV production and a big dose of comfy nostalgia all rolled up into one fabulous makeover!
Check out more episodes of “A Very Brady Renovation” on HGTV through the end of this month and go to HGTV.com for fascinating behind-the-scenes content.