Last Updated on August 20, 2022
Combine a widower with three sons, a widow with three daughters and a crazy maid into one home and you have the 1970s hit ‘The Brady Bunch.’
The Brady Bunch premiered on ABC the same year I was born, 1969. And in five seasons, the shenanigans of a mixed family attracted fans that still love the program.
Mike and Carol Brady, their kids, Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy (along with housekeeper Alice), keep the laughs rolling along in their spectacularly 1970s home.
Yes, it was campy and corny comedy, and it’s quite dated today thanks to fashion and catch phrases of the day. Still, watching an episode today is like having a nice bowl of comfort food.
Here are the 10 episodes I rank towards the top of the list.
1. ‘Pass the Tabu’
This was the second of three episodes in which the Bradys visit Hawaii. The kids find a small statue that a native tells them is bad luck. Immediately, strange coincidences seem to prove the ancient legend of the Tabu to be true, so the boys decide to return the idol to the ancient burial grounds, only to be stalked by a mysterious figure.
2. ‘The Cincinnati Kids’
The Bradys visit an amusement park that Mike’s company is trying to win a contract. During a day of rides and funs, Mike’s architectural plans somehow get swapped with Jan’s Yogi Bear poster and they suddenly end up in a race to find the plans and save the day.
3. ‘Cyrano De Brady’
Peter doesn’t know what to say around girls, so brother Greg decides to help him out, only to have Peter’s love fall for the wrong Brady.
4. ‘Fright Night’
A series of pranks just before Halloween has the kids trying to one-up each other, leading to a night of sheer horror for Alice, who accidentally mistakes Carol’s art project for an intruder.
5. ‘Today, I am a Freshman’
Marcia’s off to an overly-ambitious start in high school when she signs up for every group she can find. Part of what brings her back down to earth is Peter’s homemade volcano.
6. ‘Confessions, Confessions’
Mom always said, “Don’t play ball in the house.” Unfortunately, that rule gets broken, and five of the kids wind up providing false confessions to cover for the sixth.
7. ‘The Subject was Noses’
“Oh, my nose!” Just when Marcia is ready for a dream date, she has an unfortunate accident with the boys’ football.
8. ‘Dear Libby’
When the kids spot a letter in a newspaper column that seems to be a rival to “Dear Abby,” they immediately find the complaints to ring a little too familiar, leading everyone in the home to write to “Dear Libby” to find out if a housemate penned the note.
9. ‘The Great Earring Caper’
Cindy’s failure to follow instructions results in one of Carol’s earrings vanishing. Peter takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes to solve the case.
10. ‘The Show Must Go On’
A “family frolics” show at school requires the participation of teams made up of a student and a parent. Carol and Marcia, however, aren’t the only Brady duo to take the stage. Mike and Greg turn a poetry reading into anything but dull.
Those are my top 10 picks.