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Robert Reed said Mike and Carol Brady ''came off as ninnies''
Clearly, Reed didn't feel very much like his character
The Brady Bunch was a crucial component in an ever-heightening ratings war. While it was never a top-10 hit, The Brady Bunch was positioned as one of the cornerstones of ABC's prime-time comedy assault on the other Top 3 networks. In this battle for television domination, producers often times bent artistic will to better suit network needs.
Especially when the show entered syndication, The Brady Bunch and the way it was marketed seemed intended for a newer audience. While prime-time ABC placement meant the sitcom was meant to be appointment family viewing, as it was repackaged for re-airing, The Brady Bunch targeted a younger demographic.
To hear series patriarch Robert Reed put it, though, it wasn't always that way. He'd know. As Mike Brady, Reed starred in each of the series' five seasons. He was there from inception to re-run and gave his thoughts on the show in a 1977 interview with the Baltimore, Maryland Evening Sun. By that time, the show had re-aired for three years.
"The Brady Bunch is mostly for kids now. Times have changed. But even then, however, the square and stereotype image was sometimes too much for Florence Henderson and me. We came off as ninnies, with the kids solving our problems.
"I rewrote some of the scripts toward the end. But don't get me wrong, it brought me fame and money. And I loved the real-life kids on the show."
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It worked out okay for old Gene...
