The Brady Bunch was the quintessential schmaltzy American sitcom family. Archaic in their own time, the show was pure cheese that left you feeling somewhere between wishing you were them and wishing you'd never heard of them. Paradoxically, this great big blended family was a forward-thinking anachronism. Yet somehow, they became iconic. Reaction to the saccharine sweet household following their September 1969 U.S. debut was unflattering at best. Early ratings were poor and the show was universally panned by critics. Ratings never improved significantly and the show never won any awards. Yet after it finished in March 1974, instead of fading into obscurity it actually became more popular than ever - just when it should've become even more outdated and irrelevant than it had seemed to begin with - thanks to years of endless repeats. But why? How does something that was never hugely popular to begin with become this timeless, iconic thing? How has The Brady Bunch maintained such an enormous worldwide following for more than four decades when, at its core, it was probably a decade or more out of time in the first place? It's difficult to fathom, yet almost everyone of a certain age (clue: not Gen Y) has a favourite Brady Bunch moment. From a total of 117 episodes, these are without question, no doubt, hands down, the ten finest Brady moments!
I'm just a guy who loves words. I discover vast tracts of uncharted enjoyment by chucking words together and coming up with stuff that talks about the things I enjoy and love most. I'm also a massive listaholic, so I'm probably talking about a list, looking at a list or banging away at another What Culture list as you read this. My tone's pretty relaxed and conversational, with a liberal sprinkling of sparkling wit, wilting sarcasm and occasional faux-condescension - with tongue almost always firmly planted in cheek.
