The Brady Bunch Hour

American television series

The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety show featuring skits and songs produced by Sid & Marty Krofft Productions in association with Paramount Television. It ran on ABC from November 28, 1976, to May 25, 1977. The series starred the original cast members of The Brady Bunch, with the exception of Eve Plumb, who was replaced by Geri Reischl (a. k. a. "Fake Jan"). The show began as a 60 minute special titled The Brady Bunch Variety Hour on November 28, 1976. The special garnered high ratings and led to eight additional 60 minute episodes which were produced and aired sporadically under the shortened title The Brady Bunch Hour from January 23 to May 25, 1977. Later Brady Bunch revival series and TV reunion movies do not include or mention the show's events.

When the family is chosen to star in a new variety series for ABC, Mike Brady gives up his architectural career and moves his family into a beach side home somewhere in Southern California. In addition to the Brady clan, next door neighbor Jack Merrill (Rip Taylor) frequently finds his way into the act and is a love interest for the Bradys' maid, Alice (her former boyfriend, Sam the Butcher, is never mentioned). Each episode features the obligatory variety show song and dance numbers and sketches, as well as a show within a show behind the scenes story which takes place in the Bradys' home.

TV Guide listed the series at No. 4 in a 2002 compilation of the 50 worst television series in American history. The show is the subject of a 2009 coffee table book titled Love to Love You Bradys by Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady). It was released in September 2009 by ECW Press. In addition to many color photos and artwork, the book features over 100 new interviews including the Brady Bunch, Sid Krofft, Marty Krofft, Sherwood Schwartz, Bruce Vilanch, Rip Taylor, and Paul Shaffer. This show was parodied on a season three episode of That '70s Show ("Red Sees Red"). The entire family, due to a forced curfew, is sitting around watching the show and each one leaves separately in anger (Red himself remarking that "This show is crap!"). Kitty then daydreams that she and her own family are the stars of a similar show in which they perform "I've Got the Music in Me" before Charo makes a surprise appearance. As the daydream ends, Kitty remarks, "Oh no, this is crap". The show was also parodied as part of "The Simpsons Spin Off Showcase", wherein the Simpson family stars in a variety show spin off of their show titled The Simpson Family Smile Time Variety Hour. It was noted during the show that Lisa Simpson had refused to participate (in much the same way Eve Plumb did), so she was replaced with a much older prom queen type who also claimed to be Lisa. In a season three episode of Tiny Toon Adventures titled "Grandma's Dead," Elmyra's pet hamster Jan Brady dies. Ultimately, she gets a new hamster which she also names Jan Brady and refers to as a "midseason replacement". In the Gilmore Girls episode "Application Anxiety", Rory and Lorelai are watching The Brady Bunch Variety Hour when Rory's Harvard application comes in the mail.