One ‘Brady Bunch’ Star Is the Reason a Modern Reboot Never Happened
While The Brady Bunch kids reunited in 2019 to renovate the home that stood as the facade of the beloved show, it isn’t always easy for them to get along. The actors, who played siblings on The Brady Bunch for many years, remain like family. Of course, with many families, there can be some arguing and differing of views and opinions, and this is the case for the Brady kids too.
Susan Olsen, who played Cindy Brady, the youngest daughter in the series, opened up about a potential Brady Bunch reboot that got axed, likely due to her political views. After the success of A Very Brady Renovation, CBS was reportedly interested in creating a reboot but wanted to increase the diversity of the cast.
Everett Collection
In addition, CBS reportedly wanted to follow the Roseanne reboot’s lead by having the actor’s real-life views translate to the screen. For instance, Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) is an outspoken liberal, so they wanted her character to have a transgender child. They wanted Cindy to be a Libertarian podcaster, while another sibling would have had a Black spouse.
Everett Collection
Olsen said about the potential reboot, “I was hoping to continue what Roseanne Barr had set out to do, which I really liked. Her reboot had a family with completely different political opinions, and in the end they all love and respect each other.” However, things got dicey when CBS executives heard about Olsen’s controversial statements from 2016 that got her fired from a radio show. At first, they were willing to work with her and wanted her to take a political correctness course. However, executives also found additional controversies from Olsen’s social media pages and comments she made online and decided to stop the reboot altogether.
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery
She added, “Wow, I’ve been canceled. A role that I’ve played for over 50 years, I can’t play it now because I’m too dangerous.” Olsen remains on good terms with most of the cast, except Plumb. Olsen said that Plumb felt betrayed after the reboot situation. What do you think about this situation? Would you like to see a Brady Bunch reboot?
Remind 
Favorite TV Families
December 2020
Who was your favorite TV family? We cover the decades, from the Cleavers, Waltons and Brady Bunch, to the Ewings and much more!
Buy This Issue