Project holds a ‘Bunch’ of memories
Iconic ‘Brady’ TV home renovated, reimagined.
“The Brady Bunch,” which brought the blended family to the prime-time sitcom, now gets its own blend of fiction and reality in HGTV’s “A Very Brady Renovation” (Monday, 9 EDT/PDT).
The construction project, which plays out over four episodes and a bonus holiday outing, features HGTV hosts and the actors who played the six Brady kids re-creating rooms from the “Brady” set within the real suburban Los Angeles house used for exterior shots in the 1969-74 sitcom.
Mike Lookinland, who played youngest brother Bobby, applauds “Renovation” for its creativity and novelty. “It’s a weird combination, a restoration of something that didn’t exist. It wasn’t there to restore in the first place.”
The uniqueness of the project made it appealing, too, he says. “We all knew right away when we heard the pitch that this was a great idea. And they paid us a lot of money.”
From the start, the project was a gamble. When the house, a 1950s splitlevel ranch located 7 miles from the show’s home at Paramount Studios, went on the market last year for $1.885 million, HGTV decided to make an offer (so did NSYNC’s Lance Bass), eventually securing the property for $3.5 million.
“We wanted to make the largest offer we could because we didn’t want a developer turning it into a McMansion,” says Loren Ruch, HGTV’s senior vice president of production and development.
“We bought it more or less sight unseen. We didn’t know what we were getting into. We didn’t have the ‘Brady’ cast attached. We did not know if we’d be able to replicate the inside, but we had to take a leap of faith on something that felt important to us.
“Through a series of happy accidents, a lot of luck and great relationships, everything aligned perfectly,” he says.
Such accidents range from the practical – the availability of the house next door, which served as a production command center, on Airbnb – to the symbolic, as “Renovation” starts airing less than three weeks before the 50th anniversary of “The Brady Bunch” premiere on Sept. 26.
The transformation required substantial architectural and engineering work, including adding a second floor to accommodate the iconic slat staircase and family bedrooms, and relocating Greg’s “attic” bedroom to the basement. It also required crowdsourced searches
for vintage furniture and props.
The actors – Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen and Lookinland – marvel at the transformation.
“It’s like a dream, in a way,” says Olsen, who played the youngest child, Cindy.
The restoration brings back memories for the cast.
“Coming into the living room, with the staircase, that was powerful,” says Williams, who played Greg. “We crossed back and forth in front of that or climbed up or came down the stairs so many times.”
The refurbished interior took McCormick – who played eldest sister Marcia – back in time and reminded her of nowdead cast and crew, including Florence Henderson (Carol Brady), Robert Reed (Mike Brady) and Ann B. Davis (Alice the housekeeper).
“It brought me back (to) seeing Florence and Bob and Annie, seeing our crew and feeling the love for all the people who were part of the show,” she says.
The actors teamed on various rooms of the house with HGTV stars including Drew and Jonathan Scott of “Property Brothers,” siblings Steve and Leanne Ford of “Restored by the Fords,” motherdaughter Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak-Hawk of “Good Bones,” Jasmine Roth of “Hidden Potential” and Lara Spencer of “Flea Market Flip.”
Besides delivering emotional reactions, the Brady kids provided elbow grease and expertise.
“They all jumped in on anything we threw at them, helping us with source materials, jumping in with demolition,” Jonathan Scott says. “Who would think that tiny little Maureen, no holds barred, was jumping in and knocking down walls?”
Starsiak-Hawk relied on the actors’ memories. “They helped us work on the wallpaper, getting that just right. We’d have these images, but they’re pretty blurry and the colors weren’t quite right, so having their eyes – that actually saw it in person – was super-helpful,” she says.
Those looking for rifts between the actors are likely to be disappointed. “They got along so well that it was completely no drama,” Ruch says. (Darn!)
HGTV executives declined to discuss long-term plans for the restored home, although there’s no plan to sell it. In the short term, the network is holding “A Very Brady Contest” that will award the winning fan a six-night stay (Dec. 9-15), transportation expenses, a curated Los Angeles tourist experience and $25,000. (Entries, which require a video presentation, must be submitted by Sept. 11.)
That’s icing on the cake for a creative gamble that could have ended up as just a massive overpayment for a teardown.
“Isn’t it amazing that between the 50th anniversary and the house next door being an Airbnb and all six cast members participating, it all fell into place?” HGTV president Jane Latman says.
“As everything does in the world of ‘The Brady Bunch,’” Ruch responds.
All in all, as Latman says, quoting lyrics sung by the Brady kids on the show: “It’s a sunshine day!”