A Very Brady Blog

Here's a story, of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls. Oh yes, it is that infectious tune that I, hopefully, have stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

The Brady Bunch was a favorite of mine growing up. However, over the years, one thing became clearer to me: They are too perfect. Hopefully some of you younger kids have seen The Brady Bunch on TV Land so you know what I am talking about.

First of all, after the theme song, there is the classic shot of the Brady house. Next, the camera would zoom into a setting such as the lawn where the kids are playing in the lush green grass. As Mike Brady is just getting back from his work as an architect, he drives up the long driveway in his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Convertible (or one of the other four muscle cars he must have hid in that one-car garage along with the family station wagon over the five seasons) the kids, Carol, and Alice all go out to see him. Within the first minute, we can see that this is not your present-day sitcom.

These people were squeaky clean. After both Mike and Carol's first spouses passed away (suicide maybe?) they found each other. They got married and from then on the eight of them (nine with Alice, ten with cousin Oliver) were a big happy family until the show was cancelled. Not once was there ever the "You aren't my real mom" argument. However, there was a little sibling rivalry here and there. In 117 episodes "sex" was muttered only twice, only one of the boys got kissed on screen (Bobby), and they did not even have a toilet in the bathroom due to censors.

I love The Brady Bunch but I don't believe it would survive in this day and age. It just goes to show you that TV has resorted to more sex, violence, and obscenities over the years. A sitcom about a happy family with a lady with three lovely girls and a man busy with three boys of his own just wouldn't cut it anymore.

A Little Lesson In Love From Sitcoms

You are flipping through the channels in the afternoon and what do you see? Sitcoms! My last post must have been deceptive. Many people thought that this semester I would be writing only on the US versus UK version of "The Office." However, this was never intended (as this would get redundant and boring). This semester I will be writing my blogs on Sitcoms.

Now, watching sitcoms any odd afternoon, one can gather some tips in their love life. For example, if you watch "The King of Queens" or "Still Standing," you will learn that opposites attract. In both of these shows, very beautiful women are married to overweight, yet, comical slobs.

These men, also tend to screw up on a day-to-day basis. Once the woman communicates to the man he has messed up, the man always does the right thing to make his wife happy again. By the end of the episode, everything is right with the world.

As a man that doesn't get all the ladies, this would give you hope that there is a woman out for you too: A beautiful woman who doesn't seem to care that you haven't worked out since college, a gorgeous woman who will let you sit on the couch and watch football all day with your friends, and a stunning woman who will allow you to mess up every week and never threaten to divorce you. Oh, and did I mention she is very attractive?

As a very attractive woman, this should show you that maybe your idea of an ideal man with rugged good looks and boyish charm may not be the way to go. Maybe there is a guy out there who may not have all the looks but will do whatever it takes to make you happy. So ladies, consider picking up a fat dumb slob. Who knows, maybe they will make a sitcom based on you?

The Office vs. The Office UK

By now, most of you have heard about the hit sitcom "The Office."(full episodes from season five can be watched here) It is a "mockumentary" on a group of workers who live out their everyday lives on camera. Only, their lives are very entertaining. Office romances flare up, pranks are pulled, and hilarity ensues. "The Office" is a personal favorite of my family, we quote it everyday. I have seen every episode numerous times, but, that is a different story.

What some people don't know, is that "The Office" is actually based off of a hit BBC series of the same name. The series ran for three seasons from 2001-2003. Ricky Gervais starred in the UK version of "The Office" and is now a writer and creator of the American version that has outlasted the original (it is now on its fifth season).

While looking through video comments on numerous videos from "The Office" on YouTube I came across many people arguing which is better: the American or UK version of "The Office?" From what I have found, both have their own pros and cons.

The UK version
Pros

• It is the original.
• The people are more realistic looking.

Cons

• Working class British accents are hard for Americans to understand.
• The people aren't as good looking. (Superficial? I know.)

The US version

Pros

• Very talented cast including Steve Carell
• Cast is warm and charismatic (And tan!)

Cons

• Not quite as realistic

Although they both have their pros and cons, I believe that it should not be a battle between which show is better, but rather we should appreciate how the American version has brought this beautiful masterpiece into our lives. I had not even heard of "The Office" before 2005 and now, sadly, I don't think I can live without it. Also, we should appreciate the UK version for the great plot and storyline. Either way, if you haven't seen either of the versions of "The Office" I urge you to go watch them (I recommend renting the seasons so you can watch them all the way through). Oh, and if you do not like "The Office," you just wasted a few minutes of your life reading this. Sorry.