Barry Williams revealed during a recent chat that The Brady Bunch creators tried to bring in more diversity to its cast at some point. Barry played Greg Brady in the classic sitcom from 1969 to 1974.
He praised the creative team for their intentional efforts toward including people of color back then, even if the times made it challenging. It was only right to consider this as the plot followed a blended family with six children mixing different backgrounds and personalities.
The creators of ‘The Brady Bunch’ tried their best to diversify the cast
While the show became a beloved classic, it was often criticized for its lack of racial diversity. Showmakers were not blind to this fact either and were determined to represent different ethnicities on The Brady Bunch. One early example was the character of a Black classmate, played by Jere Fields, who appeared in an episode as Jan Brady’s friend. Williams said this effort was significant for TV in the ’70s.
Another notable moment came in the 1974 “Kelly’s Kids” episode, which saw a white couple who adopted three boys of different ethnic backgrounds— one Black, one Asian, and one White. Although this was intended to introduce a spin-off, it never led to one but remains one of the show’s boldest attempts at inclusion.
Barry Williams played Greg, the oldest of the six Brady children, and was at the heart of the family. The show also starred Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as Mike and Carol Brady, the parents.
The other children included Marcia played by Maureen McCormick, Eve Plumb’s Jan, Peter by Christopher Knight, Bobby, and Cindy. Though the same race, each of the Brady kids brought their own unique traits to the show, making the family dynamic both entertaining and heartwarming.