'The Brady Bunch' Cast Names the Moment They Believe the Show 'Jumped the Shark' Before Its Sudden End
Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen played Greg, Peter, Bobby and Cindy Brady alongside Maureen McCormick (Marcia) and Eve Plumb (Jan) on The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974
During a panel at The Chocolate Expo at Hofstra University, the castmates were asked about the 'forgotten' Brady, cousin Oliver
The cast shared some candid admissions about the character's addition in the second half of the show's final seasonChristopher Knight, Barry Williams, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen are reflecting on welcoming another kid into the Brady family.
The four actors, who portrayed the Brady siblings along with Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb on The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974, got together for a panel at The Chocolate Expo at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., earlier in May.
While taking fan questions, one person asked the four, "What was the deal with cousin Oliver?"
Cousin Oliver, played by Robbie Rist, was "Our shark jump," said Olsen, 63.
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"Every time a show is starting to get a little bit lower in the ratings, they start to add in the cute kid," she explained
Agreeing, Knight, 67, added, "We were getting a little old for the premise of the show."
"I was looking for the exit when we saw Oliver walking through the front door," Williams, 70, admitted.
"Me too," Olsen agreed. Acknowledging the addition was to keep the show running beyond its initial five-year contract, she continued, "And I loved him. I love Robbie Rist, but I didn't want to go through puberty on TV."
"I just want to say that it defense of the actor, Rob Rist, he is not cousin Oliver. He's a cool guy," Williams said.
"We all like him. We had him in our TV movie with Lifetime, our Christmas movie [Blending Families] and insisted he be in it," he continued. "We have a lot of fun and we all get along. He's also been a guest on on my podcast."
"But Oliver was not a Brady," he concluded.
Knight joked that Williams was singing Rist's praises, "Because he's purging some inner guilt."
"When Robbie came on the show to play cousin Oliver, Barry wasn't … Maybe because he was older and more conscious of what that could mean, he didn't like him," he said. "Barry was not a fan of Robbie Rist as a consequence after being introduced on our show. But now he's fine with him."
"And Robby's a great musician," Olsen added.
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