Barry Williams, 72, Reveals the ‘Brady Bunch’ Crossover He Wishes Had Happened

Brady Bunch icon Barry Williams turned 72 on September 30. Just a few short weeks before his birthday, the actor opened up at Retro Con 2026, revealing which other famous ‘70s sitcom he would have liked to be on.

While Williams certainly wasn’t looking for a role elsewhere, he did have thoughts about a kind of genius crossover. When asked on a panel, “If you could have, are there any shows at the time that you would have loved to have the Brady Bunch interact with?”, Williams was quick to answer.

“I thought it would have been fun if the Brady Bunch could have had a music off with the Partridges.” He went on to explain, “See, they had the music thing going well, but we had choreography. It was kind of like a double threat. A lot of people think we were competing with one another. Because both being family shows.”

He continued, “We were on the same network, on the same night. And actually we were a lead-in for The Partridge Family. So, we really kind of helped one another in terms of the business side of things. And I really never felt a competition.” 

Even though the Bradys weren’t a touring band like the Partridges, they still had some musical chops. The cast had several bubblegum pop hits in the ‘70s, including legendary songs such as “It’s a Sunshine Day,” “Keep On,” “We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter,” and the legendary “Time to Change” featuring Peter Brady’s (Christopher Knight) cracking adolescent voice.

Of course, true fans know that the Brady kids got their chance to shine in a Partridge Family-esque way a few years after the original show ended. The Brady Bunch bid farewell to the small screen in 1974, but the cast reunited in 1976 for The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, a musical spin-off that featured song-and-dance numbers galore. 

Williams shared that he almost didn’t join the cast. At the time, he was performing in Pippin on Broadway: “It was a real decision for me, you know, where to go… it was a chance to do music, which is where I wanted my career to go.” 

As it turns out, Williams made the right decision. Earlier this month, he told fans at Retro Con, “It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had doing a show.” That said, he (and his fans) missed out on what could have been one of the best crossovers in classic TV history…The Brady-Partridge Bunch Family!