CBS Studios has officially axed another reboot of The Brady Bunch, and Cindy Brady actress Susan Olsen is supposedly taking the blame. According to Olsen, the studio disliked her conservative opinions and support for Donald Trump — but some sources are arguing that the cancelation was actually due to a hateful tirade from Olsen that included homophobic slurs and offensive language.
The newest Brady Brunch project was tentatively in the works two years ago, but had not been picked up by networks or streaming services, and it’s unclear if a script was ever written. The revival would have focused on the lives of the original Brady Bunch children as they navigated adulthood, but unfortunately never came to fruition due to Olsen’s comments. Appearing on the Walk Away Campaign podcast, Olsen reported that she had been fired from the role by CBS due to her political beliefs, stating, “I did have a phone call with my [TV] siblings and my agent. Everybody was saying, ‘We’re sorry, but they just won’t budge. They just will not have you in this.’ I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve been canceled.'”
A role that I’ve played for over 50 years, I can’t play it now because I’m too dangerous.
Olsen seems convinced that it was her controversial opinions that lost her the role — but, in fact, the actress has been removed from numerous projects in the past due to hate speech. In 2016, she was fired from the Two Chicks Talkin’ Politics radio show after spouting anti-LGBTQ views on social media; upon subsequent criticism, she doubled down by sending a previous guest on the show text messages filled with homophobic slurs. During her podcast interview, however, Olsen referred to these and similar incidents as her “greatest hits,” saying that she “stand[s] by everything [she] said.” Given her staunch refusal to show remorse, it’s unlikely CBS will consider moving forward with a Brady Bunch reboot that features Olsen’s character.
A Brady Bunch Revival Might Not Be a Lost Cause
Despite Olsen’s well-documented bigotry, other members of the Brady Bunch don’t seem to share her opinions, meaning that a modern take on the lives of the Brady children could still be in the cards. After all, when actress and comedian Roseanne Barr made a series of racist tweets back in 2018, the revival of her eponymous sitcom was swiftly canceled and replaced by The Conners — which was, essentially, Roseanne without Roseanne. Similarly, a reboot of The Brady Bunch could simply overlook Olsen’s character — or provide some compelling reason as to her absence, like Fuller House did with actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who both played Michelle Tanner.
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A more modern adaptation of the original Brady Bunch also has the potential to be an incredible success even without Olsen. In its golden age, The Brady Bunch tackled all sorts of social and cultural issues of 1970s suburban America, intending to rock the status quo by demonstrating how drastically different people and ideas can come together under the same roof. The revival series fully intended to continue this legacy, with one of Jan’s children coming out as transgender, and another Brady child having a Black spouse. With these changes, the show’s original message of “learning to get along with one another” can effectively be preserved for a new audience, keeping The Brady Bunch relevant even after half a century.