The notorious family portrayed in The Brady Bunch sure did look like they had a happy-go-lucky time on set, however, it looks like not everything is what it seems. It turns out that actor Robert Reed, who played TV dad Mike Brady, often butted heads with the show's creator Sherwood Schwartz, who was also the series' producer and screenwriter. Sherwood's daughter Hope Juber revealed on an episode of TV We Love: "He fought with my dad about every little detail. He was very picky and very insistent that if it didn't match what he felt was logical, he was going to make a scene about it."
Robert's co-star Barry Williams who portrayed Greg Brady shared: "[Robert] tried to get fired several times in the first year." It appears that the ultimate issue behind the clash was Robert's pull towards realism that he wanted portrayed in the script but was the complete opposite of his character. Florence Henderson who played Robert's wife Carol Brady revealed in archival footage on the TV We Love episode: "I would have to go every so often, 'This is comedy, Bob, not Shakespeare. It's a situation comedy for television.'"
© Getty ImagesHope's older brother Lloyd Schwartz who was a producer on the show further analyzed: "Robert Reed was a stickler for accuracy, which sometimes gets in the way of comedy." Gary Cole, who took on the role of Mike in the Brady Bunch movies later on, defended Robert and said: "He was a New York-trained actor, a wonderful, classical actor, had done a lot of theater. So this was somebody who had done serious work. I can see both sides of it because, you know, when you go into a show, you don't know that it's going to become iconic. All you know is this is the job you have..."
© Getty ImagesAlthough Robert made it clear he didn't want to remain on the show, he stayed on for five seasons until the straw that broke the camel's back happened. Sherwood's script included the character Greg using a hair tonic that accidentally turned his hair orange. Robert disliked the storyline so much that he wrote a letter to Sherwood explaining that he would not do the scene.
© Getty ImagesSherwood had to then rewrite the episode, and Robert was removed from the plot. That heated moment turned out to be the series finale because the hit series did not return for a sixth season. It is assumed that Robert would have likely been recast had the show been renewed. Although Robert's role made him a household name, he wasn't initially the first pick.
© Getty ImagesHope revealed that Gene Hackman was strongly considered for the role. Robert ended up getting the character because he already had a studio deal and was riding the momentum of finishing the popular series, The Defenders. Lloyd shared that Robert's audition didn't go smoothly. LLoyd added that Robert was "a little stiff," and he revealed that "the casting for Robert Reed was easier for the studio because the studio had a deal with him."
