The Brady Bunch: 10 Things That Never Made Sense About Mike

Mike Brady is who he is because of the late Robert Reed. The actor made Mike a warm but stern father with a heart of gold. The bachelor marries Carol in the show’s very first episode, but the rest of the series is about Mike and Carol’s blended family as they all become The Brady Bunch.

With six kids to take care of, Mike works very hard and exercises a lot of patience. As great as the television dad is, there are still some puzzling things about Mike Brady.

10 His Past Life

Mike Brady is a pensive man. He’s always thinking about something, but fans don’t always know what. Mike loses his first wife before the series begins, but he and his sons don’t really grieve the loss once they join up with Carol, Marcia, Jan, and Cindy.

Viewers often prefer the light mood of the show, but a realistic approach to losing a wife and mother could have also been appreciated.

9 His Career In Architecture

Mike Brady’s work life figures into a few storylines, and not usually in a positive way. In season one, an odd and demanding heiress becomes a client at the architectural firm after Mike’s horoscope predicts that he’ll meet a strange woman (aptly titled “Mike’s Horror-Scope”).

In season two, Greg works at the firm after school and achieves the worst–he accidentally loses very important drawings. Blueprints also go missing at King’s Island in the fifth season. Is this architect job just bad luck, or what?

8 His Relationship With Carol

Mike and Carol are a happy couple with basically happy (although kind of whiny) kids. The parents treat the three boys and three girls equally most of the time.

With a child always getting into something, Carol and Mike don’t have too much time to themselves. They go on dates and attend Mike’s work-related events, but some fans wanted more passion and in-depth conversations. After all, Carol is one of the finest moms in sitcom history.

7 His Parenting Style

In the early days of the sitcom, Mike must adjust to raising three young women in addition to his young sons. He sometimes struggles to understand Marcia, Jan, and Cindy, especially Marcia.

Once Mike finds his footing, he is a solid disciplinarian all around. His dad talks are legendary, and his rules are pretty clear. So why do the kids still get into trouble? Maybe Mike is too easy on them.

6 His Seriousness

Even apart from parenting, Mike is a really serious guy. He laughs sometimes and can be goofy if the spirit moves him, but the father is such a somber man. This could certainly have to do with Robert Reed’s personal struggles on set.

Reed felt uncomfortable in some of the romantic scenes with Florence Henderson since he was forced to cover up being gay (according to E! True Hollywood Story). The actor was not happy on set, so that could have translated to his character’s solemn demeanor. In the world of Mike, though, what could cause such consternation?

5 His Uniqueness From His Sons

Mike Brady’s three sons look kind of like him, especially Peter (the middle boy). That’s about where the similarities end, though. Greg has an occasional tendency to be serious like his dad, and Peter definitely takes on a heavier mood when he is thinking deeply about something.

However, Bobby, Peter, and Greg are much sillier and less refined than their father. Because the first Mrs. Brady is never mentioned, no one knows exactly what her personality was like, but maybe the boys got their sense of levity from her.

4 Mike Allowing Alice To Do Everything

It makes sense for Mike Brady to keep Alice on as a housekeeper since she is the absolute best. She was working for Mike before he ever married Carol, so Alice provides a sense of continuity for Greg, Peter, and Bobby.

This is in no means suggesting that Carol Brady should clean the house all day, but Alice Nelson should have a little more help than she does with six kids in the house. Everyone pitches in sometimes, and different family members even go to Alice for advice or conversation. But one wonders if Mike is really paying the woman enough for all this.

3 Mike’s Financial Situation

Architects typically make good, livable wages, so Mike wouldn’t have any trouble providing for his sons or even moving into his impressive home. Adding in four more family members might be a little costly for him, though.

Fans know Mike worked hard to feed such a big family, but it sometimes seems like his income wouldn’t be enough for the bunch to live so comfortably. And if they do have some cash, why do all those kids have to share one bathroom in that house? That wouldn’t fly today.

2 Mike Skipping His Son’s Graduation

It is widely believed that Robert Reed became very upset when he learned that a certain episode would revolve around Greg accidentally dying his hair orange before his high school graduation.

Reed couldn’t stand the script and opted not to participate in the episode. Sadly, “The Hair-Brained Scheme” was the final episode of the series. Fans will always wonder why something couldn’t have been done to get Mike Brady to Greg’s graduation.

1 Mike’s Return to Brady Activities

Despite growing up and moving on, the Brady family got the band back together many, many times. They weren’t all there for every single project, but Robert Reed did many of them. Since he didn’t have the best time from the beginning, it’s a wonder that the actor managed to reprise his role as Mike in some lesser spin-offs.

Since he preferred drama to comedy, perhaps the drama episodes of The Bradys and the more adult TV movies like A Very Brady Christmas were more palatable for Reed. Even though he left behind a complicated history with the franchise, fans will always remember Mike Brady with respect and admiration.

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