Tread Perilously is a podcast in which hosts Erik Amaya and author Justin Robinson watch the “worst” episodes of popular TV shows, attempting to determine if they would continue to watch the series based on the most off-key moments.

This Week: The Bradys‘ “Bottom’s Up”

Tread Perilously ventures into the surprisingly large selection of dramas and sitcoms featuring surprisingly large families for a theme month we had to call “Too Many Kids!” Our first round: an episode of the short-lived dramedy The Bradys called “Bottom’s Up.”

When Marcia feels sidelined by Carol and ignored by her husband Wally, she looks for a chemical way to alleviate her growing ennui. Will the demon liquor become her crutch? Meanwhile, Wally’s attempt to secure his position as Mike Brady’s assistant leads him directly into the cauldron of graft and corruption. Also, Greg, Jan, and Bobby put their heads together to solve a problem among the town’s various trauma centers.

Justin tries to understand why people would want to watch family dramas. A discussion of literary fiction ensues. The Brady Bunch phenomenon also gets examined. Erik recalls the afternoon broadcast schedules of KTLA, KTTV, and KCOP in the late 1980s. Justin tries to figure out why Marcia married Wally. He also realizes the actor playing Wally also played “Killer” Carlson in Slap Shot. Erik imagines a version of Dune in which Angela Lansbury played the Reverend Mother Helen Gaius Mohiam. Don Drysdale makes his Tread Perilously debut as an anti-masturbation advocate. Fake-Marcia gets discussed. The duo envision a family friendly teen comedy starring Christopher Knight, and the episode’s ill-advised alcoholism plot leads to a discussion of a much better version of this story.

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