‘Brady Bunch’ Kids Say This Is When the Sitcom Jumped the Shark

In sitcom lore, Fonzie leaving Milwaukee to The Brady Bunch, believes her sitcom had a similar “we’ve officially lost it” moment.

“What was the deal with Cousin Oliver?” asked a fan at the Chocolate Expo earlier this month as Olsen, Barry “Greg” Williams, Christopher “Peter” Knight and Mike “Bobby” Lookinland interacted with Brady buffs.

“Our shark jump,” Olsen answered, as reported by People.

Oliver, played by kid actor Robbie Rist, ed The Brady Bunch in its fifth and final season. The character was convinced he brought bad luck to the Bradys, and Olsen believes art was imitating life. “Every time a show is starting to get a little bit lower in the ratings,” Olsen complained, “they start to add in the cute kid.” 

With good reason, offered Knight: “We were getting a little old for the premise of the show.”

Rist’s arrival signaled to Williams that the end was near. “I was looking for the exit when we saw Oliver walking through the front door,” he explained. 

After the show’s fifth season, Olsen wanted out as well. “I didn’t want to go through puberty on TV,” she said. All the kids had five-year contracts, and their wish was soon granted when the show was canceled.

While Happy Days and Fonzie inspired the term, “jump the shark,” The Brady Bunch added its own trope with “Cousin Oliver Syndrome” — that desperate moment when sitcoms add a cute kid to boost flagging ratings. The Partridge Family tried it in its final season with neighbor Ricky, while Diff’rent Strokes brought in little step-brother Sam for Arnold. The ploy never works, one last shovel full of dirt to bury dying shows. 

The Brady actors were quick to point out that they didn’t have anything personal against the actor who played their unbearably cute cousin. “I loved him,” says Olsen. “I love Robbie Rist.”

“In defense of the actor, Rob Rist, he is not cousin Oliver,” said Williams. “He's a cool guy.”

Sure, he’s a cool guy now, but Knight reminded Williams how much he hated the kid back in the day. “When Robbie came on the show to play cousin Oliver, Barry wasn’t… Maybe because he was older and more conscious of what that could mean, he didn’t like him,” Knight said. “Barry was not a fan of Robbie Rist.” 

So why was Williams such a fan now? Knight knew the reason: “He's purging some inner guilt.”