Why a 1990s sitcom was accused of stealing the DNA of The Brady Bunch
In short: Step by Step arrived in 1991 as a modern blended-family sitcom, but critics immediately labeled it a derivative copy of The Brady Bunch. Despite the negative reception and a lack of an official series finale, the show managed to survive for seven seasons across two different television networks.
Created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, Step by Step followed the lives of Frank Lambert and Carol Foster, two single parents who marry after a whirlwind vacation romance in Jamaica. The premise centered on the friction between their respective children, who initially resented the sudden union. Set in Port Washington, Wisconsin, the show featured a large ensemble cast, including Patrick Duffy as the contractor father and Suzanne Somers as the salon-owning mother.
The series faced immediate hostility from critics, with many dismissing it as a pale imitation of The Brady Bunch. The pilot episode was particularly maligned, with reviewers calling it "plain awful" and "demonically slick junk food." Even Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of The Brady Bunch, considered legal action, arguing that the show was riding on his coattails. Despite this, some reviewers found the cast, particularly Staci Keanan, to be a bright spot in an otherwise unoriginal production.
The show's production history was marked by network instability. After airing on ABC's TGIF lineup for six seasons, it was cancelled in May 1997 due to declining ratings. CBS picked up the series for a final season as part of its "CBS Block Party" initiative, but it failed to find a new footing. The show ended abruptly in June 1998 without a planned finale, though cast members later noted that a wedding episode for the characters Dana and Rich had been in development before the cancellation.
Interestingly, the show's iconic opening sequence was not filmed in Wisconsin. It was shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, with a digital coastline superimposed over the park's parking lot. The sequence prominently featured the Colossus wooden roller coaster, a landmark that helped define the show's visual identity despite the actual production taking place far from the fictional setting.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Step by Step (TV series)
- Also: Wikidata — Step by Step · CC0
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