"Eight Is Enough" (1977) TV series 1977-1981

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Jack B. Hively

Writers:

Thomas Braden (book)
Robert Holt (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

15 March 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Plot:

This comedy drama focused on a family with eight very independent children.

Plot Keywords:

Widower | Family Relationships | Loss Of Wife | Large Family | Sitcom

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Dick Van Patten	...	Tom Bradford (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Lani O'Grady	...	Mary Bradford (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Susan Richardson	...	Susan Bradford Stockwell (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Laurie Walters	...	Joannie Bradford (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Connie Needham	...	Elizabeth Bradford (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Adam Rich	...	Nicholas Bradford (112 episodes, 1977-1981)
Grant Goodeve	...	David Bradford (111 episodes, 1977-1981)
Dianne Kay	...	Nancy Bradford (111 episodes, 1977-1981)
Willie Aames	...	Tommy Bradford (111 episodes, 1977-1981)
Betty Buckley	...	Sandra Sue 'Abby' Abbott Bradford (102 episodes, 1977-1981)
Brian Patrick Clarke	...	Merle 'The Pearl' Stockwell (47 episodes, 1979-1981)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

David Bradford was originally to be played by Mark Hamill, who appeared in Star Wars (1977) the year this series began.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Just Shoot Me!: Two Girls for Every Boy (#3.5)" (1998)

A Dramatic Brady Bunch

This show pretty much picks up where the "Brady Bunch" left off, but on a more serious tone. This show was definitely one of the first "dramadies", but it still managed to have its lighter moments. Most of them were provided by Willie Aames as the entrepreneur Tommy and Adam Rich as the cute Nicholas. These two young actors helped make this show one of the most loved of the 1970's. I do think that the major flaw in shows of this type though is the conflict of whether or not it was to be a serious drama or whether it was to be a cute domestic comedy along the lines of the aforementioned "Brady Bunch" and another show of that era "The Partridge Family".