Television history is full of weird departures, but nothing quite matches the bizarre energy of the very last Brady Bunch episode. You’d think a show that defined the 1970s nuclear family would go out with a sentimental bang—maybe a tearful montage or a big group hug. Instead, the series basically evaporated into thin air with a plot about orange hair and a missing father.
On March 8, 1974, ABC aired "The Hair-Brained Scheme." It was Season 5, Episode 22. At the time, nobody actually knew it was the series finale. The cast and crew fully expected to come back for a sixth season. But behind the scenes, a massive blowout between the show's creator and its leading man ensured that the "wholesome" Brady family ended on a note of pure chaos.
Why Mike Brady Was Missing from the Finale
The most glaring thing about the last Brady Bunch episode isn't what’s on screen—it’s who isn't. Robert Reed, who played the iconic patriarch Mike Brady, is completely absent. No, he wasn't sick. He wasn't on vacation. He was effectively on strike.
Reed was a classically trained Shakespearean actor. Honestly, he kind of hated the show's low-brow humor. He famously spent years sending long, multi-page memos to creator Sherwood Schwartz, nitpicking the logic of the scripts. When he read the script for "The Hair-Brained Scheme," he finally snapped.
The plot involved Bobby (Mike Lookinland) selling a "Neat & Natural" hair tonic that accidentally dyes Greg’s hair bright orange right before his high school graduation. Reed found this so scientifically impossible and "idiotic" that he refused to perform. He argued that no hair tonic could instantly turn hair that specific shade of orange.
Schwartz didn't back down. He told Reed that if he didn't like the script, he didn't have to be in the episode. Reed took him up on it. He stayed on the set during filming, standing just off-camera and "grumbling," but he wouldn't film a single frame. To explain his absence, the script added a throwaway line: Mike was "away on business." He literally missed his eldest son’s graduation over a dispute about hair dye.
The Plot: Orange Hair and Rabbit Scams
So, what actually happens in this 22-minute goodbye? It’s a classic "get rich quick" Brady mess. Bobby wants to be a millionaire, so he buys a dozen bottles of hair tonic for $12, hoping to flip them for a profit. Meanwhile, Cindy is trying to breed rabbits to sell back to the pet store.
The highlight—or lowlight, depending on your nostalgia levels—is Greg Brady’s hair. Greg (Barry Williams) buys a bottle from Bobby out of pity. He uses it, and his hair turns a neon, pumpkin orange. Since he has to give a speech at graduation, the stakes are supposedly high.
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- The Fix: Carol (Florence Henderson) takes Greg to a beauty parlor to get the orange scrubbed out.
- The Twist: Bobby accidentally spills the leftover tonic on Cindy's rabbits.
- The "Happy" Ending: The pet store owner actually likes the orange rabbits and buys them, saving the kids from their financial ruin.
It’s an incredibly strange way to end a five-year run. There’s no closure for the characters. Cousin Oliver (Robbie Rist) is just there, being his usual "series-killer" self. The episode ends with the standard jaunty music and a freeze-frame, leaving the audience with no idea they’d never see the original house again in a weekly format.
The Fallout and Cancellation
Why didn't we get a Season 6? It mostly came down to a "he-said, she-said" between the network and the producers. While the ratings had dipped, the show was still a solid performer. However, the tension with Robert Reed had reached a breaking point.
Sherwood Schwartz had already decided that if the show were renewed, Mike Brady would be written out or recast. There were even wild rumors that Carol’s first husband might be brought back from the "dead" (or the divorce, which was a taboo topic for the show). But ABC made the choice for them and pulled the plug.
The irony is that The Brady Bunch became a massive hit after it was canceled. Through syndication, it played every afternoon for decades, making that weird hair-dye episode one of the most-watched finales in history, even if it wasn't meant to be one.
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What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that the show ended because the kids got too old. While Greg was graduating high school, the show had already proven it could pivot (like the "Johnny Bravo" plotline). The real killer was the off-screen friction.
If you watch the episode today, you can feel the emptiness. The family dynamic is off without the father figure at the head of the table. It feels like a "B-plot" that somehow got promoted to a series finale.
Take Action: How to Revisit the Bradys
If you want to see the madness for yourself, here is how to handle a rewatch of the last Brady Bunch episode:
- Look for the "Missing" Mike: Pay attention to how the camera angles specifically avoid showing the head of the table or the hallway where Mike would usually stand.
- Check the Credits: Notice how Robert Reed is still credited in the opening, despite not appearing. This was a contractual requirement that drove the producers crazy.
- Watch "A Very Brady Christmas": If you need actual closure, skip the finale and watch the 1988 reunion movie. It’s the "real" ending fans deserved, featuring the whole cast (including a much more cooperative Robert Reed) and addressing the kids as adults.
The Brady legacy didn't die with "The Hair-Brained Scheme." It lived on in movies, variety hours, and even a HGTV renovation show. But as far as the original series goes, it ended not with a graduation speech, but with a bottle of orange tonic and a very angry actor standing in the wings.