It was no secret that Robert Reed often clashed with the writers and producers of The Brady Bunch; in 1972, in the middle of the show’s run, he gave an interview with the Courier-Post where he commented, “The ineptitude of the scripts can be overpowering … It could be a good show, but we’re operating at 30 percent capacity, I think.” He even famously skipped participating in the show’s final episode, simply because he thought the plot was too stupid. Because of this, many fans have wondered why Reed showed up for the show’s many sequels: he performed in The Brady Bunch Hour variety show, as well as the specials The Brady Girls Get Married and  A Very Brady Christmas, and the 1990 sequel series The Bradys. According to creator Sherwood Schwartz, Reed didn’t come back because he needed money; rather, it turns out that he didn’t want to miss out on key family moments that the show was built around.