Eight Is Enough 

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

Creator:

William Blinn

Stars:

Dick Van Patten, Lani O'Grady, Connie Needham

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

Cast

Series cast summary:
Dick Van Patten	...	Tom Bradford 112 episodes, 1977-1981
Lani O'Grady	...	Mary Bradford 112 episodes, 1977-1981
Connie Needham	...	Elizabeth Bradford 112 episodes, 1977-1981
Susan Richardson	...	Susan Bradford / ... 112 episodes, 1977-1981
Adam Rich	...	Nicholas Bradford 112 episodes, 1977-1981
Laurie Walters	...	Joannie 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 109 episodes, 1977-1981
Betty Buckley	...	Abby Bradford / ... 102 episodes, 1977-1981

Storyline

The sometimes-comic, sometimes-dramatic exploits of the Bradford family, father Tom (a columnist for a Sacramento, California newspaper), mother Joan and their eight children: Mary, David, Joanie, Nancy, Elizabeth, Susan, Tommy, and Nicholas. After Joan's death, Tom met teacher Abby, and they were married to make the family feel complete again. The kids all had friends and relationships as well, turning the Bradford Bunch into a free-for-all of loved ones and family members.

---

Plot Keywords:

laugh track | family relationships | sitcom | large family | sacramento california | 

---

Taglines:

Warm New Family Comedy! From the Producers of "The Waltons"

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eight Is Enough

Filming Locations:

10703 Chiquita Street, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lorimar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary attended the University of California at Berkeley for her medical training.

---

Alternate Versions

Originally, Diana Hyland was credited for appearing in ALL 9 shows from season 1. She missed half of them, due to her illness, which eventually claimed her life. In half of those shows, there were originally scenes where they explained her absence, and even voice-overs from Hyland as Joan on the phone with Tom Bradford. During the summer reruns, Lorimar aired only the shows she did not appear in. Lorimar decided to go back and reedit the shows she did not appear in, remove her credit, and all scenes featuring said phone calls and voice-overs. These are the versions of those season 1 shows that have been in use ever since.

---

Connections

Referenced in 7th Heaven: Seven Is Enough (1997)

User Reviews

What is with these credits?

What is with these credits? They don't contain all of the family members, and the few that are there are buried in this monstrous list and the stars such as Dick Van Patten are listed as having appeared in only one episode! Are they serious? I also agree with the comment that Betty Buckley's character would NEVER have been called "Abby", no one picks up a nickname AFTER they have been married and THAT name derived from the name of their husband, surely her husband might have been called "Abe" or some such thing short for Abbott, but the only way she would have been called "Abby" is if HER maiden name had been Abbott. I was also, as someone else said baffled by why they did not just replace Diana Hyland, that whole year of courtship was awkward and stupid and the show was all about the kids anyway. Those were the stories we wanted to follow. I enjoyed the show tremendously. I had just had my second child in 1977 and knew for a fact that it was impossible that anyone could ever have eight children and live, two were killing me, so I guess in a way, it gave me hope that I might just make it with two...