Television IN BRIEF : ‘The Brady Bunch’ Is Coming Back on CBS

“The Brady Bunch” is coming back as a series--again. CBS is expected to announce shortly that the network has ordered six hourlong episodes of the show, which begins production next week.

When the series reappears in 1990, it will be one of the few TV shows ever to span four decades. The series debuted on ABC in 1969.

This will mark the fourth incarnation for the show and its third network. The original series went off the air in 1974, but returned in 1977 as “The Brady Hour.” It reappeared in 1981 on NBC as “The Brady Brides.”

Among the original cast members returning for the newest version are Florence Henderson and Robert Reed, who play the exceedingly cheerful mom and dad. Coincidentally, the two will appear as a different couple Sunday on ABC’s “Free Spirit.”