‘Brady Bunch' Stars Florence Henderson & Robert Reed Had the Best Reunion on ‘The Love Boat'-Then They Did it Again
When The Brady Bunch ended its five-season run in 1974, it wasn't the end for the beloved sitcom's characters. Series stars Robert Reed,Florence Henderson, Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, and more reunited for variety shows, TV movies, specials, and spin-offs multiple times over the next two decades, reprising their roles as the Brady family members.
But one of the best reunions came on a Love Boat episode in the early 1980s when the Brady parents (Henderson, Reed) crossed paths on the Pacific Princess.
In The Love Boat Season 7 episode "Friend of the Family/Affair on Demand/Just Another Pretty Face," Henderson played a character named Anita, while Reed was in a separate storyline playing a man named Jack. But in a cute crossover scene, the Brady Bunch co-stars ended up next to each other at the buffet table, where they did a knowing double take at one another in a clear nod to their past on the ABC sitcom. The Love Boat episode aired on Oct. 29, 1983, 14 years after Reed and Henderson first played newlyweds Mike and Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch.
The Brady parents returned to 'The Love Boat' four years later
The brief moment at the buffet wasn't the only time Reed and Henderson shot a Love Boat scene together. In 1987, they made a cameo in the special "Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?" The star-studded 90-minute Love Boat murder-mystery aired on Feb. 27, 1987, and featured guest appearances from Happy Days stars Tom Bosley and Marion Ross, Gilligan's Island's Tina Louise, stars from Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and more.
In a quick cameo scene, Reed and Henderson, in character as Mike and Carol Brady, walked down a corridor on the ship as they talked about their kids. "Mike, it's your day to watch the kids," Henderson said, to which Reed replied, "Relax, Carol, they're all grown up anyway."
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Other 'Brady Bunch' stars appeared on ‘The Love Boat.'
Henderson was a frequent guest star on The Love Boat. In an interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, she recalled, "I did The Love Boat. I think Charo and I hold the record [for most guest appearances]."
Henderson cruised on The Love Boat 10 times between 1977 and 1987, while Reed was on board seven times. Brady Bunch daughter Maureen McCormick (Marcia) made five Love Boat appearances (she was married to Donny Osmond in one of them!), while Eve Plumb (Jan) logged three guest spots, and Christopher Knight (Peter) and Ann B. Davis (Alice) each appeared on The Love Boat once.
In her memoir Happiness Included, Plumb recalled guest-starring on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, which were both on ABC. "The best part of being on those shows is that I didn't have to audition; it would be an invitation," she shared, noting that producers always wanted to have recognizable TV or movie personalities as the guest stars.
"I know Florence Henderson and Robert Reed appeared in an episode of The Love Boat, actually playing Carol and Mike Brady," Plumb added. "It was always a yes for me when my agent would call to see if I wanted to do one of the shows."
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 4:09 AM.