When I say “name a TV family,” who do you think of?
The Waltons with the signature line “Good night, John Boy” — always good stuff.
Or the Bradfords with Dick Van Patten — where Eight Is Enough.
The Cleavers left it to Beaver, and on Growing Pains,
We had Kirk Cameron and Alan Thicke — better known as The Seavers, by name.
The Drummonds enjoyed Diff’rent Strokes, where Arnold would say,
“Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” — still funny today.
And from Mary Tyler Moore came the spinoffs Rhoda and Phyllis,
Both strong, sassy women — we were glad they were with us.
You know the Walshes and Huxtables — and of course, The Sopranos.
And Who’s the Boss? with Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano.
We had the Bundys, the Bunkers, and the Ewings from Dallas;
The Keatons, the Salingers… and the Bradys — with Alice.
The Taylors from Mayberry or from Friday Night Lights;
On Breaking Bad, we had Heisenberg — aka Walter White.
The Jeffersons lived in the penthouse; the Ingalls lived prairie life.
And King of Queens gave us Doug and Carrie — husband and wife.
The Pritchetts and Dunphys were a Modern Family delight,
While the Barones kept us laughing on Everybody Loves Raymond each night.
Cartoon cavemen The Flintstones and The Jetsons in space,
And The Simpsons are still doing laps in the animated race.
But one of my favorites — from way, way back —
Was a family of singers, all riding one track.
It was Shirley who led them, tambourine in hand,
The Partridge Family — one groovy, traveling band.*
“Hello world, hear the song that we’re singing.
C’mon get happy.
A whole lot o’ loving is what we’ll be bringin’
We’ll make you happy.
We had a dream, we’d go travelin’ together,
We spread a little love and then we keep movin’ on.
Somethin’ always happens whenever we’re together;
We get a happy feelin’ when we’re singing a song…”
Helping Families Move
Just as we all have great memories of families we’ve seen on our television screens, one of the coolest parts of our job as Realtors is the opportunity (and responsibility) to help our clients and their families move from one part of their lives to the next.
Sometimes these are families we’ve known for years and watched through many seasons. Other times, they’re total strangers—we haven’t seen their story before, but for this short episode, we’ll become guest stars in their overall plot. If things go well, we’ll become friends and continue deepening the relationship over time.
Sometimes a move is filled with adventure and excitement. Other times, it’s steeped in stress, grief, or uncertainty. It might feel like a heartwarming sitcom or a high-stakes drama. But how we show up and help direct the experience — how we script the scenes, support the cast, and stay true to the story — can determine whether it becomes a chapter they look back on with pride.
Ask questions. Get to know the characters. Learn their motivations. Anticipate the plot twists.
And always aim for a happy ending.
There’s always a story. Let’s help make it one worth watching… and retelling.
*This post was inspired by the 90th birthday of actress Shirley Jones, which is today. Her iconic role as Shirley Partridge on The Partridge Family (1970–1974) sparked the idea to celebrate all the beloved TV families we’ve welcomed into our lives.
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