How come 3 kids seems to be the standard number forTV families?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

Other than Cosby there haven't been too many deviations.
Almost every show from The Nanny to Bonanza goes with 3.
Is there some classic literary formula behind this?

[Lars39]

1. Because three means the parents are outnumbered.

More strife and chaos. :D

[rurallib]

2. one of each sex?

:shrug:

[Arugula Latte]

3. Boy, girl and undecided?

;)

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. This goes back to the 50's before we invented the other options.

:D

[CBGLuthier]

5. Addams Family, I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver,

Happy Days (eventually), The Brady Bunch, Eight is Enough, Malcolm in the Middle are just a few of the other exceptions to that rule.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. Well...

I'll give you Addams Family, I Love Lucy, and Leave it to Beaver and I can think of a number of single parent exceptions too where the parent-child relationship was the crux but I'd argue Brady Bunch's gimmick was 3x3. Eight is Enough's gimmick was basically "OMG look at all these kids!"
Malcolm's oldest brother was outside the main story line-- he served to emphasize the juvie lineage and just as easily could have been an uncle or grandparent. Happy Days wrote out Chuck because first Potsie and then Fonzie filled the 3rd kid role.

[raccoon]

19. Addams Family had two kids: Pugsley and Wednesday. nt

[woo me with science]

7. Best number of potential plot lines.

It allows you to have a teen and a child, which opens plot lines for both age groups. Ideally, you also have one of each gender in one of the age groups, to further expand the range of possibilities.

More than three child characters in the family stretches the ability of the writers to create full personalities and adequate storylines for each.

[LynneSin]

8. Three means every classic case is covered

The Oldest Child who seems to know it all
The Middle Child who seems to be struggling to get attention
The Youngest Child who is cute and adorable.

Then in a few years when the ratings start to tank they bring in the ***oops*** baby

[jmowreader]

9. Even the Brady Bunch followed this formula

The Bradys were two single-parent three-child families blended together.

[KamaAina]

10. A requirement in the child actors' union contract?

:-)

[Skittles]

11. so two siblings can talk about the other one

[TZ]

12. Because the average family structure is believed to be 2.5 children?

Statistically this has been believed for years and Hollywood wants to show stuff that appeals as typical...Occam's razor explanation-the simplest answer is usually the right one

[Bertha Venation]

13. because more than three crowds the frame

[Steerpike]

14. there is

always the big plan to have two kids...a boy and a girl...and then the plan fails...

[cbdo2007]

15. There are plenty of tv famlies with 1 or 2 kids.

Not sure why you only seemed to watch the ones with 3 kids but there are plenty of others out there. I wouldn't call 3 the "standard" at all.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

16. It's just meant to be a fun little lounge thread, cbdo.

[cbdo2007]

17. I didn't know they allowed fun here.

I thought they only let us post "fun" threads in General Discussion. ha ha

I know, I was just thinking through and came up with quite a few that didn't have 3 kids, so was just saying.

[Bake]

18. Because 12 is just too damn many?

It is.

:rofl:

Bake

[Iggo]

23. But Eight is Enough, IIRC. (n/t)

[dimbear]

20. Many European fairy tales feature three children too.

Plenty of exceptions, but start with Cinderella and go from there.

[deutsey]

21. Happy Days started with three children

but the oldest brother, Chuck, vanished. I think it was around the time the show started being "filmed before a live studio audience," as they used to say back in the '70s.

I think Chuck was in college and a basketball player.

[tay_sullivan]

22. Three is the magic number

Three is usually the number Broadcasters like, which is odd because it doesn't leave lot to plot lines for the trio. Its usually two against the other one. Also it was standard for Family's to have three kids in the era you are talking about... "The Perfect Family" But now they are have less or more children to show each family is different.

[Iggo]

24. Yes it is. (n/t)