TV Talk: Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw headlines ‘The Bradshaw Bunch’ on E!

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week.

Legendary Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw is not “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and he doesn’t know if “Chrisley Knows Best,” but beginning this week he’s the star of “The Bradshaw Bunch” (9 p.m. Thursday, E!), a show that’s very much in the same family-fronted, allegedly unscripted genre as the Kardashians and the Chrisleys.

“I don’t watch that stuff,” Bradshaw said of other reality shows about families. “I don’t mean to sound rude; I just don’t watch that kind of programming, and it makes no sense because now I’m part of it!”

Bradshaw said TV producer Jason Ehrlich, with whom he worked on NBC’s “Better Late Than Never,” had the idea for “Bradshaw Bunch” after seeing Bradshaw interact with his wife, Tammy, and daughters, Rachel, Lacey and Erin, at a surprise birthday party two years ago.

“The only reason I did this is because of my kids: I wanted them to get an idea of what life could be like being in the spotlight, and I wanted them to have (videos) of something we all did together for as long as they live after their mom and I are gone,” Bradshaw said in a recent phone interview. “They can always pull it up and go, ‘Remember when we did this show?’ ”

Bradshaw pushes away comparisons to other family-fronted TV series because of the tone he’s going for.

“I wanted it to be fun; I don’t want drama,” he said. “I’m watching ‘Ozark’ (on Netflix) right now, and I keep Valium next to me. I’m watching ‘Yellowstone’ and I’m always telling my wife, ‘Do they ever smile?’ Every time you turn the corner, it’s just bad. I just do not like drama. I am all about laughing.”

Indeed, the tone of the show is extremely light-hearted. The first episode, “Three Daughters, Three Problems,” finds Bradshaw telling his scene-stealing 7-year-old granddaughter, Zurie, about his contrived-for-reality TV challenges.

Bradshaw decides to “help” his daughter, Rachel, with her real estate business by buying bench ads around town with her photo on them and the phrase “Seal the deal,” which seems like a producer-concocted idea.

“It was part of a collaboration,” Bradshaw said. “It was all fun.”

Filmed at his 800-acre ranch in Thackerville, Okla., just across the Texas border (about 80 miles north of Dallas), production on “The Bradshaw Bunch” began in February, took a break when the pandemic shutdown happened and resumed filming in mid-June, mostly on the ranch.

“We gave (Jason) ideas (of things for us to do) when we started this, and he used some,” Bradshaw said, adding he hopes to get off the ranch more post-covid should the show get a second season.

“All in all, I think I did pretty good,” Bradshaw tells Zurie near the end of the first episode in one of several conversations on a couch.

“Did ya?” Zuries deadpans, turning to face the camera.

“Zurie is so funny; she’s so smart and yet she doesn’t wake up and start moving until noon. She is not good in the morning, doesn’t like to sit down and do those conversations on the couch — that’s not her bag — but she’s sharp once you get her going,” Bradshaw said. “Zurie could very well get her own show after this.”

Bradshaw has begun commuting to Los Angeles for “Fox NFL Sunday.” Once Thursday night games start airing on Fox in early October, he’ll stay in LA through Sunday to curtail travel in the covid era. (Bradshaw said due to underlying conditions, Jimmy Johnson won’t travel to appear in-studio, participating remotely instead.)

“They’ve come up with a desk that’s pretty cool where they believe they can get us all behind the desk and have the 6-feet-apart thing,” Bradshaw said.

He’s optimistic about the Steelers’ season ahead.

“Listen, they’ve got a really good defense,” Bradshaw said, “and if (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) is as healthy as I assume he is, I expect them to be really competitive and somewhat of a surprise because a lot of people are not sold on them offensively, but I am.”