"Married with Children" (1987) TV series 1987-1997

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Creators:

Ron Leavitt
Michael G. Moye

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Release Date:

5 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Domestic bliss was never like this!

Plot:

Al Bundy is a misanthropic women's shoe salesman with a miserable life. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dimwitted and promiscuous.

Plot Keywords:

Shoe Salesman | Shoe Store | Married With Children | Promiscuous Daughter | Dumb Blonde

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 21 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 4	6:00 AM	TBS	Married ... With Who	#5.12
Sat. July 4	6:30 AM	TBS	Look Who's Barking	#5.14

Cast

Ed O'Neill	...	Al Bundy / ... (261 episodes, 1987-1997)
David Faustino	...	Bud Bundy / ... (259 episodes, 1987-1997)
Christina Applegate	...	Kelly Bundy / ... (258 episodes, 1987-1997)
Katey Sagal	...	Peggy Bundy / ... (249 episodes, 1987-1997)
Amanda Bearse	...	Marcy D'Arcy / ... (244 episodes, 1987-1997)
Ted McGinley	...	Jefferson D'Arcy / ... (166 episodes, 1989-1997)
Buck	...	Buck the Dog / ... (165 episodes, 1987-1995)

Also Known As:

"Married... with Children" (USA) (promotional title)
"Not the Cosbys" (USA) (working title)
"Eine schrecklich nette Familie" (Germany) (Switzerland: German title) [de]
"Bracne vode" (Croatia) [hr]
"Bundy" (Norway) (new title) [no]
"Casado con hijos" (Argentina) [es]
"Casats... i amb fills" (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
"Egy rém rendes család" (Hungary) [hu]
"Mariés 2 enfants" (Belgium: French title) (DVD box title) [fr]
"Mariés, deux enfants" (France) [fr]
"Matrimonio con hijos" (Venezuela) [es]
"Pantremenoi me paidia" (Greece) [el]
"Pulmuset" (Finland) [fi]
"Sposati con figli" (Italy) [it]
"Swiat wedlug Bundych" (Poland) [pl]
"Um Amor de Família" (Brazil) [pt]
"Våra värsta år" (Sweden) [sv]
"Våre verste år" (Norway) [no]
"Vore værste år" (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

22 min (262 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (DVD) (2003) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 (season 5) | USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Embassy Television

Trivia:

According to Ed O'Neill and David Faustino, much of their life was parodied on the show. O'Neill (Al Bundy) did play college football. Faustino (Bud Bundy) wanted to be a rapper, hence his character Grandmaster B.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the episode where Al must joust for his life, his football jersey changes numbers from 33, to 27, back to 33.

Quotes:

Peggy: So where's my anniversary gift?
Al: Oh, um, it's out in the car. I'll get it.
[Goes out to the garage, tries to start the car, then comes back inside]
Al: Happy anniversary.
Peggy: A can of motor oil?
Al: 40 weight, and a road flare. Bless our happy home.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Best O' Bundy: Married with Children's 200th Episode Celebration (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Love & Marriage

Hilarious!! We all have some Bundy in us!!

This long running American sitcom has a strange kind of following and appeal. The show has a kind of knowing badness and is intentionally cheesy and politically incorrect. The actors perform their lines with a knowing wink at the audience, as if to say 'yes we know this crude, rude, and lude'. The audiences at the recordings consist of primarily hillbillies who woof, howl and screech in delight at as much as Al flushing the toilet. It is infectious.

The cast and characters are good. Ed O'Neil is superb as Al Bundy. He makes the show as popular as it is. The facial expressions that he pulls and his delivery are hilarious. Whatever Al says or does, makes me laugh. Then there is his wife Peggy Bundy, the curviest woman alive and a hell of a milf. It's another strange mystery of the show that all of a sudden in season 2, Peggy turned into the delightfully huge chested wife from hell audiences loved. It was a jarring change, sudden in your face jubblies. Katey Sagal is excellent as Peggy and she delivers the lines brilliantly. She can screech well too and every time she cries out 'AL!' and he flinches we know why. Then there are the kids. Every young Americans dream woman in the early 90's, Christina Applegate who gets a deserved howl of male appreciation when she enters each episode. Then Bud Bundy the young loser who despite being the only Bundy with brains has no luck with the ladies, despite thinking he is god's gift.

Basically this show revolves around sexism, innuendo and machismo. You see all the jokes coming a mile off. They have long running gags that never manage to get tired, such as Peggy's constant jibes about Al's sexual prowess. This is funny. It's love it or hate it but I love it.