Posts by David Faustino
Tents, Tantrums, and Total Bundy Bedlam: Why “The Camping Show” Is My Go-To Married… with Children Escape
As a die-hard Married… with Children fan who’s binged the entire series more times than Al Bundy has dodged Peggy’s shopping sprees, I have a confession: Not every episode is a gut-busting masterpiece. But oh man, Season 3, Episode 4—”The Camping Show” (sneakily retitled “A Period Piece” for those delicate network souls)—that’s the kind of…
Read MoreTHE PILOT THAT ALMOST NEVER AIRED (AND WHY)
The first pilot of Married… with Children is a piece of lost TV history. Most fans don’t know that the very first version of the show—filmed with a different Kelly and Bud—never aired. It exists, but it lives in the vault for a reason. When you create a sitcom, you don’t fully understand the chemistry…
Read MoreHOW FOX’S RISKY GAMBLE TURNED INTO A TV REVOLUTION
To understand the rise of Married… with Children, you have to understand Fox in 1987. This wasn’t the Fox you know today. It wasn’t a major network. It wasn’t known for hits. It was an underdog—scrappy, new, and desperate to make noise in a TV landscape dominated by ABC, NBC, and CBS. They had no…
Read MoreWHY THE BUNDYS LIVED IN CHICAGO (AND NOT LOS ANGELES)
A question I get a lot is: “Why Chicago?” Why didn’t the Bundys live in L.A. like every other sitcom family, or New York, or any of the big TV cities? There’s a good reason—and it says everything about the show’s tone. Michael Moye and Ron Leavitt were very deliberate about the setting. They didn’t…
Read MoreTHE REAL STORY BEHIND RECASTING KELLY AND BUD
A lot of fans don’t know this, but during the very first pilot—before the show ever aired—Kelly and Bud Bundy were played by completely different actors. That’s right. There exists a version of Married… with Children out there in the universe with a different Bundy brother and sister. The original actors were talented, but something…
Read MoreHOW KATEY SAGAL CREATED PEG BUNDY OUT OF THIN AIR
Peg Bundy didn’t start out as Peg Bundy. At least not the Peg you know—the queen of big red hair, wilder-than-life outfits, sky-high heels, and that unstoppable attitude. When the role was written, the producers originally imagined a more traditional sitcom mom look. Casual clothes, maybe an apron, hair pulled back… you know, the standard…
Read MoreTHE DAY ED O’NEILL BECAME AL BUNDY (BEFORE HE EVEN SPOKE)
One of my favorite stories from the early days is how Ed O’Neill landed the role of Al Bundy. Most actors walk into an audition and try to “perform” the character. They come in with jokes ready, voices prepared, a whole act designed to show off range. Ed didn’t do any of that. He walked…
Read MoreTHE ANTI-COSBY IDEA THAT SCARED NETWORKS (AND ATTRACTED FOX)
Before Married… with Children was even a title, the idea behind it had a name. And that name was “The Anti-Cosby Show.” The creators said this openly in the early days, and it wasn’t disrespect—it was strategy. They saw that every sitcom family on TV was perfect. Every parent was wise. Every kid learned a…
Read MoreHOW THIS WHOLE CRAZY THING STARTED
If you want the real story of how Married… with Children came into existence, you’ve got to picture the TV world in the mid-1980s. Back then, sitcom families were shiny. Perfect. Polished. Everyone solved their problems with a heartwarming hug at the end of the episode. You had shows like The Cosby Show, Family Ties,…
Read MoreSeason 3 Episode 10: I’ll See You in Court
In the infamous ‘lost episode’, Al and Peg learn they have been video taped getting intimate at a sleazy motel. The same thing has also happened to Steve and Marcy. They decide to take the matter to court.
Read More