Posts
The 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. After reading all the “funny men” in NY and LA (stand-up comics and other sitcom actors), they came up empty-handed. They just couldn’t find the Al Bundy they were looking for.…
The 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 “NOT The Cosbys.” 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…
How 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…
Season 3 Episode 10: I’ll See You in Court
The lost episode. Filmed in January 1989 and shelved when FOX’s censors and the producers could not agree during the Rakolta boycott, it aired overseas that year but was not shown in America until FX broadcast it on June 18, 2002.
Season 11 Episode 23: How to Marry a Moron (2)
Lonnie leaves prison and proposes properly, and Al’s objection evaporates once he learns the family fortune involved. The wedding gets as far as the back yard. This is also the episode that became the show’s ending, which nobody involved intended.
Season 11 Episode 22: The Desperate Half-Hour (1)
Bud’s prison pen pal breaks out and turns up at the house with two accomplices, taking the whole family and the D’Arcys hostage. Kelly falls for one of the accomplices. Marcy’s one job is not to mention the Mercedes.
Season 11 Episode 21: Damn Bundys
Al sells his soul to play for the Chicago Bears and reach the Super Bowl, with Robert Englund as Lucifer and three actual Bears players appearing as themselves. Then he dies, and Hell turns out to be a disappointment for everyone except Al.
Season 11 Episode 20: Lez Be Friends
Marcy’s cousin Mandy arrives, befriends Al and Jefferson, and makes Marcy jealous. Then Mandy tells Al she is gay. Amanda Bearse plays both parts, four years after coming out publicly herself, and ten days before Ellen did the same on ABC.
Season 11 Episode 19: Birthday Boy Toy
Jefferson turns forty and Marcy decides he needs a job. Al tries to cure Peggy’s shopping habit. And Bud and Kelly shoot a commercial at the shoe store, with Al in the role of shoe salesman, which he cannot perform.
Season 11 Episode 18: A Babe in Toyland
A children’s show host has a breakdown on air and Kelly takes over as Princess Kelly, becoming a hit. Then she introduces a puppet based on her brother. Meanwhile Al and Peggy try twin beds, and then bunk beds.