"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

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:

Marriage | Married With Children | Mother Son Relationship | Dog | Neighbor

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 21 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Oct. 8	5:30 AM	TBS	976-SHOE	#4.8
Wed. Oct. 8	6:00 AM	TBS	Oh, What a Feeling	#4.9

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 Rhoades / ... (242 episodes, 1987-1997)
Ted McGinley	...	Jefferson D'Arcy / ... (165 episodes, 1989-1997)
Buck	...	Buck the Dog / ... (160 episodes, 1987-1995)

Also Known As:

Married... with Children (USA) (promotional title)
Not the Cosbys (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Germany:25 min (260 episodes) | USA:30 min (including commercials) (259 episodes) | Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (DVD) (2003) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Trivia:

In the opening sequence the shot of the cars on the interstate interchange is part of a scene from Vacation (1983). The Grizwald's green and brown Ford Crown Victoria station wagon is clearly visible on the road.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): On the register in the shoe store, Visa is misspelled as Vista (this may have been deliberate, however, to avoid infringing on copyrights.)

Quotes:

Peggy: I want to see a movie with Mel Gibson's butt.
Marcy: I want sensitivity.
Jefferson: I want killings.
Al: I want boobies.
[They all start arguing]
Al: Boobies. Boobies. Boobies. Boobies.
[Kelly comes downstairs; all but Al stop]
Al: Boobies. Boobies. Boobies. Um... Hi, Pumpkin.
Kelly: You know, I haven't heard anybody chant that word since me and my girlfriends were standing around when this old guy in this Dodge drove by... Ew, Daddy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The New Addams Family: Close Encounters of the Addams Kind (#1.38)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Love & Marriage

Mankind's Finest Achievement

"Married...with Children" is the greatest show of all-time. No family before, during or after the Bundys will ever compare to America's first family. The Huxtables? Don't make me laugh. The Simpsons? Get a life. The Osbournes? Are you retarded, because if you like "The Osbournes," I think that you are.

Al (Ed O'Neill), Peg (Katey Sagal), Kelly (Christina Applegate), Bud (David Faustino) and Buck form the only television family that matters. Extra kudos to neighbors Steve (David Garrison), Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and the damn funny Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) for helping expose the Bundys for who they really were: every American family. The were dysfunctional and absolutely hated one another, but they were as close as any family could be and when it came down to it, they were there for each other.

The introduction of No Ma'am, the National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood, only added to the insanity. Bob Rooney (E.E. Bell), Ike (Tom McCleister) and the incomparable Griff (Harold Sylvester) were excellent additions to an already perfect show.

"Married...with Children" obviously influenced a generation of awful rip-offs such as "Malcolm in the Middle," "Grounded for Life," "Roseanne," "Home Improvement" and so on and so forth, but no one can deny it as man's greatest achievement. Many sitcoms come close, shows such as "The Kids in the Hall," "MADtv," "Cheers," "Diff'rent Strokes," "Seinfeld," "King of the Hill," "The Wonder Years," "The Larry Sanders Show," "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," "South Park," "Maury" (yes, I mean the talk show) and "ALF," but in the end, the all pale in comparison.

It is doubtful that all eleven season of the hit series will be released on DVD, but "The Most Outrageous Episodes Volumes 1 & 2" are already available. They contain classics such as "No Chicken, No Check," "I'll See You in Court," "Raingirl" and "If Al Had a Hammer," which is my personal favorite.

To quote Eric Cartman, "'Married...with Children' kicks @$$!"

**** out of ****