If you think that we are currently living in the heyday of sitcoms then you had better check yourself. Married with Children premiered back in 1987 and it gave America one of, at the time, the edgiest sitcoms on television. The show combined an incredible cast with some hilarious writing. We’re revisiting the series today to show you 18 killer facts about one of our favorite shows of all time.
Becoming Peggy
Katey Sagal was simply an up and coming actor when Married with Children cast her in the role of Peggy Bundy. It didn’t take long for Sagal to completely absorb the role, turning into one of our favorite sitcom housewives. She would play Peggy in 260 episodes over a 10 year period.
Becoming Peggy
Becoming Al
O’Neill had been a fairly popular character actor before landing the role of Al Bundy in 1987. O’Neill got his start in the industry back in 1970 as an extra on All My Children. Now O’Neill is one of the heavy hitting stars on the amazing show, Modern Family.
Becoming Al
Very First Episode of Married With Children
Here we see the core cast of Married with Children. Little did any of these actors know, they were on the verge of creating one of the most well received television shows of all time. Even nowadays people are still looking for Married with Children online episodes to stream.
Very First Episode Of Married With Children
Spell My Name
Did you know that Ed O’Neill wasn’t the first choice for Al Bundy? In fact, the casting directors had brought in future Seinfeld star Michael Richards to audition for the part. Richards is most well known for his incomparable role of Kramer. Richards did so well at the audition that the director kept him on file for when Seinfeld began casting.
Spell My Name2
Big ‘Uns
Here we see Al Bundy’s favorite reading material. Big Un’s makes repeated appearances throughout the history of the show. When Bundy loses his magazine he tends to get, well, a bit cranky. Let’s just say that if internet dating services existed back then we might have had a very different show.
Big ’Uns
Meeting David Faustino
Casting children in television is always a difficult task. David Faustino was a child actor who broke out with Married with Children. Faustino appeared in 259 episodes in the show. Faustino now stars in the cartoon Legend of Korra as the character Mako.
Meeting David Faustino
Not Just an Act
Faustino’s character, Bud Bundy, may have riffed off of the rapper Vanilla Ice in the show but it didn’t stay there. Faustino would go on to pursue rapping outside of the trappings of his character. Faustino released a hip hop album under the name D’Lil back in 1992.
Not Just An Act
Wisconsin’s Finest Fictional County
Welcome to Wanker County, home of Peggy Bundy. Wanker County becomes a recurring joke throughout the show and it is implied that the area has an inbreeding problem. Free online dating services wouldn’t be needed here because, according to Al, “Nothing says lovin’ like marryin’ your cousin.”
Wisconsins Finest Fictional County
NOT the Cosbys
Throwing aside Bill Cosby’s less than stellar recent history, the Bundy’s served as a raunchy counterpoint to the successful and cleaner cut Cosbys. Of course, fiction and reality have seemingly flipped with Bill Cosby’s legal issues, to put it lightly. Still, it was interesting to see how well both television shows did during their time on the air while giving off very different American vibes. What family was your favorite?
Not The Cosbys
Almost Peggy Bundy
Katey Sagal is as much a part of Married with Children as any other performer in the show, so it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. However, the role of Peggy Bundy almost went to Roseanne Barr. Roseanne missed out on the role but would land her own long lived TV series just a year later. Roseanne’s own self titled show would run for a decade itself, launching her into the annals of TV history right alongside her on screen husband, John Goodman.
Almost Peggy Bundy
The Family Car
The car we see in the television show is actually a 1972 Plymouth Duster. Car fanatics probably got a chuckle out of Al loudly proclaiming his love for Dodge and his distaste for Plymouth vehicles. We never said Al was a smart guy. Still, the recurring gags with the car are worth the price of admission with the show. Our favorite moment was when the car was stolen and Al spent the whole episode trying to get it back in order to recover a picture of his family. See? He’s a sweetheart deep down.
The Family Car
No Emmy Here
Despite 11 years and over 250 episodes, Married with Children would never end up landing the big awards. Married with Children was repeatedly nominated for both Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards but they never actually came home with a victory. Hard to believe, we know.
No Emmy Here
Uncle Al
Ole Al Bundy is known for being somewhat of a slow witted slob throughout the show but he actually possesses something of an acerbic wit. It’s repeatedly implied that Al’s mother was an alcoholic who treated him poorly, thus resulting in his permanently pessimistic attitude. Thanks to Ed O’Neill’s portrayal of the character we can always get a glimpse at the smart guy underneath the bad attitude.
Uncle Al
A Decade of Excellence
Most networks didn’t think that Married with Children would ever get off of the ground. The show was considered edgy and offensive at the time, due in large part to the character of Al Bundy. Still, Married with Children would run from 1987 to 1997 while racking up 260 total episodes. These numbers are strong considering the numerous boycotts and controversies that followed the program.
A Decade Of Excellence
Christina Applegate: The Stunner
Christina Applegate was a breakout star thanks to her role as Kelly and here you can easily see why. Applegate would end up wearing a blonde wig for much of her time during season 10. The reason? Applegate had to dye her hair red for her work on another project, the 1997 film Nowhere. Interestingly enough, Katey Sagal’s Peggy had to wear a red wig.
Christina Applegate The Stunner
Ed O’Neill Would Call Fans IN Character
Ed O’Neill is a Hollywood class act and we aren’t surprised that he is one of the biggest TV stars in the world right now. During Married with Children’s filming he would almost always take fan requests to call them on their birthdays. Of course, O’Neill would call collect — just like Al Bundy would. O’Neill would stay in character while making the phone call. What a guy.
Ed ONeill Would Call Fans IN Character
Katey Sagal – Hollywood Walk of Fame
While Katey Sagal became famous thanks to her work on Married with Children she would go on to land some other high profile television roles. Sagal would go on to star in the hit series Sons of Anarchy as the love-to-hate matriarch of a dangerous biker family, Gemma Teller. Sagal was awarded the 2,529th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star was placed right next to Ed O’Neill’s — this was not an accident.
Katey Sagal Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Family with Nothing
The driving force behind the character of Al Bundy, and thus the rest of the family, is the fact that he is so dissatisfied with his poor quality of life and the fact that he can afford nothing that he really wants. In fact, by the end of the series Al can’t even afford to have a separate plot in the cemetery from his wife — Peggy ends up getting buried face down on top of him. Talk about nightmare fuel.
Family With Nothing
