In 1986, the iconic TV show "Married... with Children" premiered on Fox, initially struggling to gain popularity. However, it later became a smash hit, thanks in part to the involvement of a "family values" activist and some unexpected consequences.
This article delves into little-known facts about the show's characters and behind-the-scenes details, inviting readers to share their thoughts on its place among classic comedy sitcoms and Al Bundy's status as an iconic television character.
The character of Marcy D’Arcy, Peggy Bundy’s best friend and neighbor, was named after an executive producer of The Cosby Show. Why, you ask? Well, the working title for Married …with Children during production, before the show aired, was Not the Cosbys.
In the original opening sequence, there is a shot of cars on an interstate interchange. That footage is actually from National Lampoon’s Vacation. The Griswolds’ Ford Crown Victoria station wagon can be seen in the short clip. Also, Al’s “mighty Dodge” vehicle in the show is actually a 1972 Plymouth Duster.
When the May 6, 1997 season finale aired — which would end up being the last episode — executives at Fox didn’t know if they would cancel the show. They finally decided they would, but didn’t tell the cast of their decision right away. Ed O’Neill was on vacation and overheard a couple at a table next to him discussing the cancellation.
"Married... with Children" wasn't popular on Fox at first, but in season three, an episode made a lady named Terry Rakolta very upset. She asked companies to stop showing ads on the show. Surprisingly, more people started watching, and the show became a big hit. The cast and crew even sent flowers to Terry every year. They also made fun of the situation in one episode where a TV show like theirs got canceled because a "housewife in Michigan" didn't like it.
It was reportedly Katey Sagal’s idea for Peggy to dress the way she did. When Sagal went in for her audition, she brought her own red bouffant wig. The producers loved it so much that they changed the character’s look.
The show's producers weren't sure about Ed O'Neill at first because he usually did serious acting. But when he auditioned, something magical happened. He was just supposed to enter the Bundy home, but as he walked in, he let out a big sigh and looked defeated. That one moment convinced the producers that he was the perfect Al Bundy.
In 2011, Ed O’Neill earned a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fittingly (and hilariously), the star is located in front of a shoe store. Before the series went off the air, O’Neill reportedly made about $500,000 per episode, making him one of the highest-paid TV actors at the time.
Throughout the show’s run, Ed O’Neill agreed to make birthday and holiday phone calls to fans of the show while in character as Al Bundy — but with one condition. All the calls had to be made collect, in line with Al Bundy’s cheapskate nature. Talk about method acting!
In a 2013 talk, Ed O'Neill shared that he didn't get along with Amanda Bearse, who played Marcy D'Arcy. The issues began in season three when he felt she acted more like a man and was snarky. Ed supported her when she came out as a lesbian in 1993 but wasn't invited to her 2010 wedding because she worried he'd laugh at women in tuxedos. He later admitted he might have laughed.
The Bundy family dog, Buck, was on the show on day one, and stayed until season 10, when he was given a “retirement” from the producers. Buck died on May 25, 1996, at age 13. Eerily enough, this was predicted in the 19th episode of season five, “Kids! Wadaya Gonna Do?”
David Garrison, who played Steve Rhoades, wanted to do live theater instead of the show. So, the producers created a storyline where Steve and Marcy's characters grew apart. He left but came back for one episode each season with a different job. When he left, he took a big photo of himself from a season four episode with the caption, "Gotta sing, gotta dance, gotta starve to death!"
Christina Applegate and David Faustino were not the original actors to play Kelly and Bud Bundy. In the original unaired pilot episode, the two characters were played by actress Tina Caspary and actor Hunter Carson. Both actors would go on to have mediocre careers in the business.
Married… with Children remains the longest-running scripted live-action show in Fox history. Until Baywatch went off the air in 2001, Married… with Children was also the longest-running show to never win an Emmy Award.
Ed O’Neill and David Faustino revealed that some aspects of their real lives were parodied on the show. O’Neill was a former college football player and Faustino had wanted to be a rapper. This little tidbit gave producers the idea to create Faustino’s rapper persona, Grandmaster B.
Katey Sagal became pregnant three times during the show’s 10-plus years on the air. The first time came in season six, and the pregnancy was worked into the plot. Sadly, however, it was written out when Sagal had a miscarriage. The second and third pregnancies were in seasons eight/nine and 10, respectively.
Ed O’Neill believes the show was cancelled because syndication rights from Sony were so expensive — reportedly $1 million per episode — and stations asked them to stop making new episodes. O’Neill was the only cast member to appear in all 260 episodes, including the “lost episode” and the original unaired pilot.
“I’ll See You in Court” was the eighth episode of season three, and was due to air on Feb 19, 1989. It never did and became known as the “lost episode” and never officially aired until 2002 in the United States. The reason? The episode involved the Bundys and the Rhoades being recorded on a motel sex tape.
Christina Applegate became famous as Kelly on "Married... with Children." But because she had red hair for a movie role, she wore a blonde wig for most of season 10 of the show. This made things a bit tricky for the production because her hair color had changed, and they needed her to look like Kelly. So, she wore a wig to match the character's blonde hair.
Remember Seven, Peggy's cousin's son on the show? Well, he vanished mysteriously after season seven. The show hinted at his absence in clever ways. In season eight, Kelly forgot about him, and in another episode, they showed his picture on a milk carton as "Missing." Seven's disappearance became a quirky and ongoing mystery in the series.
The Bundy and Rhoades names were taken after two popular pro wrestlers of the time, King Kong Bundy — who guest-starred twice on the show, once as himself — and Dusty Rhodes. This is contrary to the popular belief that the family was named after serial killer Ted Bundy.
No, you can't use a "Vista" card to buy groceries. But in the show "Married... with Children," there's a sign in Al Bundy's shoe shop that says "VISTA" cards. It makes you wonder, did they misspell "Visa" on purpose to show his store was struggling, or did they want to avoid legal trouble? We may never know, but if you didn't pay attention, it could look like "Visa" at first glance.
Did you know there's a "Married... with Children" episode Fox didn't air during season 3? It's called "I'll See You In Court." A lady named Terry Rakolta, who's connected to Mitt Romney, got upset about it. But the producers didn't give up, and the episode finally aired in 2002. In that episode, Al Bundy couldn't stop staring at a model.
"Married... with Children" had some things that might not be in a show today. One of them is Al Bundy's club called "No Ma'am." It really means "National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood." This club was against feminists being in charge. It's interesting to think about what could have happened if a different person played Al Bundy.
When we think of Al Bundy in "Married... with Children," it's hard to imagine anyone else but Ed O'Neill. But before he got the part, they thought about giving it to comedian Sam Kinison. It's important to consider different options before picking an actor for a show, movie, or play. In the end, Ed O'Neill became Al Bundy, and the rest is TV history.
Ed O'Neill, known for his role as Al Bundy, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They put it right in front of a shoe store, which makes sense because Al Bundy sold women's shoes on the show. Fans came to get his autograph, and some had him sign their shoes. It was a fun and clever tribute to his famous character.
Similarly to how Sam Kinison almost played Al Bundy, Roseanne Barr was the producers’ first choice for the role of Peggy Bundy. However, both ultimately turned down the roles to pursue other film and television endeavors.
As we said above, Ed O’Neill definitely wasn’t the producers’ first choice for the role of Al Bundy, but when he came in for an audition, they loved him so much that they hired him before he even uttered a word!
That’s right, Kramer himself auditioned for the role of Al Bundy. While he was probably sad about not winning the part, he can’t be too sad about it since he was cast as Kramer in Seinfeld two years later!
Believe it or not, Ed O’Neill was actually dropped from a film he was working on after winning the part of Al Bundy. Test audiences for Flight of the Intruder couldn’t stop bursting into laughter whenever he appeared in a scene.
Each of the four main cast members invited someone in their real-life families to make cameos in the show during the 11 seasons it was on air. This included Ed O’Neill’s wife, Christina Applegate’s mother, Katey Sagal’s brother, and David Faustino’s brother.
The names Peg and Al Bundy were inspired by Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce, who played a married couple on radio shows in the 1940s and 1950s. Critics praised their shows for being realistic and clever, offering a fresh take on domestic comedy. They portrayed a relatable suburban couple without resorting to stereotypes or silly jokes, making it a unique and modern show for its time.
During the later seasons of Married With Children, the production quality of Katey Sagal’s wigs seemed to falter a bit, and her natural brunette hair seemed to be poking through the red wig. Some fans have used this too represent what they see as an overall decline of the series in seasons 9-11.
Over the course of the series, the aforementioned Buck as well as his eventual reincarnation Lucky (this show was weird at times), had voiceovers providing the dog’s inner-most dogs. Actors who portrayed them included Kevin Curran and Cheech Marin as Buck and Kim Weiskopf as Lucky.
Christina Applegate and David Faustino, who were in "Married With Children," appeared on a show called "21 Jump Street." This show was about young cops who went undercover as high school students. Their episode, "I'm Ok, You Need Work," was the 15th episode of the second season of "21 Jump Street." It was a cool crossover moment between the two shows.
According to Ed O’Neill, there was a two-fold reason why he remained on Married With Children for all eleven seasons. Firstly, he ws afraid that was going to be typecast as Al Bunny and his aforementioned ever-increasing salary. Somehow though, we think playing a universally beloved character likely had something to do with it.
Kelly Bundy wasn’t shown reading all that much over the course of the series, given her characters… um below average intelligence. However, early own in the show’s run, she was often seen attempting to read Garfield comics. Perhaps producers felt that the misanthropic feline aligned with the Married With Children worldview.
Despite Married With Children’s large fanbase and cultural influence, the series was never a massive ratings success. The highest ratings the series ever achieved ever was 29th for the year in season 6, with most seasons falling somewhere in the 50s or 60s. However, the series would gain exposure another way…
Despite the relatively low ratings, the series was a smash hit in syndication. Plus, since – especially during the early seasons – For wasn’t available everywhere, the syndicated “reruns” were often new to many viewers, helping grow the show’s fanbase immensely throughout the 1990s.
For most of Married With Children’s run, Dan Tullis Jr. appeared as corrupt cop/friend of Al Bunny Officer Dan. However, he also appeared as an unnamed FBI officer in the season 6 episode “The Egg and I”, confusing many longtime viewers.
In long-distance establishing shots of the Bundy home, the front door is very clearly white. However, in closer establishing shots as well the actual set, the door was red. No word on whether someone was ever fired for that blunder.