Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From "Married With Children"

Married…With Children is still Fox’s longest-lasting comedy sitcom.  The show was no stranger to a little controversy but it was a hit with viewers around the world. We’ve rounded up some of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes facts about the series.

Name Games

Married With… Children aired for 11 years from April 1987 to April 1997. At the time of the show’s launch The Cosby Show was one of its competitors. Creators wanted to make the new sitcom as different from the Cosby Show as possible, the producers even considered calling the comedy Not The Cosbys.

Shoes Shoes Shoes

“I hate those complaint boxes they put in at the mall. A woman comes in the shoe store today, so huge she’s protected by ‘Green Peace’, and ask for a size-4 shoe. So I asked her if she wants to eat them there or take them home, and she has the nerve to complain about my performance.” Who remembers this scene? Ed O’Neill actually wrote this. What a classic!

Different Strokes

Series creators based the characters of Al and Peggy on Sam Kinison and Roseanne Barr, both of whom declined the roles when they were offered them. At the time, Barr and Kinison both had successful careers doing stand-up comedy with their over-the-top antics. Barr turned down the role because she was working on her own series that was set to debut the following year. Sadly, Kinison died in a car crash in 1992 at the age of 38.

A Sneaky Tribute

Producers loved to play games with the audience! During the first four seasons of the show, they snuck in some interesting tidbits into the opening credits. As the opening shot begins, an aerial shot of a highway in Chicago is featured. Eagle-eyed viewers may spot that the car used is the truckster from the film National Lampoon’s Vacation. Being big fans of the movie, producers wanted to pay tribute to the film for its inspiring role in the making of the sitcom.

Not What you May Think

When the show initially aired, viewers were quick to assume the family was named after the infamous serial killer, rapist and kidnapper Ted Bundy. Actually, the family was named after a wrestler named King Kong Bundy, who was also a stand-up comedian and actor of the day. He was a big fan on the show and even made two cameo appearances in the series.

Miss and Hit

Michael Richards was one of the many actors who auditioned to play the lead role of Al Bundy. Even though Rich’s did not get the role, he went on to land his most notable role as Kramer on the show Seinfeld. Richards went on to win three Emmy Awards for his role on Seinfeld.

Lucky Strike

According to The E! True Hollywood Story, actors Tina Caspary and Hunter Carson played Kelly and Bud Bundy in the pilot of the series. After the pilot was shot, producers decided the two weren’t quite right for the roles. The characters were then played by Christina Applegate and David Faustino. It was a good move, the two actors slipped seamlessly into the roles of the quirky teens.

Something Extra

Ed O’Neill, who played Al, epitomized the show’s provocative and hilarious appeal. He did his research before auditioning and wowed the casting directors with some interesting touches. When asked to simply walk to the character’s front door, he added a deep sigh and look of utter depression before entering the home. The producers knew he was simply perfect and he nabbed the role after one audition.

Not a Fan

In a 2017 magazine interview, Katey Sagal, who played Bundy’s wife, revealed that she thought the sitcom was a “very misogynistic show” and didn’t support its sexist themes. She explained during an interview with AOL: “It was when I really, clearly understood that my job as an actor was to interpret the material. It’s not necessarily my belief system. My belief system has nothing to do with being an actor. You know, I was hired to play a part … The women were portrayed completely exploited on that show. That was part of Al Bundy’s thing — he liked hot women, and they showed them all the time.”

Surprise Talent

Unlike his lazy and demotivated character, Ed O’Neill demonstrated some serious discipline and earned himself a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training in the martial art for over 20 years. He says of his training: “You don’t have to be big, strong or the greatest athlete to do it. You can use certain principles to maximum effect.”

Tragic News

Sagal got pregnant three times during the show’s 11 seasons. The first pregnancy was worked into the show’s storyline, but then creators had to write it out of the script after she experienced a stillbirth after seven months. Sagal got pregnant a second time in 1994, while her third pregnancy occurred in season 10. Both times, producers decided to hide her pregnancies from viewers through clever camera angles and creative use of props.

The Lost Episode

The show never did shy away from provocative content but sometimes the writers went a little too far. One episode from season three, “I’ll See You In Court,” was scheduled to air in 1989, but due to the politically incorrect content, it never made it on to the air until 2002, when a heavily edited version was released. The episode followed the Bundys and the Rhoades having their marital relations recorded on a steamy sex tape.

A Rude Discovery

At the height of the show’s popularity 15 million viewers tuned in each week to watch what the family was up to next. By 1997 viewership had dropped to 9 million. When the show was eventually canceled due to the dwindling ratings, no one informed the cast of the abrupt cancellation. Ed O’Neill overheard the news from a couple who were discussing it next to him. Yikes.

High Praise

By the time the show was set to end, O’Neill was making more than $500,000 an episode. Back then, O’Neill was one of the highest-paid actors on television. The rest of the cast were also paid particularly high salaries. Unfortunately, the actors’ hefty paychecks, along with the declining ratings, would be a contributing factor to the show’s end.

Fast Fail

The cast and crew had a tough time accepting the show’s cancellation. Producers actually pitched two spin-off shows to the network, both were rejected. However, Fox agreed to come up with a show that centered on Kelly’s one-time boyfriend, Vinnie Verducci, who was played by Matt LeBlanc. He appeared in two spinoffs: Top of the Heap and Vinnie & Bobby. The shows flopped, with neither of them airing more than seven episodes. Matt LeBlanc would soon go on to land his iconic role on Friends, earning him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Doggie Days

Buck the Dog was the wisecracking pet of the Bundys. Incredibly, the same dog would play Buck for 10 seasons. In the tenth season of the show, he would retire due to old age. The little guy made it to pup heaven soon after the show came to its end in 1996.

Keeping it in The Family

During the 11 season course of the show a few of the star’s family and friends me it on to the screen to earn their own fifteen minutes of fame. Ed O’Neill’s real-life wife, Catherine Rusoff, showed up in a two-episode cameo appearance. David Faustino’s brother, Michael Faustino, also made the cut. Christina Applegate’s mother, Nancy Priddy, appeared in an episode, and Katey Sagal’s brother, Joey Sagal, also got his chance to appear in a few episodes. Nothing like keeping it in the family!

Star Strategy

Ed O’Neill’s on-screen job of a lowly shoe salesman was a long-running joke on the show. It was only fitting that when Ed earned himself a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was strategically placed in front of a shoe store. O’Neill, who was later known for his great work on the sitcom Modern Family, was honored with the star in 2011.

Longest Running Show In History

There were 259 original installments of Married… with Children. The final episode was unceremoniously aired on June 9, 1997.

Failed Spin-offs

Garrison’s last appearance as Steve Rhoades was in the season nine finale “Radio Free Trumaine,” where Steve was suddenly a college dean who makes a mistake expelling rebellious school DJs. It was shopped as a pilot starring Keri Russel, but Fox didn’t pick up the series. The spinoff Top of the Heap, starring Matt LeBlanc as one-time Kelly Bundy boyfriend Vinnie Verducci, lasted for six episodes on its own on Fox before being turned into Vinnie & Bobby, which ran for seven episodes in the summer of 1992.

An Untimely End

When O’Neill eventually learned that the series was coming to an end, he was determined to make the finale something special. He came up with the idea that the family should win the lottery and then subsequently be hit by a massive tornado while they’re celebrating. The show’s producers were not a fan of the suggestion. Instead, the finale focused on Al and Griff trying to purchase a massage chair.

No Ma’am

Do you remember the NO MA’AM organization? It stood for: National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood/Numb Old Men Anxiously Awaiting Morticians. It was an anti-feminist group founded by Al Bundy in response to Women’s Bowling Night replacing the Men’s, and the nudie bar being turned into a Women’s Coffee House. What would women think of this now?

Huge Expenditure Per Episode

Despite its huge success and adoring fans, producing an episode of the sitcom was a huge expense. Each episode of Married With Children cost the creators and producers around $ 1 Million per episode, which is would explain the series’ untimely end. Each broadcast became too expensive and the profit margin wasn’t able to catch up.

Playing The Part From Day One

While Katey Sagal read for her audition as Peggy Bundy, she desperately wanted to get the part, so she got into character, to prove that she owns it, and apparently, since she had a pre-notion of what her character should look like, she literally dressed the part when she showed up with a huge red wig.

Preggers Peggy 3 Times

Katey Sagal was actually pregnant three times throughout the filming of the show over a ten year period. Unfortunately, during her first pregnancy, she gave birth 6 weeks early to a stillborn, In the show, Al had a nightmare where both Peggy and Marcy were pregnant at the same time, which now explains the extended storyline. Katey’s last two pregnancies were successful! The producers and wardrobe consultants were extremely good at keeping it under wraps. We didn’t know.

Wigging Out

During the 10th season of the show, Christina Applegate, had to actually put on a blonde wig because she went brown for a different movie role. Throughout the series, the Bundy’s often joke about Kelly’s natural hair color and how she’s actually a bottled blonde.

Vista What Now?

Nope, it’s not Visa, and yes, it was in fact done on purpose. The famous sign that’s displayed in Bundy’s shoe shop actually reads VISTA cards. Perhaps the producers wanted to stay away from a clear lawsuit? If you don’t pay enough attention, it could easily read Visa.

The Bald And The Beautiful

Do you remember this episode? “The Bald and the Beautiful”, is where Al and Steve attempt to use a hair tonic to grow their hair back. At the end, Al and Steve attend a panel for bald (and balding) men. When Al gets his turn to speak, he delivers a hilarious “The Reason You Suck” Speech to the men in attendance. This was actually based on something real that Katey’s husband had been to, so they used the idea for the show, and it worked.

Life’s A Beach

The beginning of “Life’s A Beach” has Kelly and Bud pretend to be blind while mocking Al behind his back to get money. They then find Peggy in the closet scrounging for change from Al’s wallet. Peg prepares Al for the family’s trip to the beach for a photo and gives him a T.V. to watch. Then she blinds Al when a beautiful woman comes up to him. This scene had to be filmed more that 10 times, due to the cast laughing so hard.

One Down, Two To Go

The episode “One Down, Two To Go”, starts with Bud answering a sex hotline and barking into the phone on demand. Kelly and her boyfriend Jake catch him in the act, leading to Bud lying about why he was barking into the phone. “Let’s go upstairs and play Strip Nintendo like adults.” This line was ad-libbed, but it worked so well, that they kept it in.

Mixing Storylines

In 1991, Ed O’Neill was starring in a movie called Dutch, which features a working class man who volunteers to
pick his girlfriend’s son from school in order to create a bond, but it doesn’t go well. The movie was then mentioned in two instances on the show, the first scene was when Al was on a plane and the second Al and his wife Peggy went to rent a movie to watch at home.

Where Is Ed Now?

Ed O’Neil will always and forever be Al Bundy. However since landing the role of patriarch Jay Pritchett on Modern Family in 2009, O’Neil has shed his Bundy image, into the lovable dad. Ed has also had guest appearances on shows like 8 Simple Rules, with former costar Katey Sagal.

What Did The Futurama Hold For Peggy?

It didn’t take long for Katey to shake the Peg persona. She has gone on to have a very successful television career. Immediately after the show ended, she became the voice of Leela on the hit animated comedy Futurama.

Cancer Scare

Applegate has had success in both film and television throughout her career. Christina became an advocate for Breast Cancer after she was diagnosed while filming Married With Children, at such a young age. She is now cancer free?

Quickly Replaced

We bet you didn’t know that Christina Applegate and David Faustino weren’t originally supposed to play Kelly and Bud Bundy. Tina Caspary and Hunter Carson played Kelly and Bud in the pilot episode, but they were replaced when the show actually aired.

Frank Sinatra Featured

The show’s theme song was originally performed by Frank Sinatra for a television production of Our Town. The version of the song that ended up on Married… with Children was released on Sinatra’s 1956 album This Is Sinatra! How cool is that?

Activists Complain

The show gained huge recognition after a family activist started a letter-writing campaign criticizing the show’s subject matter. The activists thought the show was anti-family values. But the media was all over the story like a hot rash and it actually helped the show to end up becoming extremely successful!

Casting Success

Ed O’Neill was cast as Al Bundy because of one very particular acting choice. During his audition, he just had to walk through the front door of the Bundys’ home. Before walking in, he slumped his shoulders and let out a defeated sigh. This immediately won him the part! We are not sure if the sigh was real or acting, but either way- it worked.

Prank Calls

For birthdays and during the holidays, Ed O’Neill used to make phone calls to fans of the show in full Al Bundy character. And in typical Al Bundy fashion, he only called them collect! Imagine picking up the phone and hearing Al Bundy on the other line, you wouldn’t mind paying!

Terrible Title

When the show was first in production, the working title was “Not the Cosbys.”Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, we don’t know about you, but we are glad it got changed!

Budget Budget Budget

The budget for the show was originally very low. So low in fact, that when Buck the dog went on a shopping trip, the items he bought were really just items from the cast’s and crew’s homes. Katey Sagal also didn’t get a wig until the third season of the show!

Directorial Debut

Amanda Bearse was Marcy, the Bundy neighbor who loved to annoy Al. Since the show ended Amanda has kept herself busy behind the camera focusing on her directing career. Bearse directed more than 30 episodes of Married With Children during its run.

Let Me Go

David played Steve Rhoades, Marcy’s first husband for only three and half seasons. Garrison, who was a theater actor, asked to be let out of his contract so he could go back to performing in the theater.

Funny Fitting Tribute

In a fitting tribute, when Ed O’Neill got his Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011, it was perfectly placed in front of a shoe store. It couldn’t be anywhere else! We just loved the shoe store scenes.