This is the 18th post in our Movie of the Week series.
Married with Children was a television show that premiered on April 5th, 1987. It lasted for a total of 11 sevens earning seven Golden Globe nominations. The show has been quoted as being one of the reasons that the fledgling FOX finally grew to be accepted as one of the main networks along with ABC, CBS, and NBC.
The series focused on a dysfunctional family living in Chicago with a main emphasis on the father Al Bundy (Ed O'Neil). Al Bundy found himself tormented by his children and wife and his antics toward them continued the cause the show great success. His wife, Peggy (Patay Segal) filled the role of the typical 80s mom with big hair and spandex but caring much more about shopping and fun than the children. Their daughter Kelly, (Christina Applegate) was known for being beautiful but dumb, and their son Bud (David Faustino), was intelligent at times but definitely an outcast at school. The whole family got themselves into plenty of outrageous situations and their callous nature toward each other was always a driving factor in the show.
The show actually became a success partly to the efforts of a woman in Bloomfield, Michigan. She found the episode Her Cups Runneth Over in the 3rd season to be highly offensive and started a boycott of the show. She did numerous television appearances, letter writing campaigns and some advertisers began to pull from the show. FOX even pulled I'll See You in Court from the lineup and refused to show it. But the ratings for the show went through the roof and propelled Married with Children to become FOX's longest running live-action show. The show would later make reference to the woman in Michigan in the episode No Pot to Please In, in which the Bundys have a television show made after them. But the show gets canceled because "some woman in Michigan didn't like it."
To learn more about Married with Children visit IMDB and the official site.
