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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:02:01 GMT
Phenomenally hilarious , anti-PC sitcom. 10/10 The Bundys are a spectacularly anti-PC, dysfunctional wreck of a family. That's what makes Married With Children so hysterically funny. Poor, beleaguered shoe salesman Al Bundy, has much to contend with in life. There's his terminally tacky, oversexed wife Peg. Not to mention Al's slutty daughter Kelly, and smart-Aleck son, Bud. And the world around Al has changed, much to his dismay. Al is still stuck in a Neanderthal male mentality, especially with regards to women's rights. He's like a modern-day Archie Bunker, who is unable, or unwilling to adjust to contemporary society as it is.
Ed O'Neil played Al with a smug, male-chauvinist-pig relish. Katy Segal as Peg, lit-up the screen with her own bawdy charisma. Together, they had a crackling comedic chemistry between them. The supporting cast, certainly augmented the loose-cannon hilarity of this show. But Ed O'Neil and Katy Segal, were the center that held this show together, during it's long run on TV. The show would've been much less entertaining, without the two of them. Married With Children can now be enjoyed via DVD. Check it out, and see why this mad-cap sitcom was so phenomenally popular, when it was still on network TV.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:05:32 GMT
Married With Children was a show that took chances and broke all the rules. It was raunchy, crude, rude, remorseless, unforgiving, politically incorrect, and it just didn't care. Unlike the vast majority of other family sitcoms at the time, Married With Children didn't try to force a moral lesson down your throat or hammer you over the head with positive family values. The point of the show was to just simply have fun and anyone with a good sense of humor can enjoy its hilarious over-the-top comedy. The characters need no introduction since The Bundys are practically pop culture icons and heroes to the common man (and woman).
Looking back at this show I can break it down into four different "Eras":
"The Beginning" (Seasons 1 and 2)
During this era the show was barely on its feet. It wasn't drastically different from other family sitcoms at the time and it was still trying too find its place in television history. Still, some classic episodes can be found from this era.
"The Golden Age" (Seasons 3 and 4)
Married With Children had finally made its mark on television history. The third and fourth seasons were pure gold and the show really defined itself during this era. The sexual humor was raunchier, the jokes were cruder, the characters were livelier, the audience was rowdier, the show was devoid of any moral values... and viewers around the globe loved it. The show was at the height of its popularity during this era. A controversial episode featuring a sex shop that was boycotted by watchdog groups aided in its popularity.
"The Middle Ages" (Seasons 5, 6, and 7)
The show experienced a dip in quality during this era, due in part to the many gimmicks introduced. Season 5 is mostly good except for the spin-off featuring Friends actor Matt LeBlanc. Season 6 is among the worst mostly because of the Peggy's pregnancy-turned-dream plot that took up a good chunk of the season. Katey Sagal had a miscarriage in real life so the pregnancy plot was completely discarded, which affirms my belief that you shouldn't incorporate real life occurrences into shows. The sixth season also had the dreadfully dull and boring three-part England episodes, which drags on for far too long. Season 7 is a rather good season if you can get past the universally loathed Seven character, which was by far the worst and most pointless gimmick character the show ever introduced, and also proved that a third child was unnecessary.
"The NO MA'AM Years" (Seasons 8, 9, 10, and 11)
The final years of Married With Children were actually some of the best if you ask me. We've followed Bud and Kelly through their teen years and now they're all grown up. The final seasons gave us a glimpse of their lives as young adults, which was a refreshing new experience. Jefferson had a more active role and no longer felt like a one-dimensional rushed replacement for Steve anymore. NO MA'AM was founded and members such as Griff, Bob Rooney, and Ike proved to be great companions to Al. Katey Sagal became pregnant again but the writers made the smart decision of filming her scenes separately to mask the pregnancy.
Married With Children did not receive a proper send off, which is unfortunate, but the fact that the show lasted an amazing 11 seasons is astonishing enough, so it's easy to overlook that. Even today, the show gets plenty of air time through syndication, which proves just how tough it stood the test of time. It's the perfect fix for those fed up with sappy political correctness and just want some good ol' carefree over-the-top entertainment.
"WHOA BUNDY!!!"
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:07:24 GMT
Good, but got worse with seasons. The only reason why I can't give 10 points to "Married with Children" is the fact that the show was a different show in the beginning, compared to the later seasons. After season 5 it became just too over the top for me. But seasons 1-4 were perfect. Married With Children from the earlier seasons is a totally different show than Married With Children from the later ones. I guess that's what happens to all long-running sitcoms - they change way too much. In my opinion seasons 1-4 are the best, but that's my personal opinion.
"Married with Children" has lots of good and funny moments unlike most American sitcoms. It is my second all-time favorite sitcom (First place is ALF, and third is a tie between Roseanne and Grace Under Fire). It's also witty and satiric.
As summary I just say that "Married with Children" is a great show, but I really like the earlier seasons like the first 4. The show started going downhill after that and season 7 was the worst of all seasons (hate that kid Seven).
I'll definitely buy seasons 1, 2, 3 and probably 4 on DVD. Not so sure about seasons 5-11.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
Top 10 comedy! 10/10 For me, when it comes to TV shows, if a show is great for at least 70% of its run and that 70% is pure comic gold, that's good enough for me to rate it high! Lest we forget, MOST shows go way past their prime and stay on simply due to good ratings or simply due to the fact that it's hard to let go. MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN did kind of suffer this fate in its later years, but for my money, it was a great comedy for much of its 11-season run! MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN told the tale of one Al Bundy (played by Ed O'Neill in one of the seminal comic performances in all of TV history). O'Neill should have won multiple Emmys for this role and it's a travesty that he was never even nominated! Al Bundy was the ultimate loser, a lifetime shoe salesman dragged down by marriage and fatherhood. He couldn't catch a break to save his life! Yet somehow, Al's misery was our company! The viewer loved Al because most of us can relate to him in some way, shape, or form. O'Neill embodied the character so brilliantly that I'm afraid that this may have typecast him for all eternity as he could never escape this singular comic gem of a character.
Al's wife was the redheaded Peggy Bundy (wonderfully played by the multi-talented Katey Sagal, whose perfectly timed zingers excellently complemented O'Neill). Peggy was simply a force of nature that was in truth Al's soulmate, the yin to his yang (even though he'd never admit it!).
Al's daughter was all-time blonde bimbo Kelly Bundy (played to comic perfection by Christina Applegate). To me, Kelly is the best dumb blonde in the history of anything! But make no mistake, Kelly was not just some inactive, mindless airhead. Applegate instilled the character with an deceptively underlying sense of self, street smarts, spirit, and determination, that made you believe she may actually have been smarter than she appeared!
Al's son was the short, smart, crafty, and eternally horny Bud Bundy (hilariously played by David Faustino). Bud was a self-proclaimed ladies man, but actually just the opposite! The way Al always failed at his schemes, it was fun watching Bud get slapped down all the time by hot babes! And, like Kelly, Bud was grossly underestimated. Bud Bundy is probably the most cool teen loser ever! And he got the girl more often than ya think!
Al's neighbor was the well-to-do, intelligent, annoying, speechifying Marcie Rhoades Darcy (terrifically performed by Amanda Bearse). Marcie initially was married to Steve Rhoades (David Garrison), her intellectual and financial equal. But Steve left her (when Garrison left show after the 3rd season) and Marcie was single for a year, then in the 5th season came Jefferson Darcy (played by Ted McGinley, who always shows up in the later years of shows!). Jefferson was simply a jobless pretty boy who Marcie married for his looks, but they eventually did fall in love for real (I guess!). Personally, I probably liked Steve a bit more than Jefferson, but after a shaky season or two, the show did a great job of incorporating Jefferson into the cast and McGinley really came into his own. Also, Garrison came back to the show in a recurring status in a few episodes, which was a really nice twist as it is rare that this happens once a major character leaves.
MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN is perhaps one of the best "laugh-out-loud" comedies ever. It told a lot of jokes and one-liners and delivered them all with great comic timing. To this day, many of them are just as fresh as when I first heard them. I can easily watch this show in reruns without ever getting bored. Also, similar to CHEERS, the show really can claim to have two periods, the "Steve years" and the "Jefferson years", with Season 4 sandwiched in between. The Steve years, the first 3 seasons, the show was more laid back and, dare I say, a bit realistic! The Jefferson years were much more outrageous and are probably what the show is most famous for, but the Steve years+Season 4 are pretty darn re-watchable also!
There were a lot of famous (and infamous!) guest stars on the show: comics and comic actors, musicians, athletes, iconic TV stars, playboy playmates, as well as future TV stars who got their first big break on MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN. Very few shows (even the best ones) can lay claim to this.
The constant of course was the core cast of the Bundy clan. I couldn't get enough of Al and Peggy's war of wills and words, or Kelly and Bud's nonstop insults at each other. The chemistry between these two pairs was amazing. I actually think Kelly and Bud are the best sibling pair in all of TV history. They really seemed like brother and sister and it was a lot of fun watching them scheme with and against each other. Al and Peggy taught them well! When all is said and done, MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN ranks right up there with the best. And it's central character, Al Bundy, the embodiment of the biggest loser ever, in reality through all his hilarious failures, may be the biggest winner ever!
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:11:12 GMT
Consistently funny sitcom 10/10 Growing up, my family always watched this show every Sunday night. We would laugh all the time, too. I'm sure a lot of critics did not care for this show, and many TV viewers didn't, either. Married... with Children is a show that you either like or you don't like.
The reason people dislike it is because the material is lowbrow and the Bundys are not your typical suburban family. I take the position that the show is satirical.
Think about this. You know someone from high school who thought he or she would live out their dreams after graduation. For whatever reason, that never happened. Al Bundy is that kind of person. He thought he would make it big in life, but is just a shoe salesman, and not even a good one at that. Many can relate to Al because his life did not turn out as well as he thought it would.
Al's wife Peggy is definitely not one's idea of a housewife. She dislikes housework to begin with. What about parenting? That's not her forte, either. Having a full-time job like Al? Absolutely not. As long as she has Bon Bons and is watching Oprah, she is happy.
The Bundy kids are no better than their parents. Kelly has no intelligence and relies on her attractiveness to get what she wants in life. Bud is actually very smart, but not when it comes to meeting girls.
Of course, this show would not be complete without foils for the Bundys. This brings me to their neighbors, Steve and Marcy (and later on Jefferson). Steve and Marcy Rhoades each work in the banking profession. They are happy and successful, basically everything the Bundys are not. Obviously, this sets up comedic situations for the characters, often with funny results. Eventually, Steve leaves Marcy and his job at the bank to become a park ranger. Soon after, Marcy marries Jefferson D'Arcy, who is kind of a male version of Peggy. He hates working, and prefers to do anything else but go out and find an everyday job. Again, this leads to some moments of laughter.
The show has a fine ensemble cast. Each member plays his or her part perfectly. The dialogue is consistently funny, and it's safe to say you'll remember lines from several episodes. If you want a good laugh, catch Married... with Children.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:14:45 GMT
There will never, EVER, be a show quite like MWC!! 10/10 No sitcom has ever been funnier, raunchier, and morally sexist such as Married...with children, a show that, along with it's titular anti-hero AL Bundy, became renowned in America and the world all over. With constant jib-jabs among the dysfunctional Bundy family, this show will have you laughing on the floor in minutes. Married with Children is not for the faint of heart, nor does it provide any moral/intellectual value. What it does is make you laugh out loud hard on the floor. Nothing more, nothing less. And it's got hot chicks to boot; you can't argue with the amount of babes you get to see. Classic in every since of the word.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Feb 6, 2014 21:16:30 GMT
The greatest sitcom ever made 10/10 Married with children is the greatest sitcom ever made. It makes me laugh out loud more than any show I can remember - just thinking of Al Bundys face makes me laugh. All the elements of a great comedy series is spot on. First the casting. So who else could have played Al Bundy? No one. Lets get this straight - Ed O'Neill is not a comedian. This is not a sitcom based around or written for a comedian. Ed O'Neill is an actor in a comedy role. There is the main difference between this and most other sitcoms. The show is based around Al Bundy but Ed O'Neill does not steal scenes, he allows other cast members to be funny - it just so happens he is also simply hilarious in every aspect as Al Bundy. He is able to do subtle expressions that can crack me up - he can deliver a punch line as good as anyone and he is also great at physical comedy. Peggy Bundy is Al's wife played by Katey Sagal. I've read somewhere that she created the Peggy 'look' - Katey and Ed O'neill have excellent chemistry and without being simply the nagging wife Peggy has her own quirks and personality. Perhaps the surprise element of the casting was the children. When first picked no one could have imagined they would develop into excellent comedy actors in their own right and be able to hold their own in episodes for themselves. The writers do wonders in developing the children's own characters -once they start to mature as actors Kelly Bundy is not simply eye candy but develops into the blondest bimbo you could ever imagine and the skill from Christina Applegate in some of the vacant expressions she pulls and some of the dumb lines she says is genius. Then there is Bud - David Faustino apes Ed O'Neill expressions in the way a son picks up his fathers traits - and unfortunately Bud inherits Al Bundys luck too to hilarious effect. The cast is rounded off by the neighbours - Marcy is played by Amanda Bearse who puts up with some terrible put downs and is clearly a good sport. Steve and Jefferson play each husband in turn and compliment the cast equally. The sheer length of the show would normally mean dips in form. However Married with Children develops into different styles over the years and becomes more out there - more ridiculous. The beauty in the writing and development of the show is in its sheer lack of empathy for anyone or anything. Things never go right for Al and rarely for the rest of the Bundys. The greedy nasty people in the show normally end up with the money - the good looking people get all the breaks and most people are shallow and selfish. Its probably more realistic than you think! You root for Al - although not perfect by any means himself. My favourite episodes would include the Aliens visiting Al to take his dirty socks as fuel for their space ship. Mr Empty Pants in which Peggy designs a cartoon based on Al which becomes a massive hit. The one where Al's barber dies and he and his friends must go to a 'salon' and ... well there is too many to list - I'll just say Al Bundy was a massive inspiration on Homer Simpson and perhaps on Peter Griffin for family guy. However Al was the first and in my opinion the best. its also criminal this series has never had a decent run in England but hey I still found it somehow and I love it! Lets rock.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 12:55:40 GMT
The Best Show Ever!!! 10/10 The best show that has ever been made it wasn't like all the other shows that talked about love and bull like that it was real comedy that no other show can come close to.it is the perfect show for anyone who can get this and is the number one show that has been made.it had really deserved a final episode but they canceled it after moving the time slot and never gave it a proper ending which is a total disrespect to the best show that has and will ever be made.al and peg make a masterpiece of hatred to each other while kelly is almost like a slutty persona and bud is known for his love of chicks hotters and tries to get in the pance of any babe.marcy is know for her chiken stance and her lazy husband is lazy.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 12:58:02 GMT
A timeless classic 10/10 The only show to top MWC since its demise has been EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. But in its time, MWC had no equal. Picking up where ALL IN THE FAMILY left off, MWC offered us a white-trash family where anything and everything goes. Shoe salesman Al Bundy, whose greatest moment in life was scoring four touchdowns in a high school football game, is just trying to get by from day to day. His job is hell, and his home life isn't much better. He has a slattern for a wife and two growing children. While the boy is intelligent, he appears to be on the same downward path as his dad (although that changed somewhat as the series went on). The daughter is a classic blonde bimbo. The show was way over the top for its time, since outdone in over the topness only by FAMILY GUY. Gays, fat broads and the next-door neighbor were some of Al's favorite targets as he railed against the world. He also was quick with his fists, which the audience ate up. Ed O'Neill was perfect as the brain-dead man of the house. He actually toned down the character a bit as the years wore on. See the pilot or any early episode and then watch an episode from later in the series to see what I mean. Most of the show was set in the Bundy's living room, and yet it worked. For that matter, most of RAYMOND took place in the Barones' living room, and that show worked just as well. It's all in the writing and delivery, folks.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 13:21:34 GMT
A fat woman waddled into the store today! 10/10 Poor Al Bundy. He has a wife he hates, a daughter who's a dimwit, and a son who thinks he is cool but really isn't. Al the lowly Shoe Salesman still manages to keep it together even though he really wants to go insane.
Married with Children is one of my favorite television shows only behind Seinfeld.
The sexist jokes were funny however later in the show they focused more at poking fun at women which I found to be a bit much. However I did enjoy the fat jokes and I happen to be a heavy individual.
Some of the best jokes involved Al poking fun at Marcy their next door neighbor. "I have a strange yearning for some melons, and a plucked chicken." Great joke!
Most of the newer episodes were not nearly as funny but still happened to maintain the shows charm. Many major changes may have hurt the show such as Steve's departure and the introduction of Jefferson both of them were still good. Seven perhaps was the biggest blow to the series and was a character that should have been more comedy relief. Al and Bud are my favorites of the show.
Overall a great show and one of the classics.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 13:41:05 GMT
This is true sitcom 10/10 This show, in my opinion, has to be the best sitcom I have ever watched. It has everything a sitcom should be: differences between people, certain amount of silliness, things that they do, the problems they have, etc.
The Bundys, Al, Peg, Kelly and Bud have showed the entire world that they are the real deal and that all other family-related sitcoms that came after are just inferior in comparison. Al just tends to hate his job of being a shoes salesman and tends to complain about how miserable his life is. Peg is the housewife no man would probably want to have, well even though she tends to do cooking, she just spends her time watching TV and slacking off. Kelly is just a dumb blonde girl you would just can't help but love due to her naiveté, even though she can be described as a slut at times. Bud is horny, but always tends to fail at getting a girl to have interest in him.
This show has great jokes and enough silliness to make you laugh to the point where you might almost die from it. The acting from these actors is just brilliant and you can get along with their characters quite easily. This show just has everything that you want in a sitcom. Watch it and you will not regret it.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 15:52:11 GMT
Crude and mean--but hysterical! 10/10 Sitcom that lasted 10 years about the Bundys--Al (Ed O'Neill), wife Peggy (Katey Sagal), son Bud (David Faustino) and daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate). Al is a shoe salesman and hates his job, Peggy just stays home and does nothing, Bud is (somehow) very smart but can't get a date and Kelly is gorgeous but VERY dumb and sleeps around. It also deals with their long-suffering neighbors--Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and Steve (David Garrison) and (later on) Jefferson (Ted McGinley). Basically the show is nonstop insults and sarcasm between all the characters and various situations they get into.
The show started on Fox and was basically dumped on Sunday night at 8:30 and left alone. That gave the writers free reign and they pushed the envelope more than once. The shows got VERY outrageous and dealt with touchy subjects (most involving sex). One of the episodes (The Camping Show from season 3) was so extreme they put it on at 9:00. The first four seasons were fantastic--VERY funny and well-done. After that the show quickly fell apart. The jokes got repetitious and the laughs were few and far between. Still the ratings were strong and Al became an icon for working men all over. However Fox seemed embarrassed by the show and (by the 10th season) wanted it off. They moved it to Saturday night, the ratings dropped and it was quickly canceled.
This show pushed the boundaries of comedy and, without it, we wouldn't have had the sitcoms we have today. Very mean and cruel by fun. A 10 all the way.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 15:56:41 GMT
Brings the raunch to sitcom land 10/10 If you're tired of the family sitcom where everyone is clean cut and respectful of each other then Married with Children is the show for you. If you want a show that's as completely different then The Cosby Show then this is the show for you.
The main characters: Al Bundy: A man who's life is a living nightmare, he sells shoes for a living and drives a crappy Dodge.
Peggy Bundy: Al's redheaded wife who loves Bon Bons and making Al's life a living hell.
Kelly Bundy: The white trash slut of a daughter played by the gorgeous Christina Applegate.
Bud Bundy: The scrawny little loser who never gets any dates.
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 15:58:03 GMT
Al Bundy Classic love it
well this is brilliant to sum it up in a little sentence this is like the Simpsons bought to life
you can see it again and again and still find it funny , a set show about the average poor American
the character are great , the way its made its like watching a cartoon
this is one of the best comedy series ever made , there are so many jokes and the plots are silly yet entertaining
all you need to do is see one episode to be converted to know that this is genius
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Post by sbtbfanatic on Apr 22, 2014 16:18:32 GMT
The Lack of Quality in the Later Seasons 10/10 Married seemed to have been taken over late in the 5th season by writers who didn't understand what the show was trying to convey or what was effective or appealing about it. It started out as a dark comedy that used sarcastic dialogue and controlled comedic exaggeration to show the hostilities and resentment that members a family (in this case a "white trash" suburban family) feel toward each other deep down and usually suppress out of basic human decency. Though it always had toilet humor and crude sex jokes, the writing was actually fairly sophisticated in that it used low humor for a high purpose, to show the often ugly truth of the relationships in the kinds of families that make up a huge portion of the American population, and the frustration of the lower-class working man. Around the third season it got a little more far-fetched and cartoonish with too much time given to Bud (David Faustino) and Kelly's (Christina Applegate) verbal put-downs, which were tediously redundant and reminiscent of JJ and Thelma's fighting on the African-American 70s sitcom Good Times. Al became even more pathetic, but in, I think, a profound way (In the classic "Peggy Turns 300", Al and Peg go bowling and Al is distressed that Peg seems about to bowl a perfect game, making it impossible to conceivably beat her. When she gets a 9 in the last frame, Al jumps up and down with joy and his vibrations cause the last pin to fall. Perfect!) Somewhere in the 5th season however, probably with the two-part ep "Route 666", the entire sensibility of the show suddenly changed. The dark, biting satire was, for the most part, replaced with random crazy behavior of the characters, sexiness for the sake of sexiness and superficial, weakly-constructed jokes. The cartoony outrageousness had a numbing effect. Everything in the script was in service of the weak, contrived joke, even at the expense of character consistency. At about this time, Ted McGinley entered the cast. Every show he's been on (Love Boat, Happy Days) seemed to go down in quality, and then get cancelled, shortly after he joined the cast. Though Married didn't get cancelled for several more years, the writing certainly went down in quality. Al even seemed to become, occasionally, a nice guy. There were references to him being on the verge of starving to death, but since he was always concerned with things like "being cool", you never really believed it. Though he was suppose to be hated by everyone, he was often seen with lots of friends (the NO-MA'AM group). I believe all this ruined the poignancy and profoundness of his character, and the writing of the entire show was weak, randomly "zany" and often just plain stupid. Could it be said that Al Bundy's ultimate curse was Ted McGinley?
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