Eine schrecklich nette Familie

This show is an all time classic and it's easy to see where more modern shows, especially such total and blatant rip-offs as the Simpsons, have their roots.

Married came about at a time when all other family sit-coms were sickly-sweet and correct. Who can forget such horrors as the Cosby Show or Diff'rent Strokes? Married was different. It dared to push the envelope of what was considered (at the time) right and proper. The family wasn't nice to each other all the time (or even any of the time!) and the show had a more real feel to it as a result.

Of course, reality quickly became subjective in Married, as the episodes became ever more ridiculous and crazy. But every show pandered to some aspect of family life that we can all identify with - car sharing, hatred of our spouses relatives, puberty, dating, work etc. etc. The list is endless. If it's a real life issue, Married has spoofed it in some way or other. Nothing was sacred. Even PMS! Though the writers were reigned in a few times, by all accounts.

The show ran for eleven seasons and over 250 episodes, which is pretty incredible for a comedy show and really should give you an indication of the dedicated fan base that Married attracted. I suspect the show will be in re-runs somewhere until the end of TV as an entertainment medium.

For more info on the show I recommend the E True Story documentary on the show, which really gives an insight into how the show started, progressed and finally was cancelled.

Meet Al Bundy. He sells shoes. For women, no less. And not pretty ones, either. His wife is a couch potato(a crimson-haired Sagal who never misses Oprah), his son a dateless loser(who tries to be cool), and his daughter an airheaded tramp(who takes great pleasure in finding Waldo). And while he remains pathetically locked into the lower middle class, his next-door neighbours, the Rhoades, freely flaunt their Mercedes, their high-paying jobs at the bank and their position above him. Over the course of the 10 years that this ran(!), Bindi... sorry, Birdie... oh, nevermind... will start his own religion(to enjoy tax-exempt status), become an inventor, will go to Washington and in general try(usually ending up at the starting position, like the tendency goes for sit-coms) to recapture his glory days(did you know that he scored four touch-downs in a single game in high school football?). His life may be miserable, but it certainly is never boring to watch. The comedy is raunchy, crude(with that said, it is also clever, referential, cartoony and at times, satirical), and not politically correct... in short, an incredible release for all the pent-up anxiety and frustration for every viewer forced to sit through the Brady Bunch and every other "perfect family with well-behaved kids" that preceded this. Finally, there was a group of people who you could point to and, rather than go "man, why can't we be like them?", say "well, at least we're not as bad as them!". This was the American Pie of its time; telling teenagers that, yes, it is, in fact, OK. You're not as weird or as randy as you might think you are. And this extends that to the older generation, as well; Ed O'Neill(who *nails* the role) voices many opinions held by Conservatives(no, I do not always agree with them... still, I defend the right to have them expressed in a free media), even if they were no longer considered to be "ok", when the changes(men becoming metrosexuals, women gaining rights, computers, etc.). The Liberals had their arguments presented(through Marcy), as well. This very directly confronts actual issues from the time, such as the low wages for public school teachers. The characters tend to be unsympathetic, yet they capture and keep our attention. Part of us wants them to succeed, and cheer them on. This grew as it progressed... compare the pilot to later episodes, and you may have trouble recognizing them. Early on, they didn't cross the line much; later, they pushed it whenever they could. In addition to a time capsule of the late 80's and most of the 90's(from the perspective of someone who grew up decades earlier), this, based on its popularity, is solid proof that we do, indeed, need to blow off some steam sometimes. Does anyone want to be these people? No. So you don't see anyone trying. This is an understandable reaction to TV of varying quality all based around the idea that the only thing that could be presented was good examples, something to look up to and copy. There is a lot of disturbing content, violence(bloodless), sexuality(nothing explicit), and a little moderate language in this. I recommend it to anyone not too prudish for it, and especially fans of Benny Hill, 'Allo 'Allo and similar series. 9/10

"Married with Children" is the kind of show that does nothing for civilization and has no moral value...yet I got some of the biggest laughs in TV history from this show. It is still one of my all-time favorites. I even enjoy watching the repeats over and over again. That's when you know a show is great.

As for Al Bundy, could they have created a funnier TV character than him? He is one of my favorite TV characters, and I sometimes try to imitate him. My friends even jokingly thought of starting a "No Ma'am" group of our own. Speaking of "No Ma'am" one of my favorite episodes is the one where Al starts his own Church, in order to avoid paying taxes. He rants and raves like the stereotypical evangelist, only he has two scantily-clad women by his side. Then Marcy and her feminist group come marching in, showing everyone pictures of Al and Peggy on a romantic date. Everyone gasps. In response, Al imitates Jimmy Swaggart by shedding tears and screaming out, "I have sinned." That was genius! When they one day show a retrospective of the funniest moments in TV history, that scene should definitely be shown. Ed O'Neill plays the character so perfectly, and I was amazed to see that he's actually nothing like his character in real life. He's a very nice, soft-spoken guy. Yet he couldn't be any more convincing as that character. Al Bundy will be his legacy!

The supporting cast is great. David Faustino, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal, David Garrison and Ted McGinley are all very talented. But I could never understand why Bud had trouble getting girls. Faustino's a pretty good-looking guy. Acting-wise, he couldn't be any better, but they could've picked a less attractive actor to have his persona be more convincing.

Yes, the show may appear to be misogynistic. All the female characters are either airheads, whiny housewives or overweight. But I think in a way it's poking fun at misogynism. I don't think the show ever glamourizes the act of misogynism. Just look at the male characters. They're a bunch of beer-drinking slobs. Would you want to follow their philosophies on life? But I do admit, I enjoy the presence of many scantily clad babes on each episode. Hey...if women want to make a show where macho guys appear on every episode in thongs, be my guest! I won't watch it, but it doesn't offend me. If women find "MWC" offensive, don't watch it! You have a remote--use it!

There are so many memorable moments on the show that I will have to take up this whole message board to jot them all down. I will just mention two:

When Peggy painted the bathroom pink and made it girly-looking, and Al was frightened at the sight of it. So when the inspectors came to check it out, Al empties a bag with five sandwiches inside. The song "Bad to the Bone" plays as Al scarfs down every sandwich, drowning each one with hot sauce. He grabs a newspaper, tucks it under his arm and runs straight to the bathroom. The inspectors come running out, the toilet flushes and Al leaves the bathroom proudly.

When Al accidentally got circumsized. He would be afraid to look at anything even mildly stimulating because he was afraid a stitch would break.

But as much as I liked the show, I felt good that it was cancelled. Because the last season reeked!!! I don't know what went wrong, but the writing was drab and contrived, the acting was flat--Al didn't seem like Al anymore! He was actually turning into sort of a nice guy! The show lost all its energy. But for all the previous seasons, I absolutely adored the show. And I regard it as a classic!

My score: 9 (out of 10)

It sure ain't Father Knows Best, Leave It To Beaver, or Ozzie And Harriet. Those 1950's family shows perfectly defined that air-brushed decade with their fantasy mom, dad, and kids, where no problem couldn't be solved by dad just moving his car and the kids piling in. Against that fantasy world MWC must come from a different planet, or maybe even solar system. Daughter Kelly's Saturday night dates exceed her IQ, while son Bud dates only in his imagination. At the same time, dad Al last smiled when wife Peg almost chopped off her finger, while Peg might one day learn how to turn on a stove. In short, the Bundys amount to the last word in tv's dysfunctional families. For this geezer who grew up with 50's tv families, this 90's version amounts to a hilarious step toward another kind of reality, maybe not the kind we want to be a part of, but a gutsy one for tv to undertake.

OK, what's to say about this underappreciated masterpiece of a sitcom that hasn't already been said? Ed O'Neill IS Al Bundy in a way that most of us aren't even ourselves in our own lives. The series wore out its welcome long before its end, but its prime years were incredible. I enjoy my life so much more knowing that I could be Al Bundy, but I'm not!