Married with Childrenstars Christina Applegate and Ed O’Neill speak about the famous sitcom’s abrupt cancelation. Initially premiering on Fox in 1987,Married with Childrenfocused on the interesting dynamics of the Bundy family. Applegate starred in the long-running sitcom as Kelly, the daughter and eldest child, while O’Neill played the family patriarch Al Bundy. Both stars featured in all 11 seasons until Fox suddenlypulled the plug onMarried with Childrenin 1997.
The other two members of the Bundy family were played by Katey Sagal and David Faustino.
Now, several years afterMarried with Children’s cancelation, Applegate and O’Neill opened up toPeopleabout its abrupt end.O’Neill recalled being told about the show’s cancelation by a random couple that had just gotten married, while Applegate remembers hearing the news from a man who worked for her assistant at the time. Read their full comments below:
O’Neill:A car pulled in with the ‘Just Married’ things hanging off the back, you know, the tin cans … and I thought, ‘Oh, they, you know, just married.’ So I was standing there, and they got out of the car, and it was the husband and wife. She was in the gown, and he was in the tux. And he said, ‘Oh my god. It’s Al Bundy, in Ohio.' And I said, ‘Yeah. Congratulations. You got married.
The woman said, ‘We’re so sorry about your show. “And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And the guy said, ‘Oh my god. He doesn’t know. It’s on the radio. You got canceled. “They said, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry,’ and I said, ‘I’d rather hear it from you.’ So yeah. I came inside. I love champagne.
Applegate:I found out from a guy who knew a guy who worked for my assistant at the time. That’s how I found out. They never called us.
Is There A Married With Children Spinoff Or Revival In The Works?
There Have Been Several Attempts To Keep Married With Children Alive
Married with Childrenwas Fox’s first big success following its release in 1987. The show’s raunchy humor, sexually-charged scenes, and the Bundy family’s relatable and oftentimes chaotic dynamic made it controversial, butit also contributed to its success and overall reputation. FollowingMarried with Children’s impressive run, which helped launch the careers of some of its stars, especially O’Neill, who went on tostar inModern Family, there have been a number of attempts to create spinoffs and reboots of the show.
Top of the Heapwas the first spinoff attempt made, but it only lasted 7 episodes.Radio Free Trumaine, which was set to include the Bundys’next-door neighbor Steve Rhoades(David Garrison), andEnemieswere the two other attempts to expand theMarried with Childrenuniverse; both shows, however, failed to leave the cutting room floor. Following several years of silence about the iconic sitcom, there were reports in 2022 thata possible reboot was in the works.
Married With Children’s 3 Failed Spinoffs Explained
Married with Children was a huge hit and iconic sitcom for FOX, but the network’s three attempts to launch a spinoff all sadly fell flat.
Along with the news thatMarried with Childrenwas making a comeback, it was also confirmed, perhaps quite surprisingly, that the reboot would be animated. This change hasn’t exactly gone down well with longtime fans of this sitcom. However, withO’Neil, Applegate, Faustino, and other key actors agreeing to return to voice their characters,this should help retain some of the familiarity and hilarious dynamic that made this show so successful in the first place. Though the series hasn’t premiered just yet, it does still appear to be in active development.
