Bump

MWC was FOX's longest-running non-animated show. It was a real shame how the show just "ended" after 11 seasons, with no "farewell" episode. The possible futures for these characters were endless.

Anywho, this is one of the few shows I can watch in syndication over and over, and never get tired of it.

Remember "How Do I Love Thee?" with host David Leisure? The other couple (Featuring "Unhappily Ever After"'s Geoff Pierson) couldn't bear to to anything bad to each other. Peg put Al under a mattress, and loaded it with fat women. "I can taste my spleen," Al says.

The barbs between Al and Marcy were truly brilliant. "Well, it sounds like a chicken," says Al, "but the legs have been picked clean, and I don't see any breasts."

The beauty of this show is that it was like a live-action cartoon. Al could be in a full-body cast at the end of one ep, then back to normal the next.

Any show where the Bundys end up kicking another group's ass (The park at Seven's birthday, the traffic jam, Bud's first trip to the nudie bar, etc.) is classic to me.

But the most ingenious joke: The ep where Al's carpooling with the large 'n lovely Victoria's Secret models. One of them goes to Al's fridge and pulls out a milk carton with Seven's picture on it. ROFLMAO!!!!

The farcical nature of the show can lead many to think of it as a live-action cartoon, but that was always part of the overall "joke". The producers thought enough of us to believe we got that this was all a farce and that we would know the physical humor and sight gags galore were as much a part of the show as T&A is a part of Baywatch.

Having missed many of the episodes of the final two seasons, I've been enjoying them now on Fx in the afternoons. The two-parter where Kelly almost gets married aired today--was this the final episode? I know there was no proper send-off, but it seemed (at the very least) to be a season-ender type of episode (which obviously was what a final episode was filmed to be if it did not know they were going to be cancelled). How cool to see Tricia Cast (Nina from Young and the Restless, among other roles) as a gun totin' ex-con!

Yes, the Al/Marcy snark was the stuff of legends, especially the "chicken" stuff. I remember Marcy getting really mad at one point, putting her hands on her hips and ranting "Why does he say I look like a chicken? Why does he do that??" as her head darted up and down and her arms appeared to be "flapping" like a chicken.

On the MWC reunion special, Amanda Bearse said that Ed O'Neill told her to do that, "bob your head harder", to punch up the joke. Worked. That's one of my favorite Al/Marcy snarks.

I love love this show. My favorite characters were Bud(who was the smart one yet was also a looser) and Peggy who was the worst wife ever!!

What I loved about the show the most, is that even if these characters seem to hate each other a lot, when they were attacked as a group they were united and seem to really care for one another.

There are little moments through out the season where you notice this. Jefferson was great as well, I love that he seemed to fit with the Bundy's more then his wife!

To bring a discussion what is your favorite MWC season ever? I have to say season 6 with the "dream" storyline covering half the season and some great episodes afterwards and before the great "The Bundy's go to England" trilogy!!


The the show went on a rut with season 7(introducing seven!) and season 8 and 9 focusing too much on NO M'aam. Then god season 10 and 11 had very few No Maam episodes and went back to the Bundy family and the darcys.

I think that Seasons 3, 4 and 5 are the best.

Season 3 has many great episodes including the infamous "Her Cups Runneth Over", the story about lingerie shopping that wrought the famous boycott attempt by that Michigan housewife; "The Bald and the Beautiful", where Steve feels insecure about hair loss and drags Al to a support group; "My Mom, The Mom", where Peggy goes to Kelly's class for career day and ends up subverting the whole class; "The House that Peg Lost", where Peg literally loses the Rhoades' house; and the two parter "Married...with Prom Queen" where Peggy is determined to be queen of their high school reunion.

Highlights of Season 4 include "Hot off the Grill", where the Labor Day BBQ burgers have that "special" ingredient; "Dead Men Don't Do Aerobics", where Peggy wins a battle of wills with an aerobics instructor, leading to his demise; "Desperately Seeking Miss October", where a chance encounter with a Playmate lands Al and Steve in hot water; "976 Shoe", where Al's scheme to run a shoe advice hotline is the beginning of the end of the line for Steve, and "Peggy Made A Little Lamb", where Peggy has to pass just one class - Home Ec - to get her high school diploma.

And Season 5 brought us "We'll Follow the Sun", with the Labor day gridlock; "The Dance Show", where Peggy has been going out dancing with a gay man whose partner tries to enlist Al's help in ending the relationship; "Married with Aliens", the over-the-top (even for MWC) episode where aliens need Al's socks for rocket fuel; and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", where a boost to Al's confidence leads to him becoming the envy of all the neighborhood women.

I used to really love this show, but I find it hard to pick a favorite season. After those last few craptacular seasons, I would have to say the first season was actually funny. I saw some of those episodes on FX this afternoon and they were hilarious.

Well, if you like the early ones, Season 1 is already available on DVD, and it appears that Season 2 is due out on Tuesday. I hope enough people keep buying these sets to keep them releasing seasons at a timely pace - there are some shows whose sets appear stuck on S1 for months on end.

Have to agree with HellFireClubGuy that the show got into too much of a No Ma'am rut for a while - I actually think that the club was a funny idea, but it should have been much more of a sideline - the kind of thing where, rather than see their antics, you tend to see more their aftermath. I can just imagine Peggy having conversations with Marcy about how No Ma'am was off on another Quixotic quest, only to have the door open and a disheveled Al and Jefferson come home having been beaten down once again.

Hey, does anybody know the name of the episode where Peggy is chased by gangs and break the door of the house open and fall on the floor?

Watching Season 2 on DVD as we speak. *grins with delight* Oh the good ol' days

"And that's why home video will never replace the theatergoing experience."

I quite enjoyed the NO MAAM years, but agree that they could have spent a bit more time on the Bundy/D'Arcy dynamic.

A question: The college radio station episode with (I think) Keri Russell. This was a pretty obvious attempt to set up a spinoff series. Does anyone know what became of that? Did they shoot a pilot? Did they drop the idea altogether?

I'm not saying that it would have been successful, but I would have loved to have seen Steve in a bad guy role on another series. Honestly, he was far more interesting whenever he returned in his smarmy roles than he was as a regular.

I believe that radio station episode with Keri Russell WAS the pilot shot. Shooting pilots within the confines of an established show is done quite often. There was also that one with Matt LeBlanc and his dad on this very show and off the top of my head, The Nanny and CSI (for the Miami one) also did this.

I was going through some video tapes I have over the weekend and I came across a tape of the reunion show. That was one of the first clips on it. I watched the whole thing on a Sunday morning. Man what a great series, pretty much all of the clips were hilarious.

Too many favorite moments! One of my absolute favorites was the Labor Day barbecue, and Peggy's gagging up the burger made with the dead aunt's ashes.

Several Kelly moments- Loved the 2-parter with Kelly's public access show, especially the bad perm girl (this could happen to you!), the band with the one-word songs, the "get a yeast infection" and Bud auditioning to be on her show and running after her. Haven't seen the one with the horrible trip to Florida in a long time, but that one was good, especially the whole thing with Kelly's hair color.

The "I'm too Sexy" moment while shopping in London, and Anthrax performing were the best musical moments to me.

Also with The Golden Girls and Empty Nest, with Burt from Soap and Crystal whatsername, the female Ted McGinley. Of course, the in-show "pilot" was an entirely different cast with characters who were cut before the actual show aired.

Now, does anyone know what became of this would-be spinoff? The title? Anything?

The name of the episode was called "Radio Free Trumaine." I have no idea if this was the proposed name of the spin-off but it's quite likely, seeing as how the Matt LeBlanc spin-off episode was called what the show was called, "Top of the Heap."

All those spin-offs bit, and I resented them taking time away from the Bundys to showcase them. Maybe everyone did and that's why they didn't take off. Heh.

When an established series shoots an episode as a pilot for a spinoff, it's called a "one-off". Recently, the CSI: Miami pilot was a one-off of CSI, and CSI: New York's pilot was a one-off of CSI: Miami.

MWC had 3 such episodes:

'Top of the Heap' with Matt LeBlanc and Joey Lauren Adams. Six episodes outside of the one-off were produced as a separate series 'Top of the Heap', which aired in 1991. After airing a few episodes, the name was changed to 'Vinnie & Bobby', but it was cancelled not long after.

'Radio Free Trumaine', with David Garrison as the college dean and Keri Russell as April. This never made it to a full series.

'Enemies' with Nicole Eggert as Shannon. This episode also featured Alan Thicke. It never made it to a full series.

I miss this show so much, but I didn't even realise there were 11 seasons. I thought they got cancelled right before the 11th. Katey Segal was born to be Peggy Bundy. 8 simple rules, while a nice show, is no substitute.

Yeah, the band. (Hard rock guitar riff, then...) "SLUT!"
What was funny was when Kelly's show got made over to be more "wholesome." The band put on pretty dresses, and changed their lyrics.
(Cheesy accordion music, then....) "Milk."

Fortunately our local indie station airs MWC every weeknight. Along with Seinfeld, the only syndicated shows I can watch ad infinitum, and still laugh my ass off.

The "My dinner with Anthrax" ep has one of my all time fave lines. When the guys eat Mom's mystery pack. One guy says, "If it came out of the fridge, why is it hot?"

Hee!

Just saw "Ship Happens" again, the one with Gilbert Gotfreid, and that is classic Married with Children. "Look, it's sweeps and if that dolphin is not Micheal Jackson's love child, we have no story." And Jefferson cracking up at Gilbert's impressions, and the overweight woman on the boat, "Cookies?!" That is a great episode (s).

Here's a question out of left field:

If Marcy, Steve, Jefferson, etc. are so much better-mannered than the Bundys, why did they never, ever knock before walking into the Bundys' living room?

It drives me bonkers!

I'm guessing since they look so down upon the Bundy's they just thought they could just come right in and insult them, or show off in front of them.

But they did ring the door bell a lot. Because I have a lot of memories of Peg walking on her high heels to the door to open for the Darcy's.

Jefferson is the one that would barge in without knocking. I remember watching an episode where he just marched right in without so much as a how-do-you-do and thinking "what the hell? Knock first, you buffoon!" I think Marcy would do it too but when Steve was on the show they would ring the doorbell first.

There are a lot of times in the early episodes where Steve & Marcy ring the doorbell first - it was often a setup for jokes from Al. I remember once the doorbell rang and Al said "Please let that be a bullet with my name on it!". He opened the door to find Steve, and quipped "Never what I want..."


That episode was a classic. MWC was often dancing on the line of sharp satire vs going too far over-the-top, but when they got it right, it was great.

I was watching my Season 2 DVDs recently and came across a great line I'd forgotten. It comes from the episode where Al & Steve sell Marcy's Barbie doll to get baseball cards, and then have to get it back. Before Marcy notices that her Barbie is missing, she and Peggy are playing with some of Kelly's old Barbie & Ken dolls...predictably, Peggy sets things up so that all of the Kens are tending to Barbie's needs, and she's shown using a Ken to give Barbie a massage. Marcy gets upset and chastises Peggy with:

"Barbie was meant to be dressed beautifully and properly accessorized...not to be lying around being rubbed by a bunch of horny Kens!"

F/X just changed their morning schedule so now Married With Children has replaced 90210. After watching two eps this morning, I now remember why I watched this show religiously every night before bedtime when I was in high school.

The show is running at a local channel and at Sony. I've liked since the first time I saw it. It's just hilarious.

Bump.

Me too! I'm still very bitter that there never was a proper series finale. You know, a two hour special, where we would learn all about the fates, not only of the Bundys, but also of Steve, Seven, Grandmaster B (my role model), Jefferson...

I was wondering where this thread was....

Anyway,

Season 3 is finally coming out on DVD. It's scheduled for a Jan. 25 release.

One hitch though, new theme music....

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2501

...the hell?!

Un-freakin'-believable.

Thanks for the link, sears44. I'd been to that site's list of release dates and saw that the long awaited S3 was finally coming in January, but I had not seen why it was so late in coming, nor did I know that we'd see a change in the music.

It was probably some snotty junior executive somewhere trying to make a name for himself who thought he could shake down the studio to pony up more for the rights to use the song. I just hope that he reaps what he's sown - now the fans are deprived of a beloved (albeit minor) aspect of the show, the studio will likely sell fewer copies of the DVDs (as much for the delay as for the changed music), and the music rights holders will get...nothing. A classic lose/lose/lose situation.

Sure, you don't just give your assets away...but there comes a time in business when you have to recognize that a hardline stand will do more harm than good.

Did they play the ep with the Santa from Northside Mall dieing this year?

I knew a guy in high school who remembered like every show. we would quiz him on everything. Steve's job, where'd steve go? kelly's boyfrieds. He knew like everything, and it was funny that I remembered so much, since i didn't think I watched the show that often(in primetime at least).

Well, Season 3 is out on DVD. Pretty good transfer from what I can tell from watching the first episode. As noted above, there is indeed a new theme song - it has no lyrics, it's just kind of a generic song with just a slight hint of the original. I hope that this set sells well enough that the music rights holders to the original can make up with the studio and we get the real thing back for Season 4.

If you're a fan, this is a good season - as many shows do in their third year, they were hitting their stride and had a number of "classic" episodes. Those include:

• He Thought He Could - Al finally returns an overdue library book from his childhood, only to find his nemesis the librarian has been waiting for him.
• Her Cups Runneth Over - The Playmate-laden episode about lingerie shopping that inspired Terry Rakolta's famous boycott.
• The Bald and the Beautiful - Steve panics about hair loss, and drags Al into a quest to turn back the effects of Father Time on his scalp.
• I'll See You In Court - the famous "lost episode" about the Bundys and Rhoades' being taped having sex at a hotel (ETA to add that they were taped separately. MWC may have pushed the boundaries, but not that far!). This never aired during the show's original run.
• The House That Peg Lost - left in charge of the Rhoades' house while they're on vacation, Peggy manages to allow it to be hauled away to become a chicken restaurant.

I just hope that enough people buy Season 3 to encourage them to keep going through Seasons 4 and 5.

I love that episode. It cracks me up that Steve was all offended that Al didn't find him attractive.

It's one of my two favorites, along with "Hot Off The Grill" (the infamous Labor day picnic episode where the burgers had that little 'something extra'). While I don't mind the scenery, what makes this one so good is that it's so consistent, with good moments coming one on top of another. I also like the bit about Steve being offended when Al says "I like to think I could do better...", and the bit with the old guy clerk is pretty funny as well.

In my last job I traveled a lot, and I couldn't help but be amused to discover that there really is an Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Another bit I love is near the end when Peggy and Marcy ask where the guys have been. When they reply "Oconomowoc!", her eyes glow and she says "Francines?" with scarcely contained glee, and she pushes Steve out of the house in short order so that they can enjoy the fruits of his shopping trip.

Al: If I was gay, I like to think I can do better than him.

Steve: (looking hurt) What's that supposed to mean?

Al: I don't find you attractive. There, I said it!

Hee!

Also, some of the earlier episodes came on this weekend, and I remember that I liked the first shows when Al and Peg seemed to kinda sorta like each other and acted more like a real married couple. Back then, I could see how they stayed together as opposed to the later years when I couldn't imagine why they were together for so long since they seemed to hate each other.

I also like the bit where Steve flicks the tassel on the mannequin and gets caught at it by Al. "Aw, c'mon Al, she was asking for it, look how she's dressed!"

Good point about the earlier shows. I am looking forward to the next couple of seasons on DVD, but the show did eventually fall off and become too broad. (Yes, it's a funny thing to say about MWC, but it's true!) The later seasons often had one or two big laugh lines per episode, but they were definitely not as consistent as the first 5 years.

My favorite episode was when Al took the Dodge to the car wash and it was lost because he didn't know what color it originally was. It was one of those "Steve's returns" episodes. The best part was the end when we learn that Al's treasured possession in the trunk was a picture of his family from the 1st season.

My favorite line, which I still yell out randomly (to the bewilderment of others around me) comes from the boy scount camping trip. "OWL IN MY HAIR! OWL IN MY HAIR!"

Thanks for the info, BewarethePhog. Season 3 sounds like the season to buy. The House That Peg Lost has one of my favorite Married with Children lines ever.

Peg: What do you mean, their house is gone?

Al: Gone. Like my hopes, my dreams, my will to live...

Peg: Oh...gone!

I also like when Al tries to return the overdue book that he's had for 20 years and the librarian charges him a ridiculous late fee- some thousands of dollars- instead of just charging the replacement cost of the book. They rarely show reruns of these eps on TV, so I'll definitely be buying the DVD sets.

I'm a Steve fanatic and this is his best season IMO. Saving up for the DVDs right now. BTW, if the national tour of WICKED is coming to your town you can go and see David Garrison playing the starring role of the Wizard--his theater career is going just great, and I've seen him plenty of times in plays and concerts.

Everybody knows Christina is coming to Broadway, right? Great new website for SWEET CHARITY; the NY theatergoers are worried about her singing but she has the dancing and acting down pat from what I've heard. Ed and Katey have already been in Broadway too, although Garrison's the real theater guy, with about five roles.

Katey was on the Late Late show last night with the Scottish guy, but I haven't watched it yet. If she mentioned MWC I'll come back and report on it.

One of my favorite lines is when there're two young boys in the library, and one of them is about to steal a book. The other kid says, "Hey man, don't 'Bundy' that book!"

I though the show wen downhill in Season 7(which happens to be the season where Seven appears!). Season 8 and 9 are too full of the hwole No Maam crap which I though hurt the show. Season 10 and 11 were goo but not as good as the first 6 years.

I though season 6 rocked..the whole dram marcy/peg pregnant was great. Not too mention the great British trilogy!

HOTG is also one of my faves. What's so interesting about that episode is that Peg has always begged Al for sex and then when she gets it from him 3 times, she cries that she doesn't want it anymore. Best moment of that episode is the final scene w/Peggy chasing Kelly, Marcie eating her Aunt's remains and the smile on Steve's face as he eats the burger.

Onto Season 3, which has I think another one of my top five episodes (my top five include Hot off The Grill, She's Having my Baby 1, and best episodes ever You Better Shop Around 1 and 2) is Eatin' Out. The dinner table scene is just classic. Fave part besides Peg and Al holding the restaurant up with Al's socks is Peg singing "Moon River" while dancing!!!

You're welcome, Yellowpager. Here's a great source for MWC episode information:TV Tome Episode List. I also like the part where the Rhoades are forced to stay over, and since they have nothing to sleep in, the Bundys lend them clothes. The T-shirt Al loans Steve says "I'm Married...Shoot Me"


That final scene is great. I like Kelly's reaction when Marcy reveals the secret ingredient. Kelly is in the background eating, and you see her face come up with a great look of surprise.

A few other highlights of S3:

• My Mom, The Mom - it's career day at Kelly's school, and Peggy makes a big splash teaching the kids her secrets for easy living (like how to steal your husband's wallet without him knowing.)
• Married...With Prom Queen - a 2 part episode centered around Al and Peggy's high school reunion, featuring her quest to be voted Reunion Queen and Al's settling of his old high school rivalry.
• Can't Dance, Don't Ask Me - When Kelly gets in trouble at school, she's forced to take part in a dance recital, where her performance causes the audience to overheat. (An early preview of her dancing ability for those who may be interested in Sweet Charity.)

Ha! I was looking for this thread and I found one! Score! I love this show!!!

I was too young to really watch MWC during the years it was on, but I love watching the reruns on FX. The entire cast had great comedic timing and was really underrated and unloved in my opinion. Call me crazy, but I wish this show had recieved awards of some kind.

Does anyone know how this series actually ended? I know there wasn't a proper series finale. (Makes me wonder if any of the cast was--or still is--bitter at FOX)

My favorite episodes are from season one or two and they're the two parter where the Bundy's go to Dumpwater, FL for vacation and stay at the motel Poppy's by the Tree, which just so happens to have a serial killer. It's hilarious!

Another episode I remember liking from childhood is one where the Bundy's spent all day [and maybe even the night] in the grocery store because it's hot out and cool in the store. Anyone know what I'm talking about? What season is that episode and what is it called if anyone knows?

I believe it was season 5 since they only recently introduced Jefferson and he was still in a Marcy-esque antagonist role before he actually became friends with Al.

Ironically enough, today (or was it yesterday? I can't remember) had the first two London episodes, which like the Dumpwater episodes, involved someone trying to kill the Bundys on their vacation.