76. Married With Children
One of the most impactful television series ever
run on American TV was Married… with Children.
show aired on the FOX Channel for 11
, and many believe it was responsible for keeping
news station alive during the early years.
In
, commercial TV in the United States was dominated
the big three: the American Broadcasting Company (ABC),
National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Columbia Broadcasting
(CBS). When the FOX Channel appeared on the
, few people gave it much chance to survive
the face of its stiff competition, but Married…
Children changed all that.
The show followed the
of a dysfunctional family that lived in a
suburb of Chicago. The main character was the
, Al Bundy, who was a lovable loser living
his self-centered wife, and bratty kids. Together, the
makes Al's life miserable as he stumbles, and
his way through life. Al works as a
salesman that pays very little, and has little
of promotion.
Al is an endearing character who
the adoration of the American public for many
. The actor Ed O'Neil, who played Al, said
people still approach him to this day calling
Al, or Mr. Bundy. O'Neil also said that
the character for so many years made it
for him to find work once the series
because people associated him with Al.
One of
things that made the show so popular is
no subject was off-limits to the writers. It
a controversial show that dealt with controversial subjects.
people boycotted the show because of its racy
, but FOX continued on. The show has cultivated
cult-like following that began in the 80s, and
today.
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