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.