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Book review: The Complete Married With Children Book


In the history of television, there have been several innovative shows from both a technological as well as a sociocultural perspective. Some shows are landmarks, changing the way we watch and understand television.

“Married With Children” was the anti-sitcom, depicting a dysfunctional family fraught with issues that were carefully avoided on even some of the edgiest comedies in the past. Its comedy was blunt, its characters well drawn, and its writing and performances first rate. It became a milestone itself, and continues to retain its impact in reruns.

Denise Noe has written a fascinating book exploring this video phenomenon, not only offering her own examination, but drawing from interviews with those involved in the creation and execution of the program. The development of the concept, the creating of the characters, the casting of those characters, the writing and production of the initial shows, and the audience response, are all factors Noe covers in her study. Each one offers its own set of enlightening details.

One of the most interesting portions of the book is how the cast responded to the material outside of their performances. Ed O’Neill, for instance, did not expect the show to extend past six episodes, and was surprised when he started to be recognized in public places like restaurants after the show had been on only a few weeks. Katy Sagal, however, did not give up her anonymity because the Peg Bundy character wore a flashy wig. Thus, off-camera, the attractive Sagal did not look much like her on-screen character.

But perhaps the book’s highlight is the part that deals with housewife Terry Rakolta of Michigan, who watched an episode of the show with her children, not realizing anything about its content, and found it “unacceptably vulgar.” She sent letters to all who advertised on the episode she viewed and sent letters attempting to get them to drop advertising. Although working alone, she succeeded with some companies. The irony, however, is that the show had been showing rather lackluster ratings, and the publicity garnered from Rakolta’s crusade caused it to become increasingly more successful. Once people tuned in after having their curiosity piqued, they realized how edgily amusing the programs were and stayed with it, ensuring its longevity.

Noe caps her book with a complete videography listing all the episodes of the series with some annotation.

"The Complete Married With Children Book" is published by Bear Manor, and is available here.

James L. Neibaur
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