Why was the cult series Married with Children suddenly canceled?

If you grew up in the 90s, you must have watched the cult sitcom Married with Children. Launched in the United States in 1987, the series aired on M6 from 10 October 1989. It ran for 11 seasons and ended in 1997 after 261 episodes.

Al Bandi is the king!

The story introduces Al Bundy, played by the dashing Ed O’Neill. The latter is a humble clerk in a shoe store, a job he hates to the highest degree. Married with two children, he leads an unhappy and frustrated family life.

He spends most of his time sprawled out on the couch, huddled in front of the TV with his hands in his pants. Meanwhile, his wife Peggy (Kate Sagal) abandons the household chores to spend lavishly on the pitiful salary she barely earns.

His daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) is a sexy, jaded blonde, and his son Buddy (David Faustino), a sex maniac desperate to bring home the girls. On top of that, Al has to deal with an angry neighbor, Marcy (Amanda Beers), who constantly criticizes him.

Insolent series

Married with two children, they created a real shock wave in the United States with their irreverent and politically incorrect tone. Viewers accustomed to middle-class families on television were pleasantly surprised to finally see working-class characters on a prime network, in this case Fox.

A true satire of American society, the series created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moe targets everything that moves and dares to delve deep into vulgarity, trash and black humor. Before its successor, South Park, Married with Two Children came along, it acted as a pressure relief valve for millions of fans worldwide.

However, despite the show’s phenomenal success, Fox abruptly canceled the series at the end of its 11th season, citing production costs that had become too high and declining audiences.

sudden braking

Because of this sudden decision, showrunners Ron Levitt and Michael G. Moye were unable to write a true ending to end the series on a high note. Thus, the 24th and final episode of season 11 ends in a trite manner, without any real conclusion or farewell worthy of the name.

Cult credit for the hit love and marriage From Frank Sinatra:

to the microphone Messy podcastChristina Applegate and Ed O’Neal hit back at Fox’s hasty decision. Executives canceled the sitcom without notifying the cast and crew beforehand. They learned the bad news from other employees or fans!

“It was a guy who was working with my assistant at the time, he taught me that way, they never called me.the gang’s interpreter told Kelly.

As for Ed O’Neill, he didn’t get special treatment either: “I was back in my hometown and a couple stopped me and said they were sorry the show was ending. They said it was all over the radio saying, ‘You’re cancelled!’ But in the end, I think it was better to hear from them.”– said the actor.

“We had to have one last episode, we had to get ready to say goodbye”Christina Applegate regrets. The latter reveals in the conclusion that after working on the series, he no longer earns much, despite frequent broadcasts.

“I get, like, a dollar every now and then, and I’m not kidding.”he emphasizes. “I get some royalties, but they’re not huge.”Ed O’Neill bitterly reveals.

If you want to (re)watch Married with Two Children, the series is available on the MyCanal platform.