List of Married... with Children episodes
Encyclopedia
The following is an episode list for the Fox
sitcom Married... with Children
. The series aired its pilot on April 5, 1987 and its series finale aired on June 9, 1997 with the episodes The Desperate Half-Hour (Part 1) and How to Marry a Moron (Part 2).
A total of 259 episodes (excluding specials) of Married... with Children aired during the program's run. Currently, all eleven seasons are available on DVD, in Region 1. The list is ordered by the episodes' original air dates. Specials that aired during a regular season run are highlighted in yellow in the list.
is first shown in this season and it is also the first time that he calls Marcy a "chicken." It also contains the first mention of Peg's family being "hillbillies
" from the fictional Wanker County, Wisconsin
.
. Although Buck is portrayed in later seasons as having been with the Bundys since he was a pup, it's implied by Peg that they've had him for only three years and Al states that he's actually Bud's pet; he even "speaks" once ("Buck Can Do It"), something that becomes a regular feature beginning in the fourth season. Michael Faustino (David's younger brother), makes the first of five guest appearances during the course of the series.
's moral campaign against the show, which began after the episode "Her Cups Runneth Over", where Al and Steve go to a risqué lingerie store in search of Peggy's favorite bra (which had been discontinued). This season also contains the "lost episode" "I'll See You in Court
", which was not aired until June 18, 2002 after the show's initial run on the cable channel FX (and was included in the season three DVD set). Michael Faustino makes his second guest appearance. During the season the show became the first to have a quarter of the viewership on Fox
.
. In the episode "It's a Bundyful Life (Part 2)" Ted McGinley makes a guest appearance as Norman Jablonsky before reappearing as a regular cast member in the next season as Jefferson D'arcy. Also, Michael Faustino makes his third guest appearance.
, as Katey Sagal
was pregnant in real life. Sagal's child was stillborn
six weeks early, causing her to miss four episodes of this season. At the end of the season's eleventh episode,
"Al Bundy, Shoe Dick", it was revealed that the women's pregnancies were merely part of one of Al's nightmare
s. This season also saw Steve Rhoades return for one episode, Kelly becoming the "Verminator," the Bundys traveling to England
and the first occurrence of a running gag
where people fall down the Bundys' basement stairs because of a broken step. Additionally, this season introduced Bud's rap
-inspired alter ego "Grandmaster B", concocted to help him with women, which continued after the dream revelation by having Al ask Bud about the nickname and Bud decide that he liked it enough to use it.
during this season and he makes his first appearance with a beard (which was mistaken for dirt on the episode where Bud first notices he's growing a beard). Steve Rhoades also makes another guest appearance during this season, as does Michael Faustino.
) known as "The Masculine Feminist". This is also the season where Bud joins a fraternity
. And the closest we get to an explanation for Seven's mysterious disappearance 14 months before is in the episode "Ride Scare," where a closeup on a carton of milk reveals a picture of Seven with the words "Missing." Al's plus-sized model friends simply look at it without comment before helping themselves.
) and Peggy's mother, who moves in with the Bundys (although she is never seen, only heard). Also, Peg leaves Al and goes on a search for her father.
moved the show's time slot several times throughout the course of the season, which cost the show ratings. Rising production costs and decreasing viewer shares led to the show's cancellation on April 17, 1997, after the final taping for Season 11. Due to this decision, there is no official "final" episode of Married... with Children, although "How to Marry a Moron, Part 2" is considered to be the final episode. This was the only season to feature teaser scenes before the opening credits and a few episodes during this season also featured tag scenes just before the closing credits. For this season, the still of Al and Peggy sitting on the couch was dropped from the closing credits, which for this season are shown against a black background and in a separate card format, instead of scrolling. The opening theme was also greatly shortened, dropping the highway scenes taken from National Lampoon's Vacation
, as well as the scene where Al hands every member of his family money.
, Christina Applegate
, Ted McGinley
, dog trainer Steven Ritt, Amanda Bearse
and Ed O'Neill
.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
sitcom Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
. The series aired its pilot on April 5, 1987 and its series finale aired on June 9, 1997 with the episodes The Desperate Half-Hour (Part 1) and How to Marry a Moron (Part 2).
A total of 259 episodes (excluding specials) of Married... with Children aired during the program's run. Currently, all eleven seasons are available on DVD, in Region 1. The list is ordered by the episodes' original air dates. Specials that aired during a regular season run are highlighted in yellow in the list.
Overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired |
Prod. line |
DVD release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | 1987 | 1.xx | October 28, 2003 | |
| Season 2 | 22 | 1987–1988 | 2.xx | March 16, 2004 | |
| Season 3 | 22 | 1988–1989 | 3.xx | January 25, 2005 | |
| Season 4 | 23 | 1989–1990 | 4.xx | August 30, 2005 | |
| Season 5 | 25 | 1990–1991 | 5.xx | June 20, 2006 | |
| Season 6 | 26 | 1991–1992 | 6.xx | December 19, 2006 | |
| Season 7 | 26 | 1992–1993 | 7.xx | September 18, 2007 | |
| Season 8 | 26 | 1993–1994 | 8.xx | March 18, 2008 | |
| Season 9 | 26 | 1994–1995 | 9.xx | August 19, 2008 | |
| Season 10 | 26 | 1995–1996 | 10.xx | March 17, 2009 | |
| Season 11 | 24 | 1996–1997 | 11.xx | September 15, 2009 | |
| Non–Season Specials | 4 | 1986–2003 | None | None | |
Episodes
- Ep = Episode number within the season
- № = Overall episode number
- PC = Production code numberProduction code numberA production code number, also known as the production code or episode code is an alphanumeric designation used to uniquely identify episodes within a television series...
Season 1: 1987
The first season of Married... with Children introduces the major characters: Al, Peg, Kelly and Bud Bundy, along with their neighbors, Steve and Marcy Rhoades. The first season is the only one where Al and Peg are regularly intimate, to the point of Al initiating the sessions. It is also the only one where Peg can be seen doing housework under normal circumstances, and she even has her own car (as seen in "Sixteen Years and what do you Get"). In "Thinnergy," Bud mentions that Kelly had been held back a year in school. Al's dislike of the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
is first shown in this season and it is also the first time that he calls Marcy a "chicken." It also contains the first mention of Peg's family being "hillbillies
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
" from the fictional Wanker County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 2: 1987–1988
At the beginning of the second season, Kelly is portrayed as a girl of reasonable intelligence (though she is often teased by Bud for her promiscuity and bleached hair). By the end, however, her character obtains her trademark stupidity that will become both a plot device and comic focus for the rest of the series. This season also contains the first use of the "Bundy Cheer" and the first instance of the Bundys leaving ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Although Buck is portrayed in later seasons as having been with the Bundys since he was a pup, it's implied by Peg that they've had him for only three years and Al states that he's actually Bud's pet; he even "speaks" once ("Buck Can Do It"), something that becomes a regular feature beginning in the fourth season. Michael Faustino (David's younger brother), makes the first of five guest appearances during the course of the series.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Air date | PC |
|---|
Season 3: 1988–1989
The third season marks a notable increase in the show's popularity, based on Terry RakoltaTerry Rakolta
Terry Rakolta led a boycott against the Fox Broadcasting Company sitcom Married... with Children.A Mother Is Heard as Sponsors Abandon a TV Hit New York Times Born Terry Lynn Stern, she is the sister of Ronna Romney, former daughter-in-law of former Michigan governor George Romney. Rakolta's...
's moral campaign against the show, which began after the episode "Her Cups Runneth Over", where Al and Steve go to a risqué lingerie store in search of Peggy's favorite bra (which had been discontinued). This season also contains the "lost episode" "I'll See You in Court
I'll See You in Court
"I'll See You in Court" is the tenth episode of the third season from the TV comedy series Married... with Children. The episode follows the Bundys' attempts to improve their love life by having marital relations in a different setting. While staying at the Hop-On-Inn, the Bundys discover a...
", which was not aired until June 18, 2002 after the show's initial run on the cable channel FX (and was included in the season three DVD set). Michael Faustino makes his second guest appearance. During the season the show became the first to have a quarter of the viewership on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 4: 1989–1990
The fourth season saw the departure of Marcy's husband Steve Rhoades. Marcy remained single for the remainder of the season. This was also the first season where the audience would applaud when a major character would enter a scene for the first time in the episode, the first time that Buck "speaks", as well as a Bundyesque of the classic film It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. In the episode "It's a Bundyful Life (Part 2)" Ted McGinley makes a guest appearance as Norman Jablonsky before reappearing as a regular cast member in the next season as Jefferson D'arcy. Also, Michael Faustino makes his third guest appearance.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 5: 1990–1991
In the middle of the fifth season, Marcy awakes next to Jefferson D'Arcy and discovers that she is now married to him. This is the first appearance of Al's favorite show (Psycho Dad), and the first mention of his four touchdowns in a single game.| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 6: 1991–1992
Throughout the season, both Peg and Marcy were pregnantPregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, as Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
was pregnant in real life. Sagal's child was stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
six weeks early, causing her to miss four episodes of this season. At the end of the season's eleventh episode,
"Al Bundy, Shoe Dick", it was revealed that the women's pregnancies were merely part of one of Al's nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s. This season also saw Steve Rhoades return for one episode, Kelly becoming the "Verminator," the Bundys traveling to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the first occurrence of a running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
where people fall down the Bundys' basement stairs because of a broken step. Additionally, this season introduced Bud's rap
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
-inspired alter ego "Grandmaster B", concocted to help him with women, which continued after the dream revelation by having Al ask Bud about the nickname and Bud decide that he liked it enough to use it.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 7: 1992–1993
In the seventh season, the writers introduced Seven in an attempt to give the Bundys a third child. When the audience was unreceptive, he was removed from the series with no explanation other than being left at the D'Arcy's (Seven was last seen being told a bedtime story in "Peggy and the Pirates"). Bud also loses his virginityVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
during this season and he makes his first appearance with a beard (which was mistaken for dirt on the episode where Bud first notices he's growing a beard). Steve Rhoades also makes another guest appearance during this season, as does Michael Faustino.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | Special: "Backstage with the Bundys" | -- | -- | September 6, 1992 | -- |
| -- | -- | Special: "A Day in the Life" | -- | -- | June 7, 1993 | -- |
Season 8: 1993–1994
The eighth season introduces many of Al's friends, including Aaron, Bob Rooney and Officer Dan (even though Officer Dan wasn't a character in the earlier seasons, the actor who played him also appeared in "Rock 'n Roll Girl" as the sheriff who issued Al a ticket for an insulting bumper sticker, "Weenie Tot Lovers and Other Strangers" as the police officer who arrested Al, and "The Egg and I" as the FBI agent searching for Steve). Al, Jefferson, Bob Rooney and Officer Dan (along with Griff and Ike, who are introduced in Season 9) all become members of NO MA'AM in the episode where the men fight back against a talk show host (played by Jerry SpringerJerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
) known as "The Masculine Feminist". This is also the season where Bud joins a fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. And the closest we get to an explanation for Seven's mysterious disappearance 14 months before is in the episode "Ride Scare," where a closeup on a carton of milk reveals a picture of Seven with the words "Missing." Al's plus-sized model friends simply look at it without comment before helping themselves.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Season 9: 1994–1995
The ninth season rounds out the cast of Al's friends by introducing Griff, who works at Gary's Shoes with Al, and Ike. Steve Rhoades also makes his final two appearances during this season. The season also includes the cancellation of Psycho Dad, Bud getting a job as a driving examiner and the first appearances of shoe store owner Gary (who turns out to be a woman), Marcy's niece Amber and reporter Miranda Veracruz De La Hoya Cardinal. Michael Faustino makes his fifth and final guest appearance.| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Air date | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | Special: "Best of Bundy" | -- | -- | February 5, 1995 | -- |
| George Plimpton George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:... hosts a special 200th episode of Married... With Children featuring clips from past episodes and a look at the actual Married... With Children set. |
||||||
| -- | -- | Special: "My Favorite Married" | -- | -- | April 30, 1995 | -- |
| In a special episode, the cast of Married... With Children (Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, David Faustino, Christina Applegate, David Garrison, Amanda Bearse, and Ted McGinley) discuss their favorite moments from the show. |
||||||
Season 10: 1995–1996
The tenth season saw the death of family pet Buck and his subsequent reincarnation into the body of Lucky, the Bundys' next dog. The season also marks the first appearances of Peggy's father Ephraim (played by Tim ConwayTim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
) and Peggy's mother, who moves in with the Bundys (although she is never seen, only heard). Also, Peg leaves Al and goes on a search for her father.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | Special: "Al Bundy's Sports Spectacular" | -- | Paul Wales | November 26, 1995 | -- |
| Roy Firestone Roy Firestone Roy Firestone is an American sports commentator and journalist. Firestone is a graduate of Miami Beach High School and the University of Miami.-Television career:... hosts a clip show episode of Married... With Children featuring the show's greatest sports moments. |
||||||
Season 11: 1996–1997
The eleventh season was the final season of Married... with Children. FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
moved the show's time slot several times throughout the course of the season, which cost the show ratings. Rising production costs and decreasing viewer shares led to the show's cancellation on April 17, 1997, after the final taping for Season 11. Due to this decision, there is no official "final" episode of Married... with Children, although "How to Marry a Moron, Part 2" is considered to be the final episode. This was the only season to feature teaser scenes before the opening credits and a few episodes during this season also featured tag scenes just before the closing credits. For this season, the still of Al and Peggy sitting on the couch was dropped from the closing credits, which for this season are shown against a black background and in a separate card format, instead of scrolling. The opening theme was also greatly shortened, dropping the highway scenes taken from National Lampoon's Vacation
National Lampoon's Vacation
Vacation, sometimes referred as National Lampoon's Vacation, is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall...
, as well as the scene where Al hands every member of his family money.
| Ep | № | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | PC |
|---|
Non–Season Specials
Bundymania was a three hour and forty-five minute special airing nine dubbed German episodes of the series. The special included interviews with David FaustinoDavid Faustino
David Anthony Faustino is an American actor and rap artist primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the sitcom Married with Children.-Early life:...
, Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
, Ted McGinley
Ted McGinley
Theodore Martin "Ted" McGinley is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television series Married... with Children and as Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith...
, dog trainer Steven Ritt, Amanda Bearse
Amanda Bearse
Amanda Bearse is an American actress, director and comedienne best known for her role as wacky neighbor Marcy D'Arcy on Married.....
and Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
.
| Airdate | Title | Station |
|---|---|---|
| December 12, 1986 (taping date) | Unaired Pilot | Unaired |
| January 1, 1998 | Bundymania | Pro 7 |
| August 26, 2001 | Married... with Children: The E! True Hollywood Story E! True Hollywood Story E! True Hollywood Story is an American documentary series on E! that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures... |
E! E! E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of... |
| February 16, 2003 | Married... with Children Reunion | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |