In April 1987, Fox produced what would become its longest-lasting live-action sitcom and, at the same time, one of the longest-running sitcoms in the history of television, Married…with Children. This show, created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt, is a parody of American families of the time centered on the dysfunctional Bundy family, made up of married couple Al and Peggy and their children, Kelly and Bud. Al, who used to be a successful sports player back in high school, leads an unfulfilled existence as a shoe salesman that is made worse by his wife, a very lazy woman who is only interested in spending his money, and the attitudes of his immature children. In addition to this, we have the Rhoades, their next-door neighbors who seem to be the perfect couple.
Married…with Children aired for 11 seasons, and although it garnered a large fan base that still remembers it fondly to this day, it wasn’t exactly a hit in terms of ratings. In 1997, Fox decided to cancel the show before its 12th and final season, something that was very controversial at the time since the network made the official announcement before notifying its cast members. Thus, the sitcom ended with an inconclusive storyline.
Despite this outcome, the show’s success was enough for the Bundy’s story to travel all over the world through several remakes, in countries such as Argentina, Germany and Russia, among many others. Moreover, an animated revival of the show was announced last year with the voices of the show’s main actors, something that has fans buzzing with excitement.
After gaining widespread popularity for their roles in this Fox sitcom, the cast actors went on to pursue different projects in their careers and are still involved in the industry to this day. Here’s a look back at their most current productions.
Ed O’Neill
Ed O’Neill leads the cast of this sitcom as Al Bundy, and he was the only one of the actors involved to be featured in all 259 episodes of the show. Several years after the end of Married…with Children, O’Neill would become world-renowned for another role, also as a family man: Jay Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. This popular show, which aired for 11 seasons, earned the actor several nominations and some awards for the entire cast, which featured stars such as Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, among others.
In recent years, O’Neill has not been as involved in the industry as he used to be, but he did take part in some very popular projects. These include the animated films Finding Dory and Ralph Breaks the Internet, in which he voiced the characters of Hank and Mr. Litwak, as well as the 2020 comedy-drama The Last Shift.
Katey Sagal
Peggy Bundy was the first major role in Katey Sagal‘s career, although after starring in this sitcom she would go on to play characters that would become almost as important as this one. Over the years, the actress became well-known for voicing Leela in Futurama and for playing Gemma Teller Morrow in FX’s Sons of Anarchy, followed by an enormous number of appearances in popular series such as That ’70s Show, The Big Bang Theory, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Throughout her career, Sagal took part in a number of film productions, the most recent being the 2022 horror film Torn Hearts, in which she stars under the direction of Brea Grant. However, her work was mostly focused on television. In 2018, she landed a recurring role on the ABC sitcom The Conners, which was renewed for a sixth season this year. She also starred in the series Rebel, a legal drama inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich that unfortunately got canceled after only one season.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate was only 16 years old when she landed the role of Kelly Bundy in Married…with Children. Fortunately, this breakthrough role helped her to consolidate her place in the industry, and she was able to leverage her popularity to land increasingly challenging roles and stay relevant. Despite appearing in numerous productions over the years, one of her most acclaimed ones is also her most recent TV show: Dead to Me, Liz Feldman’s black comedy in which she co-starred alongside Linda Cardellini from 2020 to 2022.
In recent years, Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that severely affected her acting skills. For that reason, she announced that she will no longer be taking roles that require her to act in front of a camera, but she will still be taking voice roles.
David Faustino
David Faustino rounds out the Bundy family in the role of Bud, although this actor had been in the industry for many years before he took on this part. Throughout the years, Faustino remained active participating in different series and movies, although he has recently decreased his involvement in projects.
After playing the roles of Helia and Mako in the animated shows Winx Club and The Legend of Korra, Faustino has taken part in a few projects playing himself, such as the movie Entourage and the musical reality competition Drop the Mic. His most recent project to date is the DreamWorks animated series Spirit Riding Free, released in 2017.
Amanda Bearse
Before playing Marcy in Married…with Children, Amanda Bearse already had an active career as an actress and had been involved in several films and TV series. However, while starring in this Fox sitcom, she developed an interest in directing, and after undergoing training at different institutions, she started directing episodes in different productions, including the show she co-starred in with O’Neill and Sagal. She has directed episodes on shows such as Mad TV, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Jesse, to name just a few.
Over the years, Bearse has cut back considerably on her acting appearances in the industry. In 2020, after 25 years of not being involved in film productions, the actress landed a role in the German film Sky Sharks and, two years later, she appeared in the rom-com Bros, starring Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane, which is, so far, her most recent project.
David Garrison
David Garrison is Steve Rhoades, Marcy’s first husband. And, although this is the best-known role of his career, Garrison is mostly a stage actor, having appeared in productions such as Wicked, Dead Poets Society and The Will Rogers Follies, among many others. In recent years, he has not been too involved in film and television, with his latest guest roles being in the shows The Good Wife and Madam Secretary, in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
Ted McGinley
Ted McGinley joined the cast of Married…with Children in the show’s fourth season to play Jefferson D’Arcy, a con man and hustler who becomes Marcy’s second husband and often exploits her for money. Over the years, McGinley has been involved in several productions, mostly dabbling in television, and landed roles in shows such as Hope & Faith, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, and No Good Nick.
In 2023, and after a few years of inactivity in the industry, Ted joined the cast of the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, starring Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, which was renewed for a second season last March.
