In some instances, actors had to play different roles at the same time, which required some modifications. They had to go under heavy alterations as they work with different shows simultaneously. Applegate played both the roles of Bud’s silly older sister and Al and Peggy’s daughter in season ten.
Applegate had to wear a blonde wig during that season as well, because she had gone brunette for a character she was playing simultaneously in a movie. Applegate’s portrayal of Bud’s older sister and Al and Peggy’s daughter was a frequent joke throughout the show, because of Kelly’s natural hair color and her being a fake blonde.
The Audience Loved Kelly From The Very First Moment
No arguing that Christina Applegate was the one who stole the show. She was just irresistible, and from her first appearance in the show everyone loved her. Her outfits may have helped, but ultimately, it was her high-spirited and humorous personality that made her so adorable. She was always enthusiastic and prepared to do her best for the show to be a success.
Applegate’s talent and charm caught the eyes of the producers and writers, which is why she got ample screen time, exhibiting her abilities. This made a very positive impact on the show, increasing its fandom and viewership on the earlier episodes. People just love the flirty, bratty character of Kelly!
The Ongoing Al Bundy Joke
With a sitcom packed with a talented and funny cast, you could expect for there to be constant joking and laughing on the set. Within the ten years of doing the show, one of the greatest jokes around was misspelling the name of Al Bundy. They sometimes spelled it as Al Birdy, Al Bumby or Al Boondy, and so on.
All the characters in the show had their own nicknames then. Everyone on the set just joked about it. The strangest nicknames were definitely that of Peggy and Al. Kelly had a pet name for her brother as well, which Applegate never mentioned behind the scenes.
The Show's Legacy
Married With Children holds the record of being the longest running live-action television show on Fox. With 11 seasons and 259 original episodes, this TV series was aired from 1987 to 1997. It also ranked eighth in American television history as the longest running weekly comedy series. If you want to watch the crowd favorite reruns of the show, just go to Fox or TBS.
Most other networks, apart from Fox, at that time thought Married With Children was going to be a failure of a program. The series was controversial and incredibly edgy for its time. However, it became one of the most popular sitcoms during the ten years of its show life. It stood the test of time despite some negative reactions from the audience, rejects, and many controversies associated with the sitcom.
Christian Groups Really Didn't Like Kelly's Outfits
Married With Children had its fair share of unpleasantries, right from the start. Angry letters and complaints blew up in the faces of all involved. All the characters were criticized, but Kelly's character, which was played by Christina Applegate, received the most terrible critics. Kelly was a teenager who was a flirt, wore provocative clothing, and misbehaved all the time.
The criticisms were so bad that the character of Kelly would have been terminated, had the writers listened to them. That was just how Kelly was, and she could never be a good girl. Criticisms were ignored and they carried on with the character. We can only assume this was a good thing, because the show went on to be more popular than ever.