WI: 'Married ... With Children' Remained Reality-Based

The initial seasons of the television show Married ... With Children were grounded in reality. It was a white, working class, dysfunctional counterpoint to the upper class perfection of The Cosby Show. Very quickly the format changed to essentially a live action cartoon, where they went through things that would kill a real person, lived in a level of poverty that there was no way to live on, etc.

What if the show had remained a grounded-in-reality sitcom?
 
Blonde jokes and stock dumb blonde characters might decline in popularity. Obviously the sterotype was already there but I think it had begun to fade away in the 1980s. The popularity of Kelly Bundy helped revitalised those tropes.
 
I wouldnt be surprised if the more crazier stuff was due to the popularity of The Simpsons and MWC deciding "we can do that too".
 
It would become more like Roseanne, now that was reality-based up until the very last season. There wasn't really anything like Roseanne around, so the two shows would always have to one up each other.
 
I don't know, I liked the show the more cartoonish it got. The show was over the top ridiculous but damn it was funny.
 
The more cartoonish the better. I miss my no ma'am shirt. now, no one knows what it is.

The National Organization of Men Against Amazon Masterdom.

When I was at Disney World a few weeks ago I saw a guy where a faded blue Polk High football jersey with the number 33 on it and the name Bundy on the back.
 
The National Organization of Men Against Amazon Masterdom.

When I was at Disney World a few weeks ago I saw a guy where a faded blue Polk High football jersey with the number 33 on it and the name Bundy on the back.

The "Polk High" shirts are still available. So are the "No Ma-am" ones. I have a No Ma-am coffee cup my wife hates. :D
 
Well I always liked the show, but I wonder if it would have lasted as long if not for the extra outlandish episodes.
 
The series really shifted when Roseanne became a huge hit. Despite the fact Married...With Children predated it by over a year, the fact Roseanne became a hit I think kinda forced the show to change as to not appear as just another clone - it had to be more than Roseanne, which was really dominating the TV ratings in those early seasons.

Married...finished its debut season at 142 in the Nielsen Ratings. It improved to 116th in its second season, but Roseanne was already 1st by that point, which is pretty amazing. Granted, Married...was on FOX, which hadn't been as established as ABC, but its crudeness and craziness helped elevate it above just being a less successful Roseanne. By season 6, Married... was 29th nationally - while Roseanne was 2nd. So, it worked.

If they remain a more realistic comedy, I don't think the series works and it's canceled after the third season.
 
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