Customer Reviews

Married...with Children: The Complete First Season

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally, after a very long and restless wait, "Married with Children: Season One" is now available to own on DVD. Considered one of the raunchiest and most vulgar shows in its time, these 13 glorious episodes are here for your viewing pleasure for the very first time on DVD. These guys ain't the Cosbys, that's for sure.

The show revolves around a shoe-salesman, Al Bundy, and his lovely (lovely??) family. His wife is always on his case about money and refuses to clean or cook the house. The kids are always driving him up the wall with their constant bickering and getting into trouble. The only sane one in the family appears to be sane is the dog (although he doesn't really do much). Yep, it's "Home, Sweet Hell" for Al Bundy all day, every day. You can just feel the love.

I forgot how funny the first season was. I don't think a second went by where I wasn't laughing hysterically at the Bundy hijinx that was occurring in each episode. Personally, I think Al Bundy has some of the funniest lines ever. All 13 episodes are some of the funniest TV you'll ever see. It's nice to finally see them earn a home in the DVD world.

Here are the 13 episodes that are included in this set:
"Pilot," "Thinergy," "Sixteen Years and What Do You Get," "But I Didn't Shoot the Deputy," "Have You Driven a Ford Lately," "Whose Room is it Anyway," "Al Loses his Cherry," "Peggy Sue Got Work," "Married Without Children," "The Poker Game," "Where's the Boss," "Nightmare on Al's Street," and "Johnny B. Gone."

This 2-disk DVD set also includes extra features like bonus trailers and the "Married with Children Reunion Special" that aired on FOX awhile back. The picture and sound quality is pretty good, considering how old the show is.

"Married with Children: Season One" is a must-have for any Married with Children fans. Hey, with Christmas coming up pretty soon, this would make a great gift. The Bundys were a crazy family, but they were family nonetheless. Check out these 13 episodes as soon as you can and prepare yourself for some high quality entertainment.

Finally They Have Decided To Release A Good Season Set On DVD! I Have To Say This Is By Far The Best Show To Have Ever Been On The Air. This Dysfunctional Family Made My Days Brighter. I Don't Know One Person Who Has Seen This Show And Not Laughed. What's not to like. The First Season Consists of 13 Hilarious Episodes.

Here They Are:
0101 - PILOT - Steve & Marcy visit the Bundys for the first time.
0102 - THINNERGY - Peggy & Al make a diet.
0103 - SIXTEEN YEARS AND WHAT DO YOU GET - Al & Peggy's 16th anniversary.
0104 - BUT I DIDN'T SHOOT THE DEPUTY - Steve & Marcy buy a guard dog.
0105 - HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY - Al & Steve buy a Ford Mustang.
0106 - WHOSE ROOM IS IT ANYWAY - Steve & Marcy want to build a new room.
0107 - AL LOSES HIS CHERRY - Al wants to sleep at Luke's. Last episode with Luke.
0108 - PEGGY SUE GOT WORK - Peggy gets a job in a watch department store.
0109 - MARRIED... WITHOUT CHILDREN - Steve & Marcy take care of Bud & Kelly.
0110 - THE POKER GAME - Steve loses his paycheck to Al in a poker game.
0111 - WHERE'S THE BOSS - Al quits his job as his boss doesn't want to meet him.
0112 - NIGHTMARE ON AL'S STREET - Marcy dreams of Al.
0113 - JOHNNY BE GONE - The last day of "Johnny B. Good's" diner. The Pilot And Thinnergy were not the best episodes but it got a lot better........The show got a lot better when they replaced Steve with Jefferson. But all of them were great......So I would recommend everyone to buy this dvd. It will be the best 23 dollars you have ever spent. And If you don't have a dvd player, Buy one just to get this show.

LONG LIVE THE BUNDY'S!

The first season was produced in 1987 (it's almost 20 years now!). It included 13 fabulous series.

I didn't have an intention to buy all seasons, and I wouldn't mind to have just the best of... But lately I discovered the complete first season on a DVD, and I decided to have just only this one! I thought, that since that was a beginning in a series of spectacular seasons, then it should have been definitely one of the best. Because lots of energies and efforts were given both by actors and the authors to make this new show popular so that it could win its audience in the late 80th. I bought this DVD and I am very happy about it. I enjoyed each single scene, each phrase and each pulled face. And I laughed a lot! This season is packed with 100% smart and witty jokes that worth to remember and cite!

Quality of the picture is just alright for 1987. I am glad it was not digitally re-mastered, otherwise it would lose the touch and the charm of the late 80th. Besides, re-mastering of a 302-minute show would make this DVD cost a fortune!

On the other hand, the quality of DVD's sound, which is Stereo Dolby Digital, is superb. First time I watched this show on TV dubbed in Russian and I couldn't really assess sound quality of original dialogues. But now, after I bought this DVD, I can tell you - sound is just great. All actors speak clearly and loud enough for one to hear each single word.... and to laugh!

I highly recommend this show!

Finally, after hearing fans that wanted full-fledged season box sets, Fox answered their prayers. So get ready for those outrageous Bundys in Married...with Children:The Complete First Season, featuring all 13 episodes from the show's debut. Though the funniest episodes are yet to come in the second season, season 1 is the groundbreaking season that completely changed sitcoms forever. This taboo-shattering hit series was often deamed too hot for TV, introducing everyone's favorite dysfunctional house hold. These are the 13 episodes:

1.Pilot-Peg forces Al to forfeit his coveted basketball game to have dinner with their annoying new neighbors, Steve and Marcy.

2.Thinergy-Hoping to rekindle Al's flame, Peg takes Marcy's advice and goes on a crash diet, much to Al's dislike.

3.Sixteen Years And What Do You Get?-After Peg runs his credit card to the max, Al is forced to show up at his own wedding anniversary empty-handed.

4.But I Didn't Shoot The Deputy-Mistaking it for a burgler, Al accidentally shoots his neighbor's watchdog.

5.Have You Driven A Ford Lately?-After restoring a vintage Mustang, Al discovers the backseat isn't the only thing "hot" about his cherry ride.

6.Whose Room Is It Anyway?-A battle between Al and Peg is waged over who has the final word on the neighbor's room addition.

7.Al Loses His Cherry-After a bad fight, Al vows to teach Peg a lesson by not coming home all night. Instead he's the one who ends up getting schooled by a blonde bombshell.

8.Peggy Sue Got Work-When Al refuses to buy Peg a new VCR, Marcy convinces her to get a job herself.(laughs)

9.Married...Without Children-When Al and Peg get away for the weekend, Marcy and Steve volunteer to baby-sit Bud and Kelly-but get more than they bargained for.

10.The Poker Game-When Steve sits in on a Friday-night poker game, he loses more than his shirt to Al.

11.Where's The Boss?-Fooled into thinking his boss is dead, Al threatens to quit his job unless he gets a little respect.

12.Nightmare On Al's Street-Marcy is living a nightmare when a too-sexy Al starts popping up in her dreams.

13.Johnny B. Gone- When Al's favorite hamburger joint closes, he must choose between family and food

Remastered and avalible for the first time on DVD, this show is truly a gem, so go out and get this set today!

Oh man we begged and begged and begged, and its finally coming. Season 1 in its entireity. Yep watching shows like Family Guy, Sanford and Son, Sex and The City, and even *Gulp* Mad about you pass us up and we will finally get chapter one of Bundyville!!!
Listen Columbia there is a huuuuuuuge fan base of us out there and we need every season, (Even the crappy last one). Why, because this is the greatest show of all time and mostly the reruns are on when I'm working. My first Married With Children was purchased with the Bundyful Christmas on VHS, and I will buy every piece of media I can get, especially for DVD!!!
Did I forget to say "Don't stop with just season one!!!" Columbia please get season two out before Christmas...

First premiering in April 1987, Married With Children became a staple of the growing Fox Network's original prime time programming, paving the way for further original creations such as The Simpsons. The total opposite of what a TV family should be, the original working title for the show was Not The Cosbys (a reference to the perfect family atmosphere of the popular 80's sitcom The Cosby Show). Paving the way for ABC's Roseanne, Married With Children more than lived up to its working title, chronicling the pathetic life of a Chicago shoe salesman and his equally dysfunctional family...

Married With Children follows the exploits of the Bundy family, a dysfunctional trailer-park trash family living in American suburbia. The family is headed by Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill), a shoe salesman who's lewd, crude, sarcastic, and completely dissatisfied with his life as a loser. Al's wife Peg (Katey Sagal) spends her days watching Oprah and spending what little money Al brings home (she's also Al's greatest source of annoyance). Al and Peg's lives are complicated by their children, Kelly (Christina Applegate), a beautiful yet stupid teenager, and Bud (David Faustino), a sex-starved adolescent. With neighbors Steve (David Garrison), Marcy (Amanda Bearse), and Jefferson (Ted McGinley) dropping in on a regular basis, Al's dreams of a normal family life or a spare moment to relax are continually interrupted by the tortuous reality of his mediocre existence...

The Married With Children (Season 1) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series pilot in which Peg and Al, worried because they have no friends of their own, meet the new neighbors, Steve and Marcy Rhoades. Steve and Marcy have the perfect marriage, but the bad influences of the Bundys conspire to turn them against each other... Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Whose Room is It Anyway?" in which Steve and Marcy decide to add a new room onto their house while Peg and Al pit the couple against each other in order to serve their own selfish interests, and "Peggy Sue Got Work" in which Al's refusal to buy Peg the VCR she wants prompts her to get a job in a local department store...

Below is a list of episodes included on the Married With Children (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Pilot)
Episode 2 (Thinnergy)
Episode 3 (But I Didn't Shoot the Deputy)
Episode 4 (Whose Room is it Anyway?)
Episode 5 (Have You Driven a Ford Lately)
Episode 6 (Sixteen Years and What Do You Get)
Episode 7 (Married... Without Children)
Episode 8 (The Poker Game)
Episode 9 (Peggy Sue Got Work)
Episode 10 (Al Loses His Cherry)
Episode 11 (Nightmare on Al's Street)
Episode 12 (Where's the Boss)
Episode 13 (Johnny Be Gone)

The DVD Report

I don't see why so many are bashing the picture quality, I don't think it's bad at all. I love Married ... With Children and this DVD is a great way to start off the collection, for I'm sure they're will be more.
The Married ... With Children show did get a lot better once Steve was gone and Jefferson came into the picture, but these are still classic, great episodes. You can tell these are the early days for Al seems a lot more affectionate towards Peggy and Peggy seems more loving to Bud and Kelly but they are still funny, especially when they do go off and insult each other.
This show has the best insults, it's witty and hilarious. There really is no DVD extras so I suggest if you already have them on tape, there is no need to get this. This is just for people who want to keep reliving the old episodes.

The date was April 5, 1987. The day that TV and the way we see TV families was changed. At this point, we had 35 years or so of family comedies that showed us parents who had good jobs, always had a word of advice, upstanding kids, a nice car, a nice house, and had good neighbors in a nice neighborhood. Not that that is bad, 'cause I love some of those myself, but viewers were in need of a change. A show called "Married With Children" came along and showed us how the other half lived. The head of the household was dad Al, who was played by Ed'O'Neill. Al
was a schlumpy loser in life who has a dead end job working in a women's shoe store. Spent his time daydreaming of his glory back in his youth. Wife Peg(Katey Sagal)consisted of big red hair, spandex, bon bons, and an addiction to Oprah and the couch. The kids were Kelly(Christina Applegate), a blonde airhead who flunked lunch and gave out her special kind of love all over the town. Son Bud(David Faustino)was the closest to normal of the bunch. Smart, did well in school, but was sly and sneaky and a loser in love. The neighbors were Steve And Marcy(David Garrison and Amanda Bearse), uppity ups who both worked in banks. And thus, the show was set in motion. This collection has the 13 episodes from the show's first season, which was a mid season replacement kind of thing. The pilot is basically a set up of The Bundy's meeting the new neighbors(and by the way, Garrison left during the 4th season after getting a role in a stage play), and displaying the show's nasty brand of humor. There were a lot of great moments in season one, but it was the first season, and you can tell they were trying to find their feet and their way. "Thinnergy" sees Peg going on a diet and her trying to get the rest of the family to join in. "But I Didn't Shoot The Deputy", one of the best first season eps, sees The Bundy's and The Rhoades getting a gun and a dog after a series of break ins, which leads to an unfortunate accident. "Whose Room Is It Anyway?" is a forgetful episode about Al and Peg picking what room they want Steve and Marcy to add onto their house. "Have You Driven A Ford Lately?" has Al and Steve restoring a 1965 Mustang, and ignoring the wives in the process. Al and Peg celebrate their anniversary in "Sixteen Years And What Do You Get", and leave the kids with Steve and Marcy(uh oh) in the season one stand out ep, "Married...Without Children". A good one. "The Poker Game", "Peggy Sue Got Work", and "Al Loses His Cherry", all fine episodes, but nothing earth shattering. Another season one classic is "Nightmare On Al's Street", which finds Marcy having sexual fantasies about Al while Steve is out of town. "Where's The Boss" is a file and forget it episode about Al's never seen boss, and the season ends with the episode, "Johnny Be Gone", a one long scene episode dealing with Al and Peg trying to get to their favorite food joint before it closes forever, but the kids' problems keep getting in the way and stalling them. The show did a lot of things really well and they never got some of the credit they deserved. Ed 'O'Neill was a fine comedic actor, and he did some nice character work with Al over the years. However, you can easily tell from the start of this season that Al was a tad different. 'O'Neill spoke in the first episode or two like Al was some tough guy from the Bronx. Sagal was a teriffic comedic actress as well. Same goes for Applegate and Faustino. The Bundy's were a family that never held anything in. I think that was one of the founding reasons the world embraced them. They spoke and acted in ways that maybe we have thought of doing ourselves but never did. It was a great show to watch to get away from the world and watch characters who let it all out and didn't care. They may of been a little too extreme at times to be like any real family, but they addressed people all over the world who didn't have the perfect family and the greatest of upbringings. The show, throughout the years, always stayed on top of the times and made it seem like it could last forever. Anyways, season one is a wonderful beginner's guide to the world of The Bundy clan from Chicago. The special features are dysmal and kind of ruin what really is a great collection. You get the reunion special that they had a year or so ago and that's about it. This collection still gets the full five stars because I'm reviewing the show. Great show with good to great episodes and is truly wonderful. The full five stars there, but one and a half stars for the special features.

Excellent show, classic comedy with millions of fans including many with hearing difficulties so how about subtitles Columbia?Amazon states this is Closed-Captioned, there is even a CC logo on the DVD package itself, but guess what? Once I bought the DVD subtitles/captions etc were nowhere to be found.I'm not sure I'll go through with the rest of the seasons.

Why oh why did they have to do this so badly? Married With Children deserved better, much better. The picture quality is horrible - full of compression artifacts, riddled with grain and blur. A disgrace, really, when you consider how much of a HUGE hit this show was, and the massive loyal fan base. I bought this DVD, even after hearing about the bad image quality, and still hoped that it would be average looking. It turned out worse than I expected. It's so distracting. Just tonight I was trying to watch that episode where Al and Peggy are trying to get to Johnny Be Good's before it closes forever. But the terrible visual quality kept distracting me. Instead of me being involved in the story and laughing, every so often my brain would hiccup at the terrible grain and blur. Come on, this is outrageous. I also just received Season Two (I had to, I'm a die hard Bundy fan!), and that's done in the same cheap way. Dark and blurry and grainy.

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