Married... with Children: Season 11

The final year is a step up from the last few years, which descended into total vapid crudity.Now, the final year also retains crudity that "Married with Children" (MWC) is known for, yet plot quality has risen (the jokes aren't as obvious and even when the punchline is, there are enough instances where you don't get the set-up until after the groundwork has been laid), and goes new places/tackles new ideas. For example:* "The Stepford Peg" - Peggy gets amnesia and Al trains Peggy to serve him 24 hours a day (literally). Rating: 5-stars* "Grime and Punishment" - Bud lands some money and Al now demands rent. Unfortunate, Bud being the smart one, knows renters' rights and calls in the authorities. Hilarity really does ensue. 5-stars* "Kelly's Gotta Habit" - Bud gets Kelly in for a product ad commercial, but has to clean up her wardrobe and act (not being "easy") in order to get the role. Another 5-star ep.* "Bud on the Side" - Bud, eyed by Al's boss, go into a relationship - much to the initial chagrin of Al, until his boss starts furnishing the shoe store with a large TV and beer. Obviously a total farce, but is remarkably funny (and, of course, crude). Another 5-star winner.* "Crimes against Obesity" - not a clip show as such; most of the women Al has insulted over the years make a return visit. Definitely not PC, but this one too had me rolling: 5 stars.* "A Babe in Toyland" - Kelly is hired to host a children's show when the existing host is axed. The subplot between Al and Peggy still has me rolling too. Oh, this is a top-notch episode. 5 stars, obviously! :)* "D*mn Bundys" - (episode title is not censored on the DVD case). Al makes a deal with the Devil so he can play on a NFL football team. The 3D gimmick FOX ran is so-so but the overall episode still, like the others I've mentioned, show the show has a LOT of life left in it. Or at least has a second wind... (I will also bypass the obvious pun...)* "Lez Be Friends" - Marcy's identical cousin arrives and comes out to Al. Great acting by all involved. Note, this episode originally aired 20 days before "Ellen" did a GLBT-themed episode too. MWC got there first. (And both shows were great in what they wanted to do.) Rating: 5 stars.Now, the funny thing with this final year is, some stories (e.g. "Grime and Punishment") take place in 'the present' - meaning the actors act their physical ages. Other stories, (e.g. "Crimes and Obesity") have the kids acting like they were in season 1. Okay, David Faustino and Christina Applegate are a decade older, and despite being veteran actors, I can't believe they're playing 13- and 15-year olds because they obviously look mid-20s. No amount of acting will overcome that particular barrier. The shows are still funny, but that pesky "looks" issue cannot be avoided.FOX, with the final year, kept moving the airdate from its original comfy Sunday line-up to Saturday. And then to other days. And not always advertising. I'm not sure "The Stepford Peg" ever got aired; likely due to a football game going overtime... Usually that's a big sign a network wants to axe a program, by moving the time slot (which was initially advertised with Al mimicking John Travolta and Saturday Night Fever, of course) but then quietly made other changes. I was hooked with this season early on, which was amazing given how the series turned empty for the last 3 years. I can't pinpoint the entire WHY, but there is a freshness in the stories, some of which hark back to the series' roots.Oh, the Kelly marriage episode and the 3-parter where Al and Peg split up are the obligatory clunker episodes.At least it ended on a high note, albeit with an episode that didn't air "Chicago Shoe Exchange" as FOX promoted Kelly's marriage to be the final episode. A final episode that didn't feel like a finale in any sense...Definitely a must-have set for fans, even those who gave up on the show after season 5. This one readily eclipses seasons 5-10 in terms of laughs.

It's about time that Sony released this 1996-97 Season of the Bundy's out on DVD since I've been waiting for the longest time to have the Bundy's final season on DVD, especially since Sony already has the first 10 seasons of the Bundy's on DVD along with the fact that the Bundy's 11th Season was one of my favorite seasons and the season when I think the sexy, but the daffy airheaded Kelly(Christina Applegate)was looking her best along with the fact that this was the show that made Christina Applegate a star and very popular to this very day and Applegate's mastectomy in 2008 has now made her an inspiration to all women battling breast cancer too, which makes Christina Applegate a good role model and I will always love her for that as well.The Bundy's Eleventh Season also has some of its best episodes like when Kelly gets an acting gig as a princess on a kids show that eventually ends up faltering when Kelly becomes snotty and too controlling.Another is the episode when the lowlife perverted Al(Edward O'Neill)gets to be on the show COPS riding along with Chicago P.D. and Kelly gets a commercial gig as the Virgin Olive Oil girl when FAMILY TIES Tina Yothers does a cameo appearance.Another is the episode where the Bundys take a vacation to Branson, Missouri and Kelly and Peg do a singing gig as The Juggs to help make ends meet with a special cameo appearance by country western singer(Tammy Wynette), whom died 2 years later in real life.Another is the Series Finale episode when Kelly is about to get married and move out of the Bundys house and then finds out on her wedding day that her fickle ex-con fiancee was being unfaithful to her by making a pass at Marcy(Amanda Bearse)and ends up calling off the wedding leaving us no real explanation on whether Kelly still moved out or stayed living at home or what, but chances are Kelly was still living at home after the disaster on her wedding day.However I was kind of surprised that MARRIED WITH CHILDREN lasted this long and I'm sure it was time for the Bundy's to move on and say goodbye since this show was getting burned out and the Bundy's were obviously getting tired, especially Christina Applegate(Kelly) and Edward O'Neill(Al).This season also takes me back to memory lane to when FOX had temporarily moved this show to Saturday nights in September of 1996 showing the Bundy's after COPS & AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, but was eventually moved back to Sundays, due to scheduling conflicts and then the Bundys were moved to Mondays in January of 1997 before this shows cancellation in the Spring of 1997 after FOX had the Bundy's Series Finale episode in May of 1997, but the one thing I cant understand is why didn't sony have the series finale episode on this DVD.In the meantime, I can hardly wait till they finally release the Bundy's 11th Season on DVD this Fall, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday October 13th, 2009. Yipee!

The final season to be released SHOULD be uncut. If anyone notices anyedits for music issues please POST. I disagree that MWC only got betterwith age. It did not. I thought the departure of STEVE RHOADES sent theseries into a balance issue between trying to be a show with a socialmessage and topics ALL men could relate to into nothingmore than a glorified COMIC BOOK. There were many'Changing of the Guard' moments over the years on MWC suchas the creators (MOYE and LEAVITT) departing, followedsoon after by Chief Writer/producer Ellen Fogle.Most of the original writers were long gone by Season 7.Al changed from a sort of "goofy" obsessed middle agedman who did outrageous things in a very comicalcan't help but love him way. Who can forget AL buildinghis own bathroom, sitting on his own FERGUSON, andbattling that mean old lady in the Library (You'reA Bad Seed Bundy"). Such great memories. By the timeall the original writers and producers moved on toother things, AL BUNDY had changed into a sort of BULLYof a guy, who used (comic) Violence to make his point.The original AL BUNDY wasn't a violent man, he wasa bespoke, miserable, yet lovable guy. Later Al Bundypersonna is much angrier and dumber (if that's even possible).Still the final season is worth having.There are a few good episodes. I admit it.I don't HATE any season.But I still say the first 5 seasonsMADE the show legendery, the final 5just ran on FUMES of the original concept.When BUCK was replaced by A DIFFERENT dog(Lucky) I knew the show I was watchingand loved..WAS GONE. RIP BUCK BUNDY (lol)

Good show, it deserved much better than the terrible way they ended it. Yes, it was running out of ideas and had become more cartoonish and less realistic, but it was Fox's first show and carried that network for ten years (before The Simpsons really took off).A good season, but it feels like there's something missing because they never got to do the farewell episode.

this was for my son, he loves it.

Ending could have been better.

Nach 10 Jahren, 11 Staffeln und 260 Folgen heißt es Abschied nehmen von der chaotischen Schuhverkäufersippe aus Chicago. Da die Kult-Sitcom nach dieser Season mehr oder weniger ungeplant vom produzierenden Sender FOX abgesetzt wurde, gibt es keine offizielle Schlußepisode, die den Plot der Serie durch verschiedene Ereignisse zu Ende führt. So bleibt das Gefühl eines etwas abgehackten Finales, zumal in den USA die Folge "How To Marry A Moron/Besuch aus dem Knast" als letzte Episode lief, während in Deutschland "Chicago Shoe Exchange/Verliebt, verlobt, verratzt" das Schlußlicht bildet.Wie auch schon in der vorangegangenen Staffel hat Season 11 so einige Humor-Durchhänger, so das Gag-Highlights rar gesät sind. Nochmal zur Hochform liefen Autoren und Akteure beim Zweiteiler "Requiem For A Chevyweight/Auto am Tropf", "Damn Bundys/Teuflisch gut" (mit Robert "Freddie Krueger" Englund als Gaststar!) und auf. Desweiteren ist die Folge "Lez Be Friends/Für Männerhände viel zu schade" ein in die Serie eingearbeitetes Bekenntnis Amanda Bearses zu ihrer Homosexualität. Für amerikanische Verhältnisse sehr mutig!Mit ein wenig Wehmut (und Ärger, bedenkt man die im Nachklapp veröffentlichte "Bundys Big Box") blickt man zurück auf 11 DVD-Veröffentlichungen unterschiedlichster Qualität. Meine Top3-Staffeln: Season 3, Season 2 und Season 4. Bundys forever, Strrrrrrrrike!

Al Bundy...Klassiker. Wer es nicht kennt und auf der Suche nach schwarzem Humor ist, wird hier fündig.Da aber heutzutage Leute bei jedem kleinsten Wort an die Decke gehen können, ist der Humor sicher nicht für jeden. Fette bekommen ihr fett weg. Die Nachbarin sowieso. Eigentlich gibt es Witze zu allem. Da es nicht mehr so zeitgenössisch ist, könnten einige Witze nicht mehr verstanden werden für die Jugend zb. Politische Witze zum Beispiel mit damaligen Politikern, von denen man heut nichts mehr hört.Staffel 11 ist die letzte dieser grandiosen Serie.