Married with commitments after 35 years: Z Al is a jiu-jitsu fighter, Kelly is battling multiple sclerosis after cancer, and Peggy is married for the third time

Al Bunda, the main character of the American sitcom Married with Obligations, was a football player in high school. He today he is a grown man who makes a living as a shoe salesman and faces the everyday problems of an ordinary American citizen. His wife Peggy, characterized by red hair, an odd gait, 60s-style clothing and a lackluster mind, does not make life much easier. His hobby in his life is watching TV, sometimes he realizes that he actually has two children. Daughter Kelly is an attractive and popular blonde, while son Bud is an unpopular teenager desperate for a woman’s arms. The complete opposite are the rich neighbors, Steve and Marcy, who live in luxury and nothing is a problem for them.

This sitcom was born as a parody of family series, for example Step by step or sold out. It ran for ten long years (1987-1997) and aired 262 episodes. It was also the first series to air in prime time on the Fox Network. The title song Love And Marriage was sung by Academy Award-winning and multiple Grammy Award-winning actor Frank Sinatra. This year, 35 years have passed since the first episode aired. So come with us today to see what fate has in store for the main protagonists of this series, which is also very popular among viewers in the Czech Republic.

Ed O’Neill (Al Bunda)

The representative of the world’s largest slipper began his acting career in 1972 in the film Deliverance, where he spoke only one sentence. In 1987, he was cast in the sitcom Newlyweds, where he was the only one to appear in all 260 episodes and became a star. He has appeared in dozens of films (for example, Labyrinth of Lies or Lucky Numbers) and other series. He has also won several television awards for the series Such a Modern Family. He has also established himself in dubbing in films such as Finding Dory or Ralf the thief. Ed is still a successful actor today and in his spare time he practices the martial art of jiu-jitsu. He has been married to Catherine Rusoff since 1986 and they have two daughters. When Ed O’Neill learned of the sitcom’s demise, he suggested filming an episode where the Bunds hit the lottery and were killed in a tornado while partying, which would accurately depict their entire lives. As they started to do somewhat well, a stroke of fate came along and ruined everything for them.

Katey Sagal (Peggy Bundova)

It’s safe to say about Katey that she starred in one role, but she liked it for a long time. Peggy’s look as a 1960s housewife was invented directly by her rep, who came to the audition dressed like this and in a wig. In 2011, Katey won a Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress for the series Gang Law. She has also voiced the character of Leela in the cartoon series Futurama for several years. Although Katey has played a number of other episodic characters in various series such as Columbo or Lost, she has never achieved the same popularity as the days of Married with Obligations.

In 2014 she received her star on the Walk of Fame, which she earned mainly for her leading role in the series Married with Obligations, thanks to which she became an icon for housewives who take money from their husbands and at the same time not they do nothing. But those with bad tongues say her star doesn’t belong on the Walk of Fame. Besides acting, Katey also composes music and sings. Her career is quite successful. But it’s even worse with relationships than her. She is married for the third time, her last husband is producer, director and screenwriter Kurt Sutter. She has a fifteen-year-old daughter Esme Louise with her, who was taken away by a surrogate mother. She has three other children from her previous marriage to actor Jack White. Tragedy struck Katey while filming her, she miscarried in her seventh month of pregnancy. Since her pregnancy was part of the plot, the creators adapted the script after the tragedy, and thus Peggy’s pregnancy was just a dream.

Christina Applegate (Kelly Bundova)

The role of beautiful and stupid blonde Kelly Bund made Christina a star. She also won the Young Artist Award for this role. An interesting fact is that it was Christina who spoke the first and last words in the series Married with Obligations. Kelly Bund had the same birthday as Christina Applegate. She has been acting all her life. She got her first role as a child in the TV series Tak zdečas. You might see her in movies like Maš padaká!, Reporter: The Story of Ron Burgundy, Visitors: Journey to America or Simply Sexy.
Christina is a vegetarian and fights for animal rights. In 2007, she appeared in a PETA campaign. She also participates in breast cancer prevention campaigns, which she has led herself and for which she underwent a double mastectomy. To make matters worse, last year she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Due to the illness, she has gained a lot of weight and she can no longer walk without a cane, but she still managed to film the latest series of the Dead To Me series, which will premiere on November 17 on Netflix.

David Faustino (Bud Mother)

She landed a role in the series when she was 13. It was also due to her small height of 160 cm, which could become another reason for ridicule. He has been nominated eleven times for the Young Artist Award for his role as him. David Faustino wanted to be a rapper just like Bud. He has performed under the pseudonym D L’il without success. After Married with Obligations, Faustino mainly appeared in B-movies such as Smoker, Boston Strangler, Vincent’s World or Shark Tornado 4. Unlike others former child actors, David has never had a big scandal. His criminal record includes only one arrest for possession of marijuana in 2007.

Amanda Bearse (Marcy D’Arcy)

Neighbor Marcy liked to tease Al Bundy. But her representative has always been attracted to directing rather than acting: some parts of the series were even under her direction. As a director, he has directed several episodes of the series The temptations of Veronica, Sabrina: the young witch or Diary of a deserving mother. Today he works only exceptionally in film and television and is mainly dedicated to the fight for gay rights. He has been married to partner Carrie Schenken since 2010 and has an adopted daughter, Zoe.

David GarrisonSteve Rhoades

She left the sitcom at the end of season 4. Since then, she has filmed dozens of roles. You may see this, for example, in the Law and Order series. He left the role of Steve for the theatre, which has always been his great love. David performed in many plays on Broadway and was not afraid to perform in musicals. He has been nominated for several theater awards. You will surely recall that David made a brief return to the sitcom. But he only appeared in four episodes.

Ted McGinley (Jefferson D’Arcy)

Ted McGinley who started out in the modeling business joined the cast of Married by Commitment in the fifth series. As Jefferson D’Arcy, he played Marcy’s second husband, replacing David Garrison. After the sitcom ended, he mostly appeared in guest roles. In 2001 he participated in the film Pearl Harbor and later worked in the TV series Hope & Faith. He continues to act today, but he’s never had a bigger, more important role.

Title song

The song Love and Marriage was first performed by Fank Sinatra in the 1955 television adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town. The recording was also released on disc and topped the charts, as well as winning the prestigious Emmy Award. There were also interesting covers by Peggy Lee or the American skapunk band Less Than Jake. The second life of the song was given by the TV series Married with Obligations.