Animated Reboot of ‘Married… with Children’ is in Development
Max Weinstein is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is the Editor-at-Large of ‘Dread Central’ and former Editorial Director of ‘MovieMaker.’ His work has been featured in ‘Cineaste,’ ‘Fangoria,’ ‘Playboy,’ ‘Vice,’ and ‘The Week.’
An animated reboot of Married… with Children is in the works, AWN can confirm.
With the project going the animation route, key cast members of the original show are more likely to return in their roles, since voice acting will put them in position to avoid possible scheduling conflicts.
According to Deadline, the concept for an animated revival of the show grew over several years, after Faustino’s idea for a Bud-centric spinoff series died on the vine. “Gradually, the idea for an animated series emerged as it easily accommodates actors’ existing commitments and still could feature some signature elements of the original series, like its famous theme song, Frank Sinatra’s ‘Love and Marriage.’ Sony TV recently took the same route with another classic sitcom in its catalog, Norman Lear’s Good Times, which has an animated version in the works at Netflix.”
On Friday, Deadline reported that an animated version of the hit 1980s-90s sitcom “is being pitched to networks and streamers and is getting strong interest.” While the project is still seeking buyers, Sony Pictures Television sources told AWN that it is currently in development.
Alex Carter, executive producer of Family Guy, is writing and serving as showrunner of the new series. No network has picked it up just yet, but Fox, Hulu, and Peacock have all been considered likely homes.
The original Married… with Children was created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt, and stars Katey Sagal, Ed O’Neill, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino. The show is centered on the Chicago-based Bundy family, comprised of Al (O’Neill), his wife Peggy (Sagal), and their children Kelly (Applegate) and Bud (Faustino). Married… with Children debuted in 1987 and went on to become one of the longest-running live-action comedy series in TV history, spanning 11 seasons and enjoying a long afterlife in syndication.
