Katey Sagal Movies

The Fox network's very first sitcom launches its very first season, as Married...With Children invades the sanctity of the American home. We waste no time introducing the Bundys of Chicago, headed by cloddish, chauvinistic shoe salesman Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) and his lazy, oversexed wife Peg (Katey Sagal). And of course, there are the Bundy brats: Daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate), who has managed to garner the worst reputation in her school at the tender age of 15, and eleven-year-old son Bud (David Faustino), a J.D.-in-training. The Bundys spend most of the series' first season outraging and disgusting their wide-eyed newlywed neighbors, young accountants Steve and Marcy Rhoades (David Garrison, Amanda Bearse). Whatever illusions Steve and Marcy may have had about the sweetness of matrimony and family life are destroyed by the boorish Bundys and their repulsive children on a weekly (if not daily) basis. Highlights (or is it lowlights?) of the series' inaugural season include Peg's efforts to go on a diet, Al's accidental "execution" of the neighbors' dog, Al and Steve bonding over the matter of a '65 Mustang (and simultaneously alienating their wives all the more), the family's depletion of their already tenuous credit rating, a "second honeymoon" at a no-tell motel, Peg going to work in order to buy a VCR, and innocent Marcy's outrageous sexual fantasies. . .about Al. Closing the season as Fox's highest-rated program, Married...With Children also established the fledgling network's mandate: Shock 'em, gross 'em out, make 'em laugh, and count the change as the advertising revenue rolls in. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

According to legend, the working title for Married...With Children was "NOT the Cosby Show," and that said it all. This raunchy, ribald eleven-year saga of a boorish, dysfunctional family living in the outskirts of Chicago was about as far removed from The Cosby Show as Mercury is from Pluto -- which was just fine so far as its creators, Ron Leavitt and Michael Moye, were concerned. Harboring a lifelong hatred for the "typical, wholesome" American TV family, Leavitt and Moyes chose instead to develop a series which revelled -- nay, wallowed -- in questionable taste, endless insults, and juicy sexual badinage. The newly formed Fox network, anxious to offer programming that would immediately separate itself from the "norm" as dictated by the ABC, CBS, and NBC, was receptive to the concept, and on April 5, 1987, Married...With Children debuted as Fox's first-ever sitcom -- not to mention its first-ever prime-time series. The Bundy family might well have been described as "trailer trash," only they didn't live in a trailer but instead in a large, untidy suburban Chicago house. Patriarch Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) worked for minimum wages as a clerk at Gary's Shoe Store. Being an unregenerate male chauvinist pig, unkempt, and reeking of body odor, Al would sooner hang out at the local nudie bar with his fellow members of "NO MA'AM" (the National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood) than come home to the wretched meals prepared by his lazy, viper-tongued wife, Peggy (Katey Sagal). Hating housework almost as much as cooking and forever dressed in tight, garish outfits that displayed her ripe figure to anyone who was interested (Al certainly wasn't), Peg was also distinguished by her layers of facial makeup and her towering teased hair. The Bundy's dimwitted, slatternly daughter, Kelly (Christina Applegate), was so proud of her reputation as the high school's "easiest" girl that she sometimes gave annotated lectures on the subject; in later episodes, Kelly worked at such intellectual pursuits as waitressing and as commercial spokesperson for an off-brand beer. Kelly's kid brother Bud (David Faustino), eleven years old when the series began, was a combination juvenile delinquent and con artist, who, once he reached maturity (?), held down jobs as a clerk at the Motor Vehicle Bureau and as a one-person talent agency (with Kelly as his sole client). The Bundy family was a great source of irritation and embarrassment for their strait-laced newlywed neighbors, Steve and Marcy Rhoades (David Garrison and Amanda Bearse), who were respectably employed as accountants. The bad influence of the Bundys eventually seeped over into the Rhoades household, with Steve losing his job, divorcing his wife, and ending up working as a forest ranger, and Marcy taking as her second husband the terminally lazy Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley), whom she met during a drunken binge at a banker's convention. During the series' seventh season, Shane Sweet became a regular as Seven Bundy, son of one of Peg's many cousins; but the character never caught on and was summarily dropped without explanation. Two other series regulars never appeared on camera. Kevin Curran provided the voice of the Bundys' unhousebroken, oversexed dog, Buck, and later voiced a cute cocker spaniel puppy named Lucky -- who turned out to possess the reincarnated soul of the late and very reluctant Buck. And during the series' tenth season, Kathleen Freeman was heard but not seen as Peg's harridan hillbilly mother, Mrs. Wanker, who moved into Bud's room after walking out on her husband (played in some episodes by Tim Conway).

Bearing absolutely no resemblance to real life and doggedly avoiding sentiment and "very special episodes," Married...With Children was not exactly everyone's cup of treacle; in fact, one Michigan housewife became so incensed by the series' outrages (which were grotesquely exaggerated for full satiric effect) that she organized a letter-writing campaign to force Fox to cancel the series. Though the woman did not succeed, one third-season episode of Married...With Children, in which the Bundys were unwittingly videotaped while having sex at a cheap motel, was never aired by Fox and in fact was not seen in the United States until 2002, some 14 years after it was produced! Though the series had more than its share of detractors, it also enjoyed a huge fan following with most viewers fully aware that Married was actually a spoof of late-'80s/early-'90s TV raunchiness and accepted it as such. The series' "nothing sacred" attitude enabled the writers to sidestep a particularly delicate situation during season six. To accommodate the real-life pregnancy of Katey Sagal, it was decided that Peg Bundy would also have a baby. Unfortunately, Sagal miscarried, leaving audiences to wonder how this personal tragedy would affect the series. As it turned out, the writers managed to transform pathos into hilarity by stating baldly that Peg's pregnancy was merely a bad dream, à la Dallas! (Later in the series, Sagal again became pregnant, fortunately carrying the baby to term; this time around, however, the writers felt it would be best not to say anything whatsoever about babies on the series). Ending its original network run in 1997, Married...With Children has continued to be successfully rebroadcast in syndication and as part of the FX cable network lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The third season of Married...With Children might not have happened if a certain Michigan housewife had had her way. Outraged by the excessive sex talk and overall lack of good taste on the series, the woman from Michigan launched a letter-writing campaign to get Married... banned from the Fox network. This didn't happen for three reasons: Most viewers accepted the series as a broad satire of '80s TV raunchiness, the series was enjoying its best-ever ratings, and the show was a cash cow for Fox, accruing more advertising revenue than the rest of its programs combined. As they say, money talks, and something else walks. Anyway, season three offers even more outrageous behavior from the Bundy family of Chicago, much to the dismay of their strait-laced neighbors, the Rhoadeses. To cite on example among many, we submit for approval the episode in which, thanks to Peg Bundy's (Katey Sagal) lousy sense of directions, Steve Rhodes (David Garrison) and wife Marcy (Amanda Bearse) come home to find that their house has been demolished and their lot replaced by a gaping hole! The season's best-known episode, "The Camping Show," was originally titled "A Period Pierce" because it deals with the discomfort of Peg and Marcy whose "time of the month" occurs during a camping trip; the Fox network decided to change the title rather than offend its audience (as if the audience for this show could ever be offended). Another episode, "I'll See You in Court," was not aired in the U.S. until it was cablecast by the FX channel in 2002. The plot? Well, it seems that both the Bundys and the Rhoadeses are videotaped while having sex at a cheap hotel...say no more, say no more, wink wink, nudge nudge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One significant cast change occurs during season four of Married...With Children -- namely, the departure of Steve Rhoades (David Garrison), long-suffering accountant neighbor of the boorish Bundy family. Taking a chance by okaying a $50,000 loan for the redoubtable Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill), poor Steve loses his job at the bank. Before long, Steve's wife, Marcy (Amanda Bearse), is short one husband, as Steve runs off to become a park ranger at Yellowstone. After the divorce, Marcy joins Al's wife, Peg (Katey Sagal), and the delinquent Bundy children for a getaway vacation to Las Vegas -- which culminates in a grudge match with a female wrestler! Nor is this all that happens during season four -- not by a long shot. In the season opener, "Dead Men Don't Do Aerobics," Peg persuades a physical-fitness nut to pig out on junk food -- with fatal results. Elsewhere, a young Milla Jovovich guest stars as a foreign exchange student who becomes a thorn in the side of the Bundys' daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate); son Bud Bundy (David Faustino) becomes the world's youngest talent agent; the family dog, Buck, finds a voice (in the unseen form of actor Kevin Curran); and Al suffers from an unwelcome foot fetish when chosen to emcee a beauty contest at the shoe store where he works. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An all-star cast is included on this children's adventure that follows a search for Mother Goose by her son (Dan Gilroy) and Little Bo Peep (Shelley Duvall). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

She Says She's Innocent stars off as a standard "legal issue of the week" TV movie. Katey Sagal refuses to believe that her daughter Charlotte Ross is guilty as charged of murder. Usually this is a cue for a feature-length fight against the legal system: Not so here. Instead, Sagal spends the last 20 minutes of the film playing amateur sleuth to track down the real killer--and in so doing leaves herself open to a near-fatal confrontation. If the name of the director She Says She's Innocent seems familiar, it should; Charles Correll was the grandson of the radio actor of the same name--the man who, with Freeman Gosden, created Amos N Andy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eight seasons have passed since Married...With Children made its Fox network debut, but the Bundy family is just as boorish and decadent as ever -- if not more so. This season, shoe salesman Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) loses sleep over the dread "Bundy Curse," endeavors to teach a high school graduate the facts of life, and establishes the all-male conclave "NO MA'AM"(National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Women). Lazy, oversexed housewife Peg Bundy (Katey Sagal) wins a chance at a 10,000-dollar contest during a basketball game, is exposed to public embarrassment (and admiration) when her picture is hung up outside a photo shop, and impersonates one of the Village People. Libidinous daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) gets a steady job as a pest exterminator and displays a hitherto untapped prowess at sports; and opportunistic son Bud (David Faustino) generally hangs around the house, like always. Next door at the D'Arcys, unemployed Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) reveals his past life as a secret agent, while wife Marcy (Amanda Bearse) embraces feminism and has an existential moment while delivering a speech. The season ends with the episode "Kelly Knows Something" -- quite a shocker for series fans who have resigned themselves to the "fact" that Kelly knows nothing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Married...With Children enters its ninth season, the Bundy family's youngest member, Bud (David Faustino), has gotten a job at the motor vehicle bureau; Bud's older sister, Kelly (Christina Applegate), has become a commercial pitchwoman; father Al (Ed O'Neill) continues striking a blow for male chauvinist pigs worldwide as head of "NO MA'AM"; and mom Peg (Katey Sagal) at last invades the sanctity of Al's favorite hangout, the Nudie Bar. Next door at the D'Arcy home, Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) worries that his past life as a spy will catch up with him, while wife Marcy (Amanda Bearse) invites her niece to her home -- and invites trouble when the girl scores with Bud. New to the series' cast is Harold Sylvester as Griff, another salesman at the shoe store where Al works. We also get to see a lot more of Al's buddies and fellow NO MA'AM members Ike (Tom McCleister), Sticky (Pat Millicano), and Bob (E.E. Bell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having clocked in eleven seasons, Married...With Children was Fox's longest-lasting series of the 1996-1997 TV season. Unfortunately, the 11th season was the last, due in part to the network's decision to change the series' timeslot three times within a single year. Al Bundy Ed O'Neill is still Chicago's most frustrated shoe clerk, all the more so because his boss, "Gary" -- actually a woman, and a none-too-pleasant one -- is seen for the first time in several episodes. Al's wife, Peg (Katey Sagal), is still lazy as a sloth and still dresses like a Rush Street "working girl." Daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) is still pursuing a show-business career, and son Bud (David Faustino) is still drawing a paycheck from the motor vehicle bureau. If anything, the individual episodes are more outrageously "out there" than ever before. Highlights include Al making a deal with the Devil (played by Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund) so the Chicago Bears can win a crucial game, a crossover episode with the Fox reality series Cops (one wonders how the Bundys have avoided being on Cops in past seasons!), and series regular Amanda Bearse showing up in the dual role of the Bundys' neighbor Marcy and her lesbian cousin (this, reportedly, was done so that actress Bearse could "out" herself on the series Ellen DeGeneres-style without compromising Marcy's heterosexuality). The saga of Married...With Children comes to an end as Al stops the wedding of his daughter, Kelly, who has become engaged to a guy who tried to rob the Bundy house. (This series finale was supposed to have been the pilot episode for a sitcom starring Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy, but the actress decided to bypass the opportunity). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Can a severe back injury bring two lonely people together? Tom (John Ritter) is a respected journalist who makes the serious mistake of becoming involved with a married woman -- the wife of his publisher. Tom's editor, Irene (Katey Sagal), is forced to give him his pink slip, but when Tom sees Irene one day with her car stuck in a ditch, he decides to let bygones be bygones and help push the car back onto the road. Tom manages to do some serious damage to his back in the process, and with no job and no health insurance, he's not sure what to do about it. Irene feels awful about the situation, and makes Tom an offer -- she'll agree to an "in name only" marriage so Tom would be eligible under her insurance benefits. Tom agrees, but what started as a marriage of convenience starts taking a more romantic turn than either of them expected. Chance of a Lifetime also stars Jean Stapleton and David Naughton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, the made-for-TV God's New Plan essentially begins at the end, as Ellen Young (Katey Sagal) prepares to die from cancer. While Ellen is more or less resigned to her fate, she worries about what will happen afterward to her husband Brian (Tom Irwin) and her children. Luckily, Ellen has become close to Claire Hutton (Annabeth Gish), the nurse hired to care for Ellen's premature infant. Even from the grave, Ellen seems to be pulling the strings of the situation, as Claire slowly, cautiously falls in love with the grieving Tom, and vice versa. Ultimately it falls to the children to stage-manage the happy ending. Blessed with a marvelously feeling of time and place, not to mention the superlative performances by the principal players, God's New Plan debuted February 16, 1999, and has since become a fixture of cable TV under the title No Higher Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fry has a dream with a commercial in it, and everyone develops a strange urge to go shopping. Bender gets arrested for shoplifting, but the crew doesn't have enough money to bail him out of jail. Fry decides to look up his old bank account, which has since accrued billions of dollars in interest over the last thousand years. He spends his money frivolously and goes to a 20th century-style auction. He bids on a can of extinct anchovies and wins over the corporate tycoon Mom (voice of Tress MacNeille), known as "the world's most huggable industrialist." Needing the anchovy oil to run her robot oil business, Mom comes up with a scam to rob Fry by making him think it's really the year 2000. Pamela Anderson guest stars. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide