'Married With Children' was a hugely successful sitcom which ran for 259 episodes on US television between 1987-1997 before coming to an end. 'Married For Life' was an unsuccessful British adaption of the earlier show which ran on ITV for seven episodes in 1996 before being axed.
It wasn't the first time the Brits tried to sell an adaption of a US show with disastrous results. In 1993, Carlton Television screened 'Brighton Belles' which was a British adaption of 'The Golden Girls'. Due to the fact that 'Brighton Belles' used the same scripts as 'The Golden Girls' ( with obvious edits here an there ), viewers very quickly lost interest and ratings were unremarkable. So, what chance did 'Married For Life' have when it did much the same thing?
Russ Abbott ( who looked not unlike Ed O'Neill ) played Al Bundy equivalent Ted Butler, a shoe salesman whose mundane life purely consists of his family taking every penny he has earned the moment he walks in the door. The gorgeous Susan Kyd played his lazy wife Pam who is nothing more than a living Barbie doll ( obviously the Peggy equivalent ). His bratty children are the promiscuous Nikki ( Kelly ) and the troublemaking Lee ( Bud ), played by Lucy Blakely and Peter England. They even have a shaggy dog in the shape of Clive ( instead of Buck ). Their insufferable neighbours are spineless Steve Hollingsworth and his hoity toity wife Judy ( played by Hugh Bonneville and Julie Dawn Cole ) instead of Steve and Marcy Rhoades.
Viewers hated the show, finding the characters too unlikeable and one-dimensional. Central Television seemed to agree and decided not to renew the show for a second season.
Was this hostility really deserved? Was it really so awful? In my humble opinion, not really. Russ did as well as he could, despite being somewhat out of his depth in a sitcom. Lucy Blakely and Peter England were particularly irritating as the Butler offspring. Best of all in the cast as Susan Kyd, who as Pam got many of the best lines. I found it hilarious when she was asked what her recipe for fruit loaf was. ''You need a fresh loaf, some raisins and a hammer!''.
Apart from appearances on 'Last Of The Summer Wine', Russ never did another sitcom. Well, 'Married For Life' is certainly nothing of outstanding value, but it did have its moments and is certainly miles funnier than anything broadcast in this woke era.
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