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Married With Children: 10 Things About Peggy That Haven’t Aged Well

For so many people, Married…With Children remains an icon amongst sitcoms of the late eighties and early nineties. Despite being “a lowly housewife,” Peggy somehow wields all of the power. It’s evidenced by Al working all day literally at the feet of women. Meanwhile, Peggy sits on her couch throne eating bonbons all day.

Thanks to the changing landscapes of what on acceptable on TV, just about every episode of Married…With Children has about 22 minutes of material not fit for today’s audiences. Here are 10 things about Peggy Bundy that would never fly today. 

1.Smoking 

During the early years of the show, not only was Peggy a smoker, but the opening credits even featured Marcy eating a salad that unfortunately had Peg’s cigarette in it! She also once tried to chain smoke a handful of stogies at once to replace Al’s barbecue grill ashes. Thankfully, smoking, in general, has become a relic of past television shows for the most part. 

2.Barely A Parent 

Kids on TV shows are almost always written as precocious little things who seen wise beyond their years. The Bundy children didn’t seem like that, just a pair of normal teenagers.

But both of their parents didn’t seem to care one bit what either Bud or Kelly were up to. When Peg did care, she was more proud of Kelly’s solid D average instead of pushing her to do better. 

3. Promiscuous 

While on most sitcoms, it’s usually the guy that wants some extra affection, on Married…With Children, it was the other way around. Peggy was the one who wanted her husband to touch her every now and again. The level of sexuality that Peggy showed would never work in today’s climate. There would be a whole level of outrage on Instagram about a character who wants to have sex with her husband as much as Peggy did. 

4. Fat Shames Al’s Customers

One of the funniest reoccurring bits on the show was always Al ragging on his customers at the shoe store. However, now what Al did would he considered fat-shaming. It’s also something that Peggy would do whenever she visited Al at the store. Part of it was actually sweet in a Married…With Children kind of way. She’s standing up for and standing by her man whenever one of Al’s customers insult him. 

5. Identity Theft

Only in a sitcom could a crime like this happen and no real repercussions happen. Since they were being taken advantage of by their new neighbors, Steve and Marcy refuse to keep helping the Bundys. To get even, Peggy fills out a contest card addressed to the newlyweds so that she and Al could go on a game show, posing as Steve and Marcy. In retort, The Rhoades pose as the older married Bundys to get even. Peggy’s identity theft should have landed her in the clink, not with the chance to win a new car. 

6. Does Nothing All Day 

Al has referred to his lovely bride in the past as a “Tyrannosaurus Do-Nothingness.” Also by her own admission, Peg does nothing all day and likes it that way. Unlike all of the other housewives on TV up to that point, she didn’t work or contribute to the home in any way possible.

She just sat around and watched Oprah all day. In today’s world, just about every middle-income family needs both parents working and Peggy would certainly need a job. 

7. Talks Openly About Her “Support”

One of the early episodes of Married…Children almost got them in hot water when a woman named Terry Rakolta complained about the content. But instead, people wanted to know more about a show that made this woman so offended – Peggy’s bras were discontinued and it led Al and Steve on a hunt to find as many as they could find.

Not only would the entire episode be banned today, but just hearing Peg talk about her support wouldn’t work at all today. 

8. The Outfits 

As a smart actress, Katey Sagal decided to dress Peggy up as a parody of housewives of old, mixed with eighties garish fashion colors. The result was skin-tight leopard prints that looked painted on in most cases and revealed a slew of skin. Not to mention the wild colors that might hurt your eyes on a high definition TV. 

9. Overall Crassness 

This is one for the entire Bundy family, that certainly doesn’t exclude Peggy. The family’s inherent crassness would be viewed as terrible for today’s audiences. Peggy had no issue telling off anyone and everyone from her husband, to her kids, to even the law – “we’re Bundys, if we paid taxes, we’d be paying your salary.”

She also had no qualms about cutting Kelly’s clothing even skimpier while she was dating a city alderman. 

10. Goes To A Male Strip Club

During the later seasons, Al and his NO MA’AM buddies would head off to the Nudie Bar for adult delights. But it was actually Peg who headed to a strip joint first. Early on in the show, she had convinced Marcy to head to Troys; where she and all her girlfriends went to unwind. Marcy went and when she finally unwound; she inadvertently lost her wedding ring down a dancer’s pants. 

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