David Faustino, best known for playing Bud Bundy on Married... with Children, marked Halloween by posting an Instagram image of himself with longtime partner Lindsay Bronson and their two children dressed as the Bundy family. Faustino wore an Al Bundy costume, Bronson dressed as Peg, daughter Ava Marie appeared as Kelly and son Cassius took on Bud's rapper alter ego, Grandmaster B. The post went viral.
Christina Applegate, who played Kelly, commented, “Haha oh my god Dave! She has me down!” Fans also reacted, with one comment reading “Bud grew into his father's shoes” and another saying “We all become our fathers.” The reactions tied into Faustino dressing as Al while his son dressed as Bud.
The sitcom, created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt, follows the dysfunctional Bundy family through everyday life, arguments, insults and outlandish predicaments. Faustino played Bud alongside Ed O'Neill as Al, Katey Sagal as Peg and Applegate as Kelly. Married... with Children ran for 11 seasons on Fox between 1987 and 1997 and is remembered as one of the best comedy shows of its era.
In the comments, some fans called for a sequel series in which Bud is married with children of his own; one suggested the title Married... with Grandchildren. Attempts to revive the show have not come to fruition. Faustino, now 52, told Us Weekly in June that he had signed a deal at one point to return in a sequel focused on Bud and his family, but it fell through. “All of the cast was very supportive,” he said, explaining that the story was built around a Bud Bundy storyline and that cast members agreed to appear as recurring characters. He said Sony, which owns the show, was ready, but added that a person he would not name—not a cast member—wanted to hold on to what the show was and did not want another version to go out.
A separate animated revival featuring the same cast members was also in the works before being squashed. Amid her health struggles, Applegate confirmed she was committed to returning as the voice of Kelly. It was reported last year that Sony Pictures Television quietly scrapped the project, with the reason unclear at the time. There had been speculation that the series could now be seen as problematic. Classic episodes of Married... with Children are streaming.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.