Unhappily Ever After was a television sitcom that ran on the WB network from 1995 to 1999. It was created by Married... with Children co-creator Ron Leavitt and MWC producer Arthur Silver, after they had left the show at the end of Season 7.
The staff consisted of various writers and producers from MWC including Sandy Sprung, Marcy Vosburgh and Kevin Curran. Many of the guest stars from MWC also appeared on the show. The show starred Married...with Children guest stars Geoff Pierson and Bobcat Goldthwait, while MWC actor David Faustino made a guest appearance in the final season.
The show was noted for sharing many similarities to MWC, with the main cast sharing traits of the Bundy family and having similar story topics and jokes. At the end of one episode, Mr. Floppy reads a fan letter that accuses them of ripping off MWC, before defending the show by claiming they have 3 children and a talking rabbit, pointing out that MWC only has 2 kids.
Background[]
The show focused on the Malloys from Van Nuys (suburban Los Angeles), California. The family consists of:
- Jack, a used-car salesman. He hates his job, is constantly insulted by his family, and leans on alcohol to escape from (or at least try to forget) his problems. He is essentially Al Bundy.
- Jennie, Jack's ex-wife. She is selfish and ill-tempered. She often cuckholds Jack and hates her child, as she was forced to marry Jack after getting pregnant with Ryan and views Tiffany as being all the things that she is not. Although they are in the process of getting divorced in the first season, she and Jack remain together until she is accidentally killed in a tanning booth in the Season 4 episode, "The Ghost and Mr. Malloy". After her family is informed about her death, her spirit returns to the house to haunt them from the later half of the episode into the following episode, "Exorcising Jennie" before Jack Levin, a real-life network executive at The WB, comes on-screen and orders the Malloys to bring her back to life. Despite being revived and resuming her role in the Malloy household by the end of the episode, she decides to run off with her lesbian lover at the end of season 4, leaving Jack as the sole parent to raise the kids in the final season. She is essentially Peggy Bundy.
- Ryan, the eldest child. Dull-witted Ryan is disliked by nearly everybody, and unsuccessful with women, for all the right reasons...which makes him a laughingstock, even among his parents and siblings. He is essentially Bud Bundy, only without the wisdom (or, more appropriately, cynicism).
- Tiffany, the middle child and only daughter. Like Kelly Bundy, she is sexy but also manipulative and shallow. Also like Kelly, Tiffany is admired by nearly everyone; however, unlike Kelly, who is a quintessential dumb promiscuous blonde, Tiffany is a redhead who is clever and intelligent. She also remained chaste, which was noted in the Season 4 episode "Chaste Makes Waste". Her arch-rival at Priddy High School is equally-smart, equally-gorgeous, and blonde, Sable O'Brien (Kristanna Loken). Tiffany and Sable greatly enjoy their "Queen Bee" status at PHS, where male students fantasize about both of them, and where female students fantasize about being either of them. She attends Northridge Junior College during Season 3 and 4 and by the end of the series, is able to transfer to Harvard.
- Ross, the runt of the Malloy litter, who often finds himself regarded as their "forgotten child" (like Seven). Yet he's the most normal member of the family (like Buck).
During the first two seasons, Jennie's mother Maureen (Joyce Van Patten), lived with the family.
Jack is the sole breadwinner of the family, yet is often insulted by his family, who view him as crazy or senile. His only companion is a stuffed rabbit named "Mr. Floppy" that Ross gave him to keep him company after he moved out. Mr. Floppy starts talking to Jack when he is alone, serving as someone to talk to.
In the first season, Jack is living in a rundown apartment, but by the second season, he is able to move back home, as he and Jennie hold off on their divorce, but now lives in the basement. Near the end of the forth season, Jennie decided to become a lesbian and run off with her new lover, leaving Jack as the sole parent to the kids.
Although the show was originally meant to serve as a starring vehicle for actress Stephanie Hodge and her character, Jennie Malloy, the show shifted its focus towards Jack Malloy by the end of its first season. Though by the final season, the focus had shifted to Tiffany.
Appearances on Unhappily Ever After[]
Geoff Pierson (Roland Squab) played the main character, Jack Malloy, a used car salesman who suffers from schizophrenia and spends his time taking to a stuffed rabbit named Mr. Floppy that only he can hear. At the beginning of the series, he is in the process of divorcing his wife and living in an apartment before eventually moving back home and living in the basement for the remainder of the series. Like Al Bundy, he hates his sales job, is the sole breadwinner, hates his mother-in-law who lives with the family, is often insulted by the rest of his family, and drinks alcohol to escape from his problems. Besides Mr. Floppy, the only other person he cares about is his daughter, Tiffany, who, like Kelly Bundy, manipulates him to get what she wants.
Bobcat Goldthwait (Zemus Wanker) provided the voice of Mr. Floppy, a stuffed rabbit who is only heard by Jack and is believed to be Jack's alter ego. He usually offers advice to Jack and also reads letters from viewers at the end of each episode during Season 1-4. In addition, Goldthwait physically appeared on the show as a daytime talk show host in Season 2, himself during a fantasy interview scene with Mr. Floppy in Season 4, as well as a "friskie transvestite" who kisses Ryan in Season 4
David Faustino (Bud Bundy) played Jimbo Bassilli, a businessman who eagerly pursues Tiffany, despite being rejected by her in the Season 5 episode, "Tiffany Burger". He then names a burger after her.
Jessica Hahn (Ricki) played Miss Taylor, a sexy high school teacher who goes out with Jack
Frank Lloyd (Norris / various characters) played various characters on the show, such as Jack's friend, Righty, in Season 1 and 2, a police officer in Seasons 3,4, and 5, a security guard in "The One Kevin's Directing", the villainous cowboy "Teeth McKenzie" in "The Old West", Jimbo's father Mr. Bassilli in "Tiffany Burger" and an auto shop manager in "Date to Win".
Christina Moore (Gorgeous Woman) played Cherri, a cheerleader at Northridge Junior College and one of Tiffany's friends during season 4.
Oliver Muirhead (Mr. Blithers) played Mr. Monteleone, Tiffany and Ryan's English teacher at Northridge Junior College during Season 3 and 4
Rhonda Shear (Brenda Kostrowski) played "Beggar Spice" (a reference to the popular pop group, the Spice Girls), a former pop star who begs an elderly Jack for some spare change in the Season 4 episode, "Chaste Makes Waste".
Allan Trautman (Barbiephile) played various roles during its entire run, including Mr. Dunn, the principal at Priddy High School during Seasons 1-3, Mr. Moss, Ross' teacher in Season 4, a commercial director in Season 4, and Mr. Nazebels, a Harvard recruiter in Season 5. He was also credited as the puppeteer for Mr. Floppy.
Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci) played Guy Macaroon, owner of Guy Macaroon's Total Beauty Supply and Tanning Center who tells the family about Jenny's death at his tanning center in the Season 4 episode "The Ghost and Mr. Malloy". In the following episode, "Exorcising Jennie", he played his well known SNL character, Father Guido Sarducci, who is paid to get rid of Jennie's spirit from the house.
Ossie Mair
Karen Lynn Scott (Aunt Heather / Dina) played Marilyn, a neighbor and friend of Jennie's who visits the Malloy family after hearing about Jennie's death and makes out with Jack in the Season 4 episodes, "The Ghost and Mr. Malloy" and "Exorcising Jennie".
Edd "Kookie" Byrnes
Wendie Jo Sperber (Sandy Jorgenson)
Nick Toth (Al's Computer) played Quigley, a recruiter for Princeton University who interviews Tiffany and also believes that she is dating his nerdy son, until Jack comes in and reveals that she has been allowing nerdy boys to take prom pictures with her in the Season 3 episode, "Angel Gone Bad".
Richard Sanders (Mr. Conner) played Mr. Peabody, a teacher whom Tiffany tries to befriend before finding out that he is a serial killer in the Season 4 episode, "Teacher of the Year".
Gerry Cohen who served as director for both MWC and Unhappily Ever After played Mr. Cohen, a commercial director who gets upset and walks off set in the Season 5 episode, "Tiffany's Big Break".
Ron Leavitt who created Unhappily Ever After and co-created MWC can be seen on a poster for the fictional show, Insane Asylum in the Season 4 episode, "The One Kevin's Directing".
Trivia[]
- In the episode, "Eating Hollywood", the set used for the restaurant that the Malloys visit, "House of Hollywood" was reused from the Bullpen Sports Bar used during Season 8 and Season 9 of Married... with Children. The episode also featured previous MWC guest stars Derek Sellers and Aaron Lustig.