Movies - TV
Why Fox Locked Away An Innocent Married… With Children Episode For Decades
By DANIELLE RYAN
Before TV's Parental Guidance system existed, parent groups protested anything they deemed immoral and could impact young viewers. Michigan mom Terry Rakolta was especially vocal.
Rakolta was outraged that a "Married… With Children" episode implied nudity and had raunchy jokes. She started a boycott campaign, and the network reacted pretty strongly.
In an interview on Archive of American Television, the creator, Michael Moye, explained that advertisers were appeased when the episode "I'll See You in Court" was pulled.
The episode joked about Al and Peg filming a sex tape to be used as evidence, but their lovemaking was over so quickly that it had to be played repeatedly in slow-mo for the jury.
Fox thought it would be too raunchy for Rakolta and the other morality watchdogs, but when the episode finally aired in 2002, people were taken aback for a surprising reason.
Moye said viewers were shocked by the episode's innocence, finding the 'filthy' jokes tame. He said the audience's reactions were "as funny to me as the episode itself."