Married with Children Wiki
Register
Advertisement

It's Your Move was a sitcom written and created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye and featured Married... with Children star, David Garrison. It aired on NBC from 1984 to 1985, and was in some ways a precursor to MWC.

Background[]

The show starred Jason Bateman as the cocky teenage hero Matthew Burton, and David Garrison as Norman Lamb, his mother's beau and constant foil.

Matthew is a teenager who is constantly running schemes with his friends, such as selling pre-written term papers to fellow students, getting teachers kicked out, spying on his sister and her friends during their pajama party with hidden mics, and even using blackmail to get his way. After finding out that the apartment across from him is being rented out, he sets out to keep it vacant. Upon meeting the new tenant, Norman, things turn upside down, as he finds outs that Norman is now dating his mother, Eileen and later, his new English teacher at Van Burren High School.

Although the show focused Matthew's various schemes, in the fourteenth episode, he declares to Eileen that he will reform and give up that way of life, after she caught him breaking into her workplace and nearly destroying several legal documents. He then showed her the various tools he used for his schemes, in the hope that she would understand and be amused. Instead, it caused her to ground him and express her disappointment in him for being a teenage criminal. This shift in tone remained evident in the final three episodes.

It was produced by Embassy Communications, also like MWC, and in its earlier episodes displayed the spin on sitcom tradition that also marked the Bundys' adventures. Matthew was unheroic much of the time, and constantly looking for short cuts, although he was far more successful in his schemes in general than Al or even Bud would ever be. As co-creator Michael G. Moye noted in a 2012 interview, Matthew was a genius, not necessarily in terms of book smarts, but at manipulating people to get his way and would be the type of person to become a politician as an adult. Norman, on the other hand, was meant to represent the person who was like Matthew as a child, but grew up and knew how to outsmart someone like him.

While the show did well in the beginning, its rating suffered as it had to compete with the more popular ABC primetime drama, Dynasty.

Jason Bateman, who played Matthew said in an interview that the show was cancelled mainly due to parents writing in and complaining that their children were emulating the schemes and tactics used by his character, which also likely affected the tone of the show from the 14th episode onward. In a 2017 interview on the Married... with Children podcast, Michael G. Moye confirmed that the show's cancellation was in part due to parents writing in and complaining, though he also noted that children would write in and confirm that children did act like Matthew.

MWC cast on the show[]

David Garrison played Norman Lamb, a former insurance salesman from Chicago who has recently moved out to California to become a writer. He lives across the hall from the apartment where Matthew and his mom and sister live in. Despite Matthew's attempt to get him to move out, Norman starts dating Eileen, Matthew's widowed mother. He later becomes Matthew's English teacher (and soccer coach) at Van Burren High School.

Ernie Sabella, who played Mr. Pond in "Peggy Sue Got Work", played Lou Donatelli, the landlord who is constantly victimized by Matthew and his pranks.

Garrett Morris, who was Al's friend Russ in seasons one and three of MWC, played Principal Dwight Ellis.

Tricia Cast, who was Starla, the escaped inmate who holds up the Bundys in "The Desperate Half-Hour (Part 1)", played Julie Burton, Matthew's sister, who also a constant victim of his pranks.

Geoffrey Scott, who played Al's friend Nick in "Where's the Boss?" played Jack Wolf, a man who Norman believes is going after Eileen, in the episode, "The Rival".

Carmine Filipi, who played Codger #1 in "Route 666 (Part 1)", played Garth in the episode "Don't Leave Home Without It".

Christopher M. Brown who played Ralph in "Hi I.Q." played Matthew's classmate, Alfred in two episodes.

Michael G. Moye, who co-created the show and made several guest appearances on MWC, can be heard reading the on-screen text in the episode "Eli's Song"

Several staff members from this show would later work on MWC including Katherine Green, John Maxwell Anderson, Linda Day, Sandy Sprung, Marcy Vosburgh, Al Aidekman and Tony Singletary.

Trivia[]

  • Parts of the set for Van Burren High School, where Matthew and Julie attend and Norman works at, were later reused on Married... with Children for Polk High School.
    • The sports field in the 15th episode "Eli's Song" was recycled into in the Season 3 episode, "Poke High". Specifically, the shrubs, the houses in the background and the bleachers, which can be clearly seen during Kelly Bundy's cheerleading tryout.
    • The classroom in the 9th episode, "Top Dog", was reused as the room for the Mother Daughter career day event in the Season 3 episode, "My Mom, the Mom" and as Kelly's Home Economics class in the Season 4 episode "Peggy Made a Little Lamb"
    • The hallway outside of the classroom in "Top Dog" was reused for Andrew Johnson High School in the Season 5 episode, "All Night Security Dude", with the lockers now painted pink instead of blue.
Advertisement