I’ll be watching too. In part because I liked the old show and in part because I can’t imagine Al Bundy in the roll and I’ve gotta see this!
I’m thinking I’m being closed minded here but to me he’ll always be Al Bundy, shoe saleman and lump on the couch in front of the TV with his hand in his pants wasteband.
So…
Prove me wrong Ed O’Neil
;j
Did anyone else see O’Neill in the short-lived and very bizarre series The Big Apple? I, for one (and I’m possibly speaking as the only viewer) thought that he did a great job playing a tough cop in that show — never thought about Al Bundy at all, once I got watching.
I wonder if the Opening will be like the Jack Webb Dragnet. that would be cool. “I carry A Badge” etc.
I agree. 
I really wish people would TRY to look past the characters certain actors are commonly known for. I really don’t understand why people do that. If it’s non-voluntary, that’s one thing… but some people don’t ever give actors in this situation a chance.
These are actors… they are doing their job. If they are so perfect for a part that people mistake them for the character they are playing, that must mean they have some talent. Perhaps eventually we might find that that’s not their only talent, and except them in other roles. For those who may find it weird at first, but ARE giving the show a chance… kudos!
Look at Jim Carrey, and even Adam Sandler (a lot of people on SDMB’s liked ‘Punch-Drunk Love’)… Can’t they get a chance to appeal to a broader audience than fans of “silly” (stupid) comedy?
I only got a chance to see one episode of ‘The Big Apple’. I liked O’Neil in it.
It is non-voluntary. We don’t really know Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler as any one character, because neither of them were ever on a long running television series.
Other actors I have problems taking seriously: Leslie Neilson, Henry Winkler, Fred Gwynn, anyone from The Brady Bunch, Bob Crane, William Shatner, and probably a million more that I can’t think of right now.
Duh! As soon as I hit “Submit” I remembered Saturday Night Live and In Living Color. But they didn’t play the same characters on those shows week after week.
Ed O’Neil (along with Fred Dryer and William Devane) was once considered for the “Sam Malone” role in Cheers!
Imagine if Ed O’Neil was now the star of “Becker”, and Ted Danson was best known for sticking his hand down his pants and sniffing his armpit. I guess a small leap of the imagination is needed.