Russia's remake of Married ...with Children was a massive hit — so much so that the show ran out of scripts and a statue of its Al Bundy was erected

Mel Magazine

Russian TV never had a successful sitcom until 2004, when a remake of The Nanny made its debut. "Licensed by Sony, Moya Prekrasnaya Nyanya used the scripts from the original series, translated them, adjusted some jokes for Russian sensibilities and then taped them using their own actors," says Brian VanHooker. "It was a smash hit, but its mantle as Russia’s number one comedy would soon be overtaken by something even bigger. Premiering on March 8, 2006, Schastlivy Vmeste — or Happy Together — was the Russian adaptation of Married… with Children. Utilizing the same formula as Moya Prekrasnaya Nyanya, the show used the original scripts of the FOX sitcom, translated them, adjusted the jokes and performed them with their own cast of Russian actors. While it stumbled at first, the show would soon become Russia’s hottest comedy. So successful was the sitcom that they ended up running out of American scripts to adapt and they soon began writing their own. All told, Schastlivy Vmeste ran for 365 episodes — compared to the 259 episodes of Married… with Children — and the show turned its stars into household names in Russia. Most impressively, in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where Schastlivy Vmeste takes place, a statue of Gena Bukin — the Russian Al Bundy — now stands in a public square."