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The ABC sitcom Married to the Kellys was reportedly based on the life experiences of its producer, Tom Hertz. An only child who had lived a blissful solitary existence most of his life, Manhattanite Tom Wagner (Breckin Meyer) was swept off his feet by Susan Kelly (Kiele Sanchez), an attractive Midwesterner. Upon relocating to his new bride's Kansas home town, Tom soon learned that he had not only married Susan, but also her large and boisterous family. Our hero immediately found a kindred spirit in Susan's dad Bill (Sam Anderson), who was likewise an only child. But Tom had a more difficult time adjusting to Susan's control-freak mother Sandy (Nancy Lenehan), her highly competitive sister Mary (Emily Rutherfurd), her nerdish, bug-collecting kid brother Lewis (Derek Waters), and Mary's envious husband Chris (Josh Braaten). Though life with the Kellys could be quite a trial at times, Tom was consoled by the advice given him by his father-in-law Bill: "Family is like quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink." Married to the Kellys debuted October 3, 2003.