"It was a very misogynistic show," Segal, who played disinterested housewife Peggy Bundy, has said about the classic sitcom, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this week.

"The women were portrayed [as] completely exploited on the show. That was Al Bundy's thing," she added, referring to the miserable shoe salesman played by Ed O'Neill (Modern Family). "He liked hot women, and they showed them all the time."

The sitcom, a wry take on '50s suburbia and feelgood family shows, ran for ten seasons from 1987 to 1997 and built a loyal audience despite middling ratings and controversy over its often lewd punchlines.

Alongside Peggy and Al, it provided breakthrough roles for Christina Applegate and David Faustino, who played the pair's dropkick kids Kelly and Bud (or, 'Grandmaster B', as some remember him).

Somewhere along the way, its satirical slant got muddled, the show's live audience infamously whooping and hollering over Al's aggrieved nonsense, including regular putdowns of neighbour Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and a sad gang of husband-activists named No Ma'am who met in Al's garage to shake a fist at the feminist agenda wreaking havoc on their bowling nights and nudie bars.

Married's lively studio was so distinct, it was later spoofed in an episode of Futurama, on which Segal was a regular voice actor.

In the interview with AOL, aimed at promoting her new book Grace Notes: My Recollections, Segal noted her conflicted feelings on Married With Children's legacy.

"People would ask me questions like, 'Is this what you think? I mean, how can you be on a show like this?' And I was really clear that I don't believe in censorship, and I also believe that it's my job as an actor to interpret the material - it's not my belief," she added.

"If you're asking me, do I think women should be portrayed in a misogynistic way, in an exploited way, of course I don't think that. But playing Peg Bundy had nothing to do with what I thought; that was my job."

The show, which currently reruns on 7Flix, has been at the centre of reunion rumours for years.

A spin-off, focusing on Bud's ongoing struggles with the 'Bundy curse', is said to still be in the works, with Segal and O'Neill reportedly onboard to reprise Peggy and Al, now lottery millionaires living in Las Vegas.