When "Married to the Kellys" premiered Fridays at 8:30pm/7:30 central during ABC's fall 2003 season, it aired after "George Lopez", where ABC brought back its famed TGIF block along with the new Kelly Ripa comedy "Hope & Faith" and "Life with Bonnie". Originally bought by ABC as "The Untitled Tom Hertz Project" the show needed a quick title in order for the series to be promoted in time for the network to unveil its new line-up. So they decided on the tentative title "Back to Kansas". Although the series does take place in Kansas the title didn't quite work since the main character isn't really returning to Kansas (his wife is) and the show wasn't really about the wife's "return" to Kansas but more about the entire Kelly family and the main character's efforts in trying to fit into a new situation. The show soon acquired the more appropriate and fitting title Married to the Kellys. An interesting fact about the show is that Tom Hertz didn't just use real life situations as inspiration for this sitcom, he also used real life family members. All the characters in the series were named after Tom, his wife and his in-laws (with the exception of Lewis).