When Buck eventually retired, the writers were faced with a challenge most sitcoms never have to confront: replacing an animal who’d become part of the show’s identity. They didn’t want to pretend he never existed. They didn’t want to quietly swap in another dog and hope nobody noticed. The solution they came up with was… well… peak Bundy.
They decided Buck would be reincarnated.
Lucky, the new family dog, wasn’t just a pet. He was Buck’s soul stuck in a new body. The idea was bold, ridiculous, and perfectly aligned with our brand of comedy. It let the show acknowledge Buck’s legacy without being sentimental. It also gave the writers new material: Lucky reacting to the family like he’d seen it all before, because he had.
The reincarnation twist also allowed fans to process something quietly important: losing a beloved character. Buck had been there from the early seasons. He had become part of the set’s heartbeat. Respecting that mattered.
Behind the scenes, the dog who played Lucky, Chewy, was incredibly sweet. A different energy than Buck, but just as lovable. The cast embraced him immediately, and he slid into the show’s rhythm seamlessly.
Lucky wasn’t a replacement.
He was a continuation. A clever way of saying goodbye without ending the joke.
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