Modern Family

Before I dive into my review of Modern Family, let me say this. I haven't posted anything in a week or two so let me wrap that up in a few sentences. Concerning Christmas specials i.e. Community, 30 Rock and The Office, I am ranking them as follows: Community > The Office > 30 Rock. In brief, 30 Rock didn't go anywhere it hasn't already and just had a regular Christmas-themed episode. Although, Elaine Stritch as Jack's mom is one of the best guest stars the show has. Same thoughts on The Office save the additional return of the lovely Holly. And even though nothing too grand came from her return in the Michael-Holly department, it certainly sets things in motion like we've all been waiting for. And as for Community, well, maybe they were trying to impress everybody in their sophomore effort or maybe it really is just that good of a show, but they really blew me away with their Christmas episode. Not entirely because of the actual jokes or story of the show itself (although they were worthy) but because they chose quite an undertaking with the Rankin/Bass-type animation. Making that entire episode is a real feat and I tip my fedora to them. They are constantly churning out fresh ideas. I don't know how long it can last, but I'll take it while I can.


Modern Family 

Anyway, Modern Family, where do I begin? First of all, I have been inundated constantly over the past year with everybody shouting at me to watch Modern Family. It's kind of annoying. I mean, people would get literally mad at me for not watching the shows that they watch. Like, angry mad. A lot of those people also weren't allowed to drink soda as kids and are the same people you catch yelling at themselves in mirrors when they think nobody is watching. So, for the sake of their elevated blood pressure, I watched Season 1 and 2 (up to the most current episode) over the past couple weeks.


First, let me say, I really really do like the show. Simply put, I don't think its one of my favorite comedies ever or anything, but it's one of the best ones on television currently. Definitely a show that I will set up to record every week and watch regularly. I won't really say that I'm going to watch it religiously because it's not that type of show. But I will get to that later.


Here's how I classify Modern Family. I don't mean to be overly simplistic or keep using the same shows as crutches for comparison, but that's what I'm going to do. The show is somewhere in the land between a Two and a Half Men-type show and The Office. I don't mean that in terms of quality but rather style and overall appeal. And to be honest, it leans much more heavily towards The Office. It taps into the same subconscious, unspoken situational humor as The Office but instead of "this is what people are like in an office" it is "this is what people are like in a family" and uses the documentary interview style (By the way, they really do never explain why they are talking to the camera. Ostensibly, The Office implies that it is a documentary crew and will even occasionally make glances at the camera itself. Modern Family just sort of has the gimmick unquestioned. Though, to be fair, The Office isn't exactly more realistic because of its acknowledgment of the camera. That crew is either making the most in-depth, Ken Burns-style documentary of office life or they just have nothing better to film because I think they have enough footage already). Anyway, the reason I say it's like a CBS-type sitcom is because of its family appeal and subject matter. Say what you want about shows on CBS (example: They are moronic) but people watch the shit out of them. Some of them have such massive appeal and are so easy to watch, that they constantly outperform everything in their timeslot. Modern Family is able to marry that appeal (family jokes pretty much cast the widest net out there, audience-wise) and sophisticate it with actually good writing. Also, they invest ample amounts of time into making the audience genuinely care about the characters (another way it is similar to The Office and, really, Community too). Writing comedies with an emotionally dedicated backbone is always a good movie, in my opinion.


And another thing, I used the word "sophisticated" in describing Modern Family. What I mean by that is, essentially, it has no laugh track. For the love of God, when will comedies stop using laugh tracks. They are obsolete. I don't mean to be rude (I probably do), but shows that are still using laugh tracks are stupid. They constantly remind everybody that they are indeed watching a sitcom. Shows (good shows) shouldn't have to remind their audience where to find the joke. In fact, the entire notion of comedy writing is changing such that there is no longer a setup-punchline format. Comedies today embed their jokes in such a myriad of layers in the show that adding a laughtrack would being spitting on it. Just think about shows that haven't used laughtracks from the past few years. (Arrested Development, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It's Always Sunny, 30 Rock, Community...the list goes on). Chances are, if you are still using one, your show is geared towards more of a common denominator audience. Excising the canned laughter doesn't make your show automatically good (Outsourced) but it does set it up for a feel that is conducive to better comedy. For further research on the subject, watch this clip of The Big Bang Theory with all of the laughs taken out and tell me if its funny.


Ok, SO, Modern Family. I didn't necessarily stray off-topic because Modern Family fits in with what I was just talking about. It is a member of the progressive comedy class. I guess the easiest way to break the show down is by family so let me just give a brief overview of my thoughts on each three ones.

The Dunphys: The centerpiece family of the show has pretty normal problems going on in it. Hayley is a budding teenager who talks on the phone constantly and wants to break the rules. Alex is dorkier and sometimes has trouble making friends. Luke has some sort of chromosomal disorder I think. I'm not really sure what's the matter with him. In fact, I really don't think his jokes are very funny. Probably one of my least favorite characters on the show. But really, the kids in the family aren't really breaking any new ground. In fact, the whole family is pretty average and if the show were just about them, it clearly wouldn't be any considerable stand-out. Claire, the mom, is the typical hectic, mini-van driving mom. But the pièce de résistance is clearly Phil. When I first saw the actor (Eric Stonestreet) at the Emmys, I thought he looked really unfunny and probably played the straight guy. But his delivery and character are hilarious. He's a buffoon, sure. One of my favorite moments of his was when he was trying to reach his sunglasses in the garage by climbing on top of the car. But the real reason I like him is because he's such a dork and that's always more fun to watch than a buffoon. Also, its comforting to know that someone that dorky and stupid acting can land a wife that hot. 

Jay/Gloria/Manny: This one is where things get a little more irregular as these three characters are all comfortably sitting in fresh and unique territory. I think Jay is a good solid character from both a comedic standpoint as well as an emotional perspective. Some of the more memorable character breakthroughs are centered around him. Manny is interesting. At first I didn't like him. I thought the actor that plays him (Rico Rodriguez) sort of delivered his lines poorly and the "old soul" gimmick wasn't really believable. But, like all things, you get used to it and I really actually enjoy Manny now. He can be a bit much sometimes but sometimes it pays off a la the episode about his birthday. And as for Gloria, yikes. She is ridiculous looking to the point of distraction. I really have no other comments on her performance. Actually, sometimes her accent can be super annoying. Like the way she always says "Jay". I would try to type out the way she says it phonetically, but my keyboard doesn't have a "G humping a Y"-key.


Cam/Mitchell/Lily: This is really what gives Modern Family its flavor. Fortunately, the addition of a gay couple really extracts the show from a stereotypical sitcom and allows it to venture out. In my opinion, I like Cam and I don't like Mitchell. I realize that the uptight character is how Mitchell is written, but I still don't really like him. (Or maybe it's a redhead-with-a-beard thing. It just looks unnatural to me. Like a dog wearing  shoes or an infant wearing a monocle.) Plus, Cam is so charismatic as it is, it's pretty easy to dislike Mitchell by comparison. When Mitchell freaks out about something, I'm just like "Shut up, you baby" but when Cam worries about something, I say "Haha, keep doing it, you're so funny. Hey, I thought I told you to shut it, Mitchell". Cam really has the physical comedy going for him too which helps. Not that he is necessarily doing pratfalls but, as callous as it may sound, fat is funny.


Overall, the reason Modern Family is such a success is because it is watchable from many different perspectives. It's a simple show for the entire family to watch together and appreciate. But it's also worthy of an audience that watches comedy shows they consider forward-thinking and smart. The idea for the show isn't world-changing but it is still a fairly new take on a tired concept. It might not have as many in-depth jokes or room for encyclopedic character knowledge as The Office or as many subtle pop culture references as 30 Rock, but it still has pretty sharp and perceptive writing. If it was on Thursdays, it might lose out to those shows. But its on Wednesdays so, I mean, what else are you gonna watch? Criminal Minds? Essentially, its a good, witty mainstream sitcom which is needed these days.