September is the start of crisp, cool evenings, the leaves turning colors, and new shows on TV. ABC has a few shows they will be rolling out. One of them a comedy called Modern Family. Modern Family is a comedy that attempts to show the jumbled mess of what the family is turning into.
Modern Family is a combination between a regular sitcom and mockumentary. It’s kind of like Married With Children meets The Office… kind of. The viewer see mostly the goings one of the different branches of the family tree with occasional documentary type interviews. The pilot doesn’t have many, if any, incidents of the characters interacting with the camera like The Office does.
The Complicated Side of the Modern Family
Ed O’Neill (Married With Children) is the patriarch of the family, Jay. He is married to a much younger Columbian lady named Gloria who has an eleven year old son named Manny. Jay’s son is Mitchell. Mitchell lives with his lover of five years, Cameron. When we meet the couple they are on the way home from Vietnam where they adopted a daughter, Lily.
Then there is Jay’s daughter Claire. She has a normal life with a husband of sixteen years and three kids. Normal is pretty subjective though. Claire’s husband, Phil, tries so hard to be the cool dad. He’s a texting, High School Musical loving guy that tries so hard to connect with the youngsters. Thankfully Claire and Phil’s kids, Haley, Luke, and Alex are normal... for now anyways.
The Funny Side of the Modern Family
It’s a sad fact that the modern family has become a mish mash of broken marriages, alternative lifestyles, and parents trying to be friends rather than parents. Modern Family tries to take advantage of this and bring out the funny side. With the cast they have, there is a good shot it can be done.
Ed O’Neill is the rock of Modern Family. It’s been long enough since Married With Children that O’Neill isn’t typed cast and he plays a different role than Al Bundy. He’s still crotchety but he’s older, maybe even a little wiser. O’Neill is a pro that can get people laughing with a look. Ty Burrell plays Phil and is so good it’s scary. Phil claims to know all of the songs and dance moves in High School Musical. As he performs one number in front of Luke and his friends Burrell is so convincing it’s hard to believe he’s acting.
The ladies step up too. Julie Bowen is Claire, the straight man to Phil. She shines in the little moments. When she tells Phil where the baby lotion is or talking about the young man in her sixteen year old daughter’s room. Sofia Vergara plays the fiery Latina, Gloria. Her passion and accent bring on some great moments.
The pilot of Modern Family is a funny start. There are many things they can exploit for laughs. If they take advantage of the talent, Modern Family should have no problem getting an audience. There is a lot to work with and the potential is high. As long as there are more scenes of Phil dancing and singing, they are guaranteed a hit.
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