What I'm Watching: Modern Family
This is another one of those pilots that got my attention due to the sheer amount of critical praise it received. But what really hooked me was the story that actor Edward Norton had seen the pilot and loved it SO MUCH he wanted to guest star. So, given my deep respect for Norton's work (and therefore his taste), I gave the show a shot.
To be honest, it's one of those that grows on you. I didn't fall in love with it with the pilot alone like those critics or Edward Norton, but the show's well put together, and I found myself more and more hooked as once the family relationships were revealed and I knew how the dynamics worked.
First, we've got the old man and his hot, young, exotic wife. What makes this work? For starters, Gloria is actually a very endearing character, and she's smart too. She always has witty comebacks for her husband Jay, but it's clear she loves him. I also love how she acts with her son Manny. The episode where she admitted she'd wanted a girl so badly that she dressed him up as one as a baby? I died! Jay is also kind of the emotional glue that often brings the episode together, and I rather like that, since Ed O'Neill looks like a grumpy old man, you know?
Then you've got the gay couple who's adopted a baby from Vietnam, Lily. I really, really like these two. Mitchell and Cameron are adorable together, but the only thing that kind of turns me off is the fact that Mitchell seems all-too-often embarrassed of his gay lifestyle and/or Cameron. However, once that's turned off, I enjoy the two immensely. Cameron is wonderful. Oh, and Mitchell? The son of Jay, the "old man with a hot wife."
Lastly, you've got the traditional family: husband, wife, three kids. This is the least interesting family to me, because the doofy dad just isn't enough to make them interesting. However, add to the mix that the wife, Claire, is the daughter of Jay and sister to Cameron, and you have a VERY interesting dynamic indeed. Manny, Gloria's little boy, is Claire's brother by marriage, and oh, was THAT a funny episode, watching Claire unload her problems on Manny like he's an adult, and watching Manny responding as though he were that adult.
It's the mix of these three families that makes this show work, and as I said before, I'm enjoying it more and more. While I'm not sure the "confessional" elements are all that necessary (since The Office did it and got popular, more shows are trying to incorporate this), they do provide interesting insight on the families, couples, and background that we wouldn't normally get. Yes, there are cringe-worthy moments, which seems to be a hallmark of modern comedy, but overall, the show's rather enjoyable. And I will never, ever, EVER forget the image of poor Cameron working out on the elliptical machine in the last episode, "The Incident," guest-starring Shelley Long as Mitchell's and Claire's mother.
Overview
Station: ABC
Time: Wednesdays @ 9:00 pm est
Status: Season One
Where to Start? Now's a good time. You don't need the previous episodes to fully enjoy the series, so jump on. It's a lot of fun, and I'm still looking forward to that rumored Edward Norton guest spot. :)
Website: http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family
To be honest, it's one of those that grows on you. I didn't fall in love with it with the pilot alone like those critics or Edward Norton, but the show's well put together, and I found myself more and more hooked as once the family relationships were revealed and I knew how the dynamics worked.
First, we've got the old man and his hot, young, exotic wife. What makes this work? For starters, Gloria is actually a very endearing character, and she's smart too. She always has witty comebacks for her husband Jay, but it's clear she loves him. I also love how she acts with her son Manny. The episode where she admitted she'd wanted a girl so badly that she dressed him up as one as a baby? I died! Jay is also kind of the emotional glue that often brings the episode together, and I rather like that, since Ed O'Neill looks like a grumpy old man, you know?
Then you've got the gay couple who's adopted a baby from Vietnam, Lily. I really, really like these two. Mitchell and Cameron are adorable together, but the only thing that kind of turns me off is the fact that Mitchell seems all-too-often embarrassed of his gay lifestyle and/or Cameron. However, once that's turned off, I enjoy the two immensely. Cameron is wonderful. Oh, and Mitchell? The son of Jay, the "old man with a hot wife."
Lastly, you've got the traditional family: husband, wife, three kids. This is the least interesting family to me, because the doofy dad just isn't enough to make them interesting. However, add to the mix that the wife, Claire, is the daughter of Jay and sister to Cameron, and you have a VERY interesting dynamic indeed. Manny, Gloria's little boy, is Claire's brother by marriage, and oh, was THAT a funny episode, watching Claire unload her problems on Manny like he's an adult, and watching Manny responding as though he were that adult.
It's the mix of these three families that makes this show work, and as I said before, I'm enjoying it more and more. While I'm not sure the "confessional" elements are all that necessary (since The Office did it and got popular, more shows are trying to incorporate this), they do provide interesting insight on the families, couples, and background that we wouldn't normally get. Yes, there are cringe-worthy moments, which seems to be a hallmark of modern comedy, but overall, the show's rather enjoyable. And I will never, ever, EVER forget the image of poor Cameron working out on the elliptical machine in the last episode, "The Incident," guest-starring Shelley Long as Mitchell's and Claire's mother.
Overview
Station: ABC
Time: Wednesdays @ 9:00 pm est
Status: Season One
Where to Start? Now's a good time. You don't need the previous episodes to fully enjoy the series, so jump on. It's a lot of fun, and I'm still looking forward to that rumored Edward Norton guest spot. :)
Website: http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family