2009-10-19 08:40:33

PEER-RENTING and the MODERN FAMILY

Filed under: Television
Posted by: Craig

How is the new television season unfolding?   I was surprised to read that Fox is closing down its Reality channel.  This is the first step back I’ve seen for the cheaper programming that is Reality TV.   Are audiences growing tired of gossip shows and faux competitions?   The shelf-life and after market for Reality reruns is so much thinner than scripted television.    Are the networks snapping back toward sitcoms and dramas?

The creative community in Hollywood is hoping the Jay Leno Show fails.   Five nights of Leno means five fewer hours of scripted content on NBC, especially in a 10 p.m. slot that provided dramas like E.R. and Law and Order.    Yet, the economics of Leno may make sense for the networks—one star, one staff, five nights of programming.  Viewer interest (and ratings) for Leno have fallen since his high profile debut.

The initial ratings on the new TV season indicated that viewers were giving new sitcoms a chance.   I’ve found myself captivated by Wednesday nights on ABC, specifically Modern Family.   It is genuinely, laugh-out loud funny.   ABC has already ordered a full season for the freshman mockumentary.

Perhaps I recognize the craziness that characterizes this divergent family.  In the Dunphy household, Claire (Julie Bowen) is battling both her daughters, while Phil (Ty Burrell) is trying too hard to be cool.  His “peer-renting” strategy provides plenty of comic surprises.

Modern Family also gives us a peek into the second marriage for the patriarch, Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill from Married with Children fame).  He is starting over with a much younger Columbian wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and her earnest son, Manny.  We also follow Jay’s son, Mitchell, and his partner, Cameron, as they adopt a baby girl from Vietnam.   The comedy derives from the pitch perfect writing and brilliant timing of the actors.   The series cross cuts amongst the various homes with whiplash speed, scoring laughs and moving on to the next awkward scene of domestic conflict.   We are alternately wincing and laughing at the disconnections that characterize this Modern Family.

Living in Los Angeles, I am quite familiar with the divergent couples presented in Modern Family.  I’ve seen plenty of ‘do-overs’, where a successful businessman trades out his original wife for a younger model.   Step-sons end up the same age as grandchildren.    We’ve also befriended many gay couples in our neighborhoods and schools.   Modern Family demonstrates all the tensions inherent in any two people with strong personalities, trying to raise kids.    It suggests we need to retain a sense of humor whatever our situation may be.

My favorite character is Phil Dunphy.   He drops the latest lingo on his teenage daughter, just far enough behind the cultural curve that it makes his efforts both cute and painful.   With my own daughter entering her tween years, Phil provides a cautionary reminder—that kids need a parent as well as a friend.

Kudos to the co-creators of Modern Family, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.   Years of work on Frasier and Just Shoot Me primed them for this opportunity.   The show makes effective use of a single camera.   It also employs the documentary approach of The Office, allowing the characters to comment on their plight.   Such self-consciousness shouldn’t work.   Yet, the winning performances and crisp writing captivate.   The temptation for Levitan and Lloyd may be to sacrifice humanity for a laugh.   But as long as they retain an empathy for their families, we will follow them down every painful path.   At a time when budgets are shot and nerves are frayed (at the networks and in our homes), Modern Family arrives as cold comfort, a bracing slap in the face to welcome the love that endures despite our best efforts to sabotage it.

Comments (6)

6 Comments »

1. I’ve got a few episodes to catch up on, but I really like Modern Family so far.

   Comment by Josh Jackson — October 19, 2009 @ 12:07 pm

2. Great analysis Craig — both of the story-telling and the subject matter. It would be easy to take shots at the social commentary and the alternative views that constitute a “family” and to label this an attempt to erode the traditional Judeo-Christian view of the family unit.

   I don’t think Modern Family has such lofty goals. I think it just wants to make us laugh at ourselves. And it works.

   One of the best ways to start a conversation is to share a laugh, and I think Modern Family provides us with this much-needed opportunity. I don’t think the show takes itself too seriously and it’s certainly not offering any of its representative families as “ideal.”

   You should check out Flash Forward and Community — my choices for the two best new shows this season.

   Comment by Jed Walker — October 19, 2009 @ 12:50 pm

3. To be honest the television world has me very un-interested until Fox brings back 24 is January and ABC brings back LOST. At this point my viewership is geared towards the MLB playoffs, and non-fiction tv like on history channel, which did an EXCELLENT new documentary on JFK’s assassination and the hours before and after.

   Comment by David Herrmann — October 19, 2009 @ 1:43 pm

4. Stuck in the ’90′s, all we seem to record and watch these days is Law and Order.

   Comment by Donald Arant — October 19, 2009 @ 6:58 pm

5. I’ve definitely been watching Community. Had an opportunity to interact with Joel McHale on several occasions. It is also quite a funny show. Not sure where its heart resides yet… Is it laughing with or simply laughing at?

   Comment by Craig — October 19, 2009 @ 11:43 pm

6. I’ll check out Modern Family. So far, I’m sporadically enjoying Glee, though as a devoted Jane Lynch fan I have to say that Lovespring International was a much better vehicle for her madness. I’m way into season two of Sons Of Anarchy and back on the pipe with Larry David. Worst television experience so far this season: 30 Rock debut. That show can be funny, but it’s bad episodes are stacking up. It thinks it’s funnier than it is, and that’s a bad look for a sitcom.

   Comment by John — October 20, 2009 @ 10:47 am

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