I just spent the last two days blazing through the first season of Modern Family. You know, this is a good opportunity for me to point out that advertising on television has gotten so ubiquitous and out-of-control that "half hour" shows are actually never more than 22 minutes long (and often closer to 20). This abbreviated format forces shows like this, and The Office, Community, et cetera lose important parts of plot lines and some of the moments that make the show what it is. It's a damn shame, especially since most people fast-forward through commercials or watch TV online these days.
Anyhow, I liked Modern Family, more than I was expecting to from the few episodes I'd seen. However, I'm still not completely sold on it, and I certainly think the Emmy should have gone to Community or Glee or The Office or 30 Rock. But first, let's talk about what I enjoyed.
Obviously, the initial appeal is the multi-generational blended family. The inclusion of a gay male couple with their adopted daughter is really a step in the right direction in terms of visibility of that sort - and the characters are multi-dimensional and do not simply fall into stereotypes (although they do sometimes, just like people in real life). The rest of the family fall pretty easily into traditional sitcom character roles - the perfectionist mom, the cantankerous-yet-endearing grandfather, the dumb and pretty teenage girl, the preternaturally romantic boy - and while it occasionally feels a little tired, the writing keeps these characters fresh. There really is something engaging about modern mixed families like this, and it can be fun to see them through their trials and tribulations.
On the surface, it's enjoyable. But watching the episodes one after another reveals pretty quickly the cracks in the show - something I've never experienced with most of the other comedies I love (see above).
First off, about halfway through the season I began to find Manny completely unbearable. I don't think it's impossible that a kid could talk the way he does and behave the way he does - I just think it's an unlikely trope that has been used far too many times in the past. And Rico Rodriguez, who is admittedly adorable and occasionally quite good, simply doesn't have the line delivery to sell most of what he says. The precocious boy who hits on older girls has never been a favorite character of mine (does anybody remember Blank Check?) and in Modern Family he gets way over-played.
The second thing I find problematic is the wealth and general affluence of all the families. Work is not shown as a big part of any of their lives, and there are two stay-at-home parents on the show. Now, I don't have a problem with people being wealthy, I just think it's much easier to write for people who have access to everything. Want to do a story about a huge, opulent birthday party? No problem, they can afford a bouncy house and a rock wall and a lizard trainer! When you're not limited by the means of the characters, the situations you write have easy solutions. The first episode I saw was the iPad one, and while I found myself relating to hating birthdays and expectations, the consumerism in this show is sometimes a little intolerable. I'm sure there is a good segment of the population that can relate to the income bracket of this family - I'm just not a part of it. Myself and the people I know - even those with some amount of money or a good, steady income - live within a budget that requires a certain amount of inventiveness. Having fun may mean going to the car wash or to the beach and sometimes going out and doing silly shit. Which brings me to...
My third problem, namely, the name. I always get a little miffed when a title implies representation of an entire area or group (Humboldt County, The California Poem, California Gurls, you get the point (don't fuck with me over Cali, bitches)). Now, I totally get what they are implying with the name Modern Family - it's multi-generational, multi-cultural, gay, straight, creepy prepubescent romanticism, whathaveyou. But for me, and, I believe, many other people, a modern family is the family you choose for yourself. Your friends and your partners and the people who share your life on a daily basis. Now, I'm lucky enough that my modern family includes my actual family, whom I love and talk to and value as actual people, not just people I'm related to. But it also includes some amazing, incredible friends who will be in my life forever because they are just as important to me as my blood relatives. Where are the friends in Modern Family? Claire is jealous of any woman with boobs (don't even get me started on the all-women-with-cleavage-are-whores motif that runs through the show) and her relationship with Minnie Driver is all about competition. Hayley has Dylan, but he's clearly a tool and we never see any of her actual friends. Ditto Luke, Alex, and Manny...don't these kids do normal kid things and have their friends over, like, ever? Phil talks about having friends but they're never around and the same with Gloria. The only two who seem to have a viable social life are Cam and Mitchell, but they're in the process of giving that up for their baby. Maybe it's just that I have really amazing friends, but in shows like this it's simply unrealistic that their entire social life revolves around their family.
My fourth complaint is that it simply wasn't as funny as I expected from all the hype. I laughed more during the last episode of Project Runway ("Oh my gosh, she believe that I am a retard") than I did during the entire season of Modern Family. The comedy is fresh and often unexpected - it's just not really that funny.
So, to sum up: I enjoyed it. I'll keep watching, for now. But honestly, a show that doesn't make me laugh and ends with a joke about a stupid, meaningless incident at an effing Lakers game...and no cliffhanger whatsoever...might end up being not worth my time.
Image via tvfanatic.com
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