Everyone must watch “Modern Family” now.
I - like many of you, I’d imagine - was initially skeptical about this show, based solely on its generic title and generically smiley print ads. But after watching the first four episodes, I am confident in proclaiming it not only the best new comedy this season, but perhaps the best new comedy on TV in years.
I’m generally distasteful of the holier-than-thou pitfalls of comedy snobbery; I’ve always disliked the notion that comedy approved by comedy fans is necessarily superior to comedy with mass appeal. While I love and respect Arrested Development and Mr. Show as much as the next writer-type, I also grew up watching and loving shows like Home Improvement and Caroline in the City. So what I love about Modern Family is how flawlessly it combines the best of both worlds (as Amir noted, its jokes appeal to “comedy nerds and everybody else”) - it takes a simple, grounded concept and spices it up with whip-smart writing, fully realized characters, and pitch-perfect, subtle acting.
Perhaps most excitingly, the show goes a long way towards erasing the negative connotation that the phrase “family sitcom” has acquired over the last ten years. With the advent of single-camera shows like The Office, Scrubs, It’s Always Sunny and 30 Rock, watching a family hang out in a living room suddenly became passe. But Modern Family proves yet again that sitcoms thrive on characters, not premises. It’s an inspiring reminder that with the right writing and performances, fantastic comedy can and always will be mined from the simplest, most relatable of sources.
3 weeks ago
