Modern Family (2009– )

Three different, but related families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.

Creators:

Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd

Stars:

Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ed O'Neill

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 55 wins & 119 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sofía Vergara	...	Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (95 episodes, 2009-2013)
Julie Bowen	...	Claire Dunphy (95 episodes, 2009-2013)
Ed O'Neill	...	Jay Pritchett (94 episodes, 2009-2013)
Ty Burrell	...	Phil Dunphy (94 episodes, 2009-2013)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson	...	Mitchell Pritchett (94 episodes, 2009-2013)
Eric Stonestreet	...	Cameron Tucker (94 episodes, 2009-2013)
Rico Rodriguez	...	Manny Delgado (92 episodes, 2009-2013)
Sarah Hyland	...	Haley Dunphy (90 episodes, 2009-2013)
Nolan Gould	...	Luke Dunphy (90 episodes, 2009-2013)
Ariel Winter	...	Alex Dunphy (87 episodes, 2009-2013)
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons	...	Lily Tucker-Pritchett (45 episodes, 2011-2013)

Storyline

Jay Pritchett sits at the head of a large and unconventional family. Now in his second marriage to his gorgeous young wife, Gloria, Jay has been given something of a second chance. Still, old habits are hard to break, and it's trial by fire as he tries to adapt to life with the same passion and vigor that Gloria exhibits, which are matched by her precocious 12-year-old son, Manny. There are some culture clashes, a few misunderstandings, but also plenty of sweet victories along the way. Jay's grown daughter, Claire, and her husband, Phil, are the proud parents of three kids with whom they want that open, healthy, honest relationship. It's not always easy, especially when you have Haley, a teenage daughter who's growing up a little fast, Alex, a too-smart-for-her-own-good middle daughter and Luke, a scatterbrained boy. Add to this that Phil is just a big kid himself, even if he does always have the best intentions. Claire is the anchor, trying her best to run a tight ship and determined...

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Plot Keywords:

teenage daughter | marriage | boy | second marriage | white cat | 

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Taglines:

One big (straight, gay, multi-cultural, traditional) happy family.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

An American Family

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levitan / Lloyd, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rob Huebel turned down the role of Phil Dunphy and in later interviews expressed regret over this decision.

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Goofs

Mitchell and Cameron adopted a child from Vietnam. This is legally impossible as Vietnam's laws forbid a child to be adopted by single parents or same sex couples. They could still adopt the child illegally but then it would be impossible to bring it back to the States.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.208 (2011)

User Reviews

Smart and Funny

Modern Family is one of the best shows on TV in 2009.

It's written by smart and funny people. It shares some DNA with Arrested Development and Fraiser, but has a little bit more heart.

6 episodes in and I am still impressed and still laugh out loud.

I usually avoid ABC because their programming in years past has been terrible and vanilla. Happy to see they have taken some chances on this show and hooray for them, it seems to be finding an audience and critics love it too.

I usually hate shows with little kids in the cast... they usually end up getting used as cute crutches when writers run out of ideas, but Modern Family has been giving the kids sharp dialogue to match the grown ups.

The gay Mitchell and Cameron couple are portrayed honestly and they are hilarious.

The very underrated Ed O'Neill is pitch perfect as the grouchy but soft family patriarch. Sofía Vergara who plays his Colombian trophy wife is excellent and very funny in what could have been written as a terrible bimbo role.

I wasn't sold on Ty Burrell as the dad who tries too hard to be cool after the pilot... but he's a slow burn, and now it works.

Julie Bowen as the slightly off kilter mom adds an anchoring charm to the mix.

Every person on this show gets good lines, and the quality is holding up... I hope they win a boatload of Emmys.