Modern Family 

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

Creators:

Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd

Stars:

Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 116 wins & 361 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ed O'Neill	...	Jay Pritchett 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Sofía Vergara	...	Gloria Delgado-Pritchett 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Julie Bowen	...	Claire Dunphy 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Ty Burrell	...	Phil Dunphy 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Jesse Tyler Ferguson	...	Mitchell Pritchett 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Eric Stonestreet	...	Cameron Tucker 233 episodes, 2009-2019
Rico Rodriguez	...	Manny Delgado 231 episodes, 2009-2019
Nolan Gould	...	Luke Dunphy 230 episodes, 2009-2019
Sarah Hyland	...	Haley Dunphy 228 episodes, 2009-2019
Ariel Winter	...	Alex Dunphy 225 episodes, 2009-2019
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons	...	Lily Tucker-Pritchett 183 episodes, 2011-2019

Storyline

Told from the perspective of an unseen documentary filmmaker, the series offers an honest, often-hilarious perspective of family life. Parents Phil and Claire yearn for an honest, open relationship with their three kids, but a daughter who is trying to grow up too fast, another who is too smart for her own good, and a rambunctious young son make it challenging. Claire's dad Jay and his Latina wife Gloria are raising two sons together, but people sometimes believe Jay to be Gloria's father. Jay's gay son Mitchell and his partner Cameron have adopted a little Asian girl, completing one big -- straight, gay, multicultural, traditional -- happy family.

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Plot Keywords:

ensemble cast | second marriage | gay relationship | blended family | older man younger woman relationship | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Steven Levitan/Christopher Lloyd Project

Filming Locations:

2211 Fox Hills Dr, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levitan / Lloyd, 20th Century Fox Television, Steven Levitan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min 490 min (Season average)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The whole cast are huge fans of Haley and Andy's relationship, and said that whenever Adam Devine showed up on set, they would all get so excited to see how their relationship would progress.

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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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Quotes

Jay Pritchett: Isn't it enough this family spends a lot of time together? Now we have to inbreed.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of each episode, the actors' names appear on screen in order of their character's ages. (Oldest to youngest)

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Connections

Featured in The Lookout: Episode #1.4 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Modern Family Main Theme
(uncredited)
Written by Gabriel Mann

User Reviews

Laugh-out-loud ensemble comedy; a "The Office"/"Arrested Development" hybrid (almost...)

I decided to check out "Modern Family" after hearing all of the critical praise about it. The show was five episodes in, so I caught up on the action online. And I must say that the acclaim is well-deserved. The show is nothing like what I'd imagined when I read about it. It is not a typical three-camera sitcom and it actually IS as gut-wrenchingly funny as people say.

With any modern TV comedy, people are going to compare it with "Arrested Development", which is highly regarded as one of the greatest shows ever by many. "Modern Family" is not quite "A.D.", but I can see why some people may compare the two.

"Modern Family", like "Arrested Development", is a comedy about a wacky extended family that is filmed in a quasi-documentary style, similar to "The Office". The characters don't acknowledge the camera, but they do contribute "talking head" segments to supplement the action. The show is less cartoony and surreal than "Arrested Development" or "30 Rock", but the comedy can still get pretty off-the-wall.

The ensemble cast is great. There are three branches of a single family. The patriarch (Ed O'Neill) has re-married, bringing a Colombian-born wife and her son into the fold. The daughter (Julie Bowen) and her husband (Ty Burrell) have three kids. The son (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner (Eric Stonestreet) have just adopted a Vietnamese baby. The show focuses mainly on the parents and how they raise their families and interact with each other in today's society.

My favorite character is Phil (Burrell), who plays the dad who tries to be "hip". He means well, but he's really kind of a wimpy husband. Phil's always putting himself in awkward situations (without always realizing it) and some of his lines are hilarious. He tries so hard to be the "cool dad". Next I like Cameron (Stonestreet), who's gay and proud of it. He's sensible and sensitive and he has some great lines, too.

Although I haven't really connected with the show like I have with some others (just a matter of personal style), there's no denying that "Modern Family" is an above-average comedy. It's written well, with humor sewn throughout the fabric of each episode, and each episode packs some laugh-out-loud moments. And I say this as someone who rarely actually bursts into audible laughter. (Occasionally, with shows like "A.D." or "30 Rock".) This show does it, though. Phil, in particular, has me in stitches.

To give you a comparison, I'd say "Modern Family" is like a cross between "The Office" and "Arrested Development". Presented more like the former, with humor and content drifting more toward the latter. More grounded in reality than "A.D.", though, and without some of the triple-entendres and zingers.

The show finds windows to sneak in some wholesome family morals like togetherness and acceptance, but the episodes always end with a laugh.

But the rumors are true. "Modern Family" IS a very funny new comedy. Check it out on ABC or ABC.com if you don't believe me. (Or wherever else it's available.) It definitely should be on your radar.