Thinking back over season 3 of Modern Family, there is a lot to bemoan, and this surprised me because it was a season that I pretty much enjoyed from start to finish. The main things that stick with me was that the plots were normally were compartmentalized and didn't always flow through the season so much as provide bite-sized situations; this of course is the way of the situation comedy, but many of them seemed quite outlandish rather than being organic from the life of a family. That said – they mostly still work when they are on the screen, and it is only after as I though back through the episodes that I felt that maybe the actual situations were not as good as they had seemed.
This is also a positive to the show, because in the vast majority of episodes, even if the specifics of the plot are weak, the delivery rarely is. It is a double-edged sword but everything is very well crafted and polished so that the dialogue is sharp, the characters well observed, the timing spot-on, and the performances generally very strong. It is of course a big network sitcom so it has the resources, but then there are many in the same boat that do not produce such an effective end product – they have the polish but not the shine. Modern Family has both; I do continue to wish that it could be a little less manufactured and crafted, and that more organic material and rough edges were there, but I am not really thinking this while I am laughing through the episodes.
The cast are a big part of this – or at least the main ones. The delivery and timing from all of them is excellent and it is not really possible to pick out one of them as being the heart of the show – although personally Ty Burrell has the material that often requires the best timing and delivery. Even in the child cast the situation is the same – with Gould and Winter being very good, and Anderson-Emmons turning out to be much better than I expected her to be. With them being as good as they are, I was surprised to find so many guest cameos through the season; on one hand this works because the people are good, but it also adds to the feeling of the show being a big marketing deal, and pushing reasons to watch rather than just being organic and strong in itself. Maybe I read too much into that, but even though I enjoyed the guests, I didn't always appreciate their presence.
I guess complaining about a flagship network sitcom being polished and glossy is a bit like yelling at water for being wet, and it is hard to make it such a big deal when really the show delivers such good laughs and entertainment thanks to how well crafted it is, and how good the timing and delivery is from the cast. I'm not really a network sitcom viewer, but I do like this one a lot.
This is also a positive to the show, because in the vast majority of episodes, even if the specifics of the plot are weak, the delivery rarely is. It is a double-edged sword but everything is very well crafted and polished so that the dialogue is sharp, the characters well observed, the timing spot-on, and the performances generally very strong. It is of course a big network sitcom so it has the resources, but then there are many in the same boat that do not produce such an effective end product – they have the polish but not the shine. Modern Family has both; I do continue to wish that it could be a little less manufactured and crafted, and that more organic material and rough edges were there, but I am not really thinking this while I am laughing through the episodes.
The cast are a big part of this – or at least the main ones. The delivery and timing from all of them is excellent and it is not really possible to pick out one of them as being the heart of the show – although personally Ty Burrell has the material that often requires the best timing and delivery. Even in the child cast the situation is the same – with Gould and Winter being very good, and Anderson-Emmons turning out to be much better than I expected her to be. With them being as good as they are, I was surprised to find so many guest cameos through the season; on one hand this works because the people are good, but it also adds to the feeling of the show being a big marketing deal, and pushing reasons to watch rather than just being organic and strong in itself. Maybe I read too much into that, but even though I enjoyed the guests, I didn't always appreciate their presence.
I guess complaining about a flagship network sitcom being polished and glossy is a bit like yelling at water for being wet, and it is hard to make it such a big deal when really the show delivers such good laughs and entertainment thanks to how well crafted it is, and how good the timing and delivery is from the cast. I'm not really a network sitcom viewer, but I do like this one a lot.