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Modern Family

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Modern Family
GenreSitcom
Mockumentary
Created byChristopher Lloyd
Steven Levitan
StarringEd O'Neill
Sofía Vergara
Julie Bowen
Ty Burrell
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Eric Stonestreet
Sarah Hyland
Ariel Winter
Nolan Gould
Rico Rodriguez
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSteven Levitan
Christopher Lloyd
Production locationLos Angeles
Camera setupFilm; Single camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesLloyd-Levitan Productions
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 23, 2009 (2009-09-23) –
present

Modern Family is an American comedy television series. The half-hour series, which was created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and largely presented in a mockumentary style. The story follows the families of Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill), his daughter Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen), and his son Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) who live in a Los Angeles-area suburban community. Claire is a homemaker mom married to Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell); they have three children. After splitting with his longtime wife, Jay has re-married with a much younger Colombian woman, Gloria Pritchett (Sofía Vergara), and is helping her raise her pre-teen son, Manny Delgado (Rico Rodriguez). Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) have adopted a Vietnamese baby, Lily Tucker Pritchett.

Lloyd and Levitan developed the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families." They pitched the show to CBS, NBC, and ABC, which accepted it and picked it up. It became ABC's first comedy series with a mockumentary style. The series premiered on September 23, 2009 to critical acclaim and was watched by 12.61 million viewers.[1][2] Early on it was named as a big contender for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[3][4] Soon after the series was picked up for a full season on October 8, 2009.[5][6] On January 12, 2010, Modern Family was renewed for a second season by ABC.[7]

The series has received mostly positive reviews from critics and received multiple award nominations. In 2010, following its first season, it won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as two other Emmy Awards, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Eric Stonestreet, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.[8][9] The syndication rights to the show have also been sold to USA Network and 10 Fox affiliates for a fall 2013 premiere.[10][11][12] The success of the show has also led it to being the sixteenth highest revenue earning show for 2010, earning $1.6 million dollars an episode.[13] On January 10, 2011, Modern Family was renewed for a third season.[14]

Conception

As Lloyd and Levitan retold stories about their families, it occurred to them that that could be the basis for a show. They started working on the idea of a family being observed in a mockumentary style show. They later decided it could be a show about three families and their experiences.[15] The show was originally called My American Family.[16] Originally the camera crew would be run by a fictitious Dutch filmmaker named Geert Floortje who had lived with Jay's family as a teenage exchange student and developed a crush on Claire (while Mitchell had a crush on him), but decided against it.[17] The creators pitched it to three of the four major networks (they did not pitch it to Fox due to problems Lloyd had with the network with previous shows)[citation needed]. CBS, not ready to use the single-camera style of filming, nor ready to make another large commitment, did not accept the series. NBC, already having two shows of similar style (mockumentary), The Office and Parks and Recreation, decided against accepting the series until the success of the other two series decreased. ABC accepted the series and picked it up for a full season.[18]

Pickup

The series quickly became a priority for ABC after the pilot episode tested high with focus groups, resulting in the network ordering 13 episodes and adding it to the 2009–2010 fall lineup days ahead of ABC's official schedule announcement.[19][20][21] The series was given a full season pickup on October 8, 2009.[5][6] On January 12, 2010, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that Modern Family had been renewed for a second season.[22] A third season was ordered by ABC on January 10, 2011.[14]

The series was also picked up for syndication by USA during the first season for 1.5 million dollars and to 10 Fox affiliates during the second season.[10][11][12][23]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Modern Family characters

Modern Family employs an ensemble cast. The show revolves around three families that are interrelated through Jay Pritchett and his children, Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett. Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill), the patriarch, is currently in a May–December marriage with Gloria (Sofía Vergara), a passionate[24] mother, who with help from Jay raise her son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez II). Claire (Julie Bowen) is a homemaker mom married to Phil (Ty Burrell) a real estate agent and self-professed cool dad; they have three children: Haley, the stereotypical teenager,[25] Alex, the smart middle child[26] and Luke, the offbeat only son.[27] Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) have adopted a Vietnamese baby, Lily.

Family tree

The characters in green have regular roles on the show.

Javier DelgadoGloria Delgado-PritchettJay PritchettDede PritchettSarah DunphyFrank Dunphy
Manuel Alberto "Manny" DelgadoCameron "Cam" TuckerMitchell "Mitch" PritchettClaire Pritchett-DunphyPhil Dunphy
Lily Tucker Pritchett
(b.2009)		Haley DunphyAlex DunphyLuke Dunphy

Sidenote: Cameron's mom's name is Barb Tucker, but is rarely on the show.

Episodes

File:Modernfamily.PNG
The opening screen depicts the three families that make up the larger Pritchett clan (from left to right): Gloria, Manny, and Jay; Luke, Alex, Claire, Haley, and Phil; and Lily, Mitchell, and Cam.
Main article: List of Modern Family episodes

The series premiered September 23, 2009 in the 9:00pm ET timeslot. Soon after the series was picked up for a full season of 24 episodes on October 8, 2009.[5][6] On January 12, 2010, Modern Family was renewed for a second season by ABC.[7] The second season premiered September 22, 2010 airing in the same timeslot as the previous season.[28] Midway through the second season, ABC renewed the series for a third season.[14]

Reception

Critical reception

The first season has been met with positive reviews. It received a "universal acclaim" Metacritic score of 86 out of 100.[29] Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-, calling it "immediately recognizable as the best new sitcom of the fall".[30] In Time's review the show was named "the funniest new family comedy of the year".[31] It has also been compared to the 1970s series Soap, in regards to the multiple family aspect, as well as Arrested Development. Some have made comparisons to The Office and Parks and Recreation, due to their mockumentary formats.[32] BuddyTV named the show the second best show in 2009 saying "Every actor is fantastic, every family is interesting, and unlike many shows, there isn't a weak link".[33]

The second season received positive reviews much like the first season. Robert Bianco of USA Today gave the new season four stars out of four, saying, "Not since Frasier has a sitcom offered such an ideal blend of heart and smarts, or proven itself so effortlessly adept at so many comic variations, from subtle wordplay to big-laugh slapstick to everything in between."[34] Robert Bianco in a later review stated "as good as it was in its first year, is even better in its second" positively comparing the characters to the characters from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show and Friends.[35] During the second season, Adweek named the show the 98th Most Influential TV Show.[36][37]

Analysis and commentary

In The New York Times, Bruce Feiler called attention to how the show depicts the increasing way communications technology shapes the way people perceive others, even family members. "[It] is surely the first family comedy that incorporates its own hashtag of simultaneous self-analysis directly into the storyline," he writes. "Mark Zuckerberg may be a greater influence on Modern Family than Norman Lear."[38]

The show's writers and actors agree. "We used to talk about how cellphones killed the sitcom because no one ever goes to anyone's house anymore" for routine information, Abraham Higginbotham told Feiler. "We embrace technology so it's part of the story". Ty Burrell draws on Fran Lebowitz's observation that there is no institution other than media. "I had this little flash of Phil—and me—that we are parsing our personality together externally from how people perceive us."[38]

Criticism and controversy

Modern Family drew criticism from the LGBT community for its portrayal of Cameron and Mitchell as not being physically affectionate with each other. The criticism spawned a Facebook campaign to demand Mitchell and Cameron be allowed to kiss. In response to the controversy, producers released a statement that a season two episode would address Mitchell's discomfort with public displays of affection. Executive producer Levitan has said that it was unfortunate that the issue had arisen, since the show's writers had always planned on such a scene "as part of the natural development of the show."[39] The episode, "The Kiss" eventually aired with the kiss scene in the background which drew praise from multiple critics.[40][41]

Awards and recognition

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Modern Family

In 2010, Modern Family was nominated with five Television Critics Association Awards. The show gained nominations for best new series, best comedy series and best program of the year, while stars of the program Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sofía Vergara and Julie Bowen, were all nominated individually.[42] Like Friends, to reinforce the idea of an ensemble cast, the cast all submitted themselves in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories instead of Lead Actor and Actress for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[43] On August 29, 2010, Modern Family won Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (for the pilot episode), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Eric Stonestreet). The show was later also received a GLSEN Respect Award for its portrayal of "positive images and storylines that reflect a diverse America, including the depiction of a family headed by a gay couple. "[44]

The series has also been put on multiple critics list. In 2010, the series was listed on BuddyTV's Top Ten Best Comedy Shows of 2009–2010,[45] 2nd on Time's Top Ten Best shows of 2009,[46] 2nd on BuddyTV's Top Ten Best Shows of 2009,[47] Jason Hughes Best TV of 2009,[48] 10th on BuddyTV's Top 10 Returning Shows We're Most Excited to Come Back,[49] and on TV Guide's Our Favorite Families[50]

Ratings

Since its premiere, the series has remained popular. In its first season, the show became the sixth-highest rated show in America among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, and the third-highest rated new show.[51] Aided by winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series the show's second season became the highest rated show on Wednesday on premiere week[52] and also rose 34% from the previous season among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[53] The show frequently ranked as television's top scripted series in adults 18-49 as well.[54][55][56] The success of the show has been positively compared to The Cosby Show.[57]

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
Season Timeslot Original airing Rank Viewers
(in millions) 		18-49 Nielsen ratings rank 18-49 Nielsen ratings
Season premiere Season finale TV season
1 Wednesday 9/8c[58] September 23, 2009 May 19, 2010 2009–2010 #36[51] 9.39[51] #21[51] 3.9/10[51]
2 September 22, 2010 May 2011 2010–2011 #18 (to date)[59] 12.36 (to date)[59] #5 (to date)[60] 5.0/13 (to date)[60]

References

  1. ^ Wednesday broadcast finals: Modern Family down a tenth, Cougar Town up a tenth with adults 18-49 - TV Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Television Show Ratings. TVbytheNumbers.com (2009-09-24). Retrieved on 2010-07-02.
  2. ^ From Metacritic (September 23, 2009)
  3. ^ March 18, 2010  (March 18, 2010). "Can 'Glee' or 'Modern Family' beat '30 Rock' at the Emmys? | Gold Derby | Los Angeles Times". Goldderby.latimes.com. Retrieved April 27, 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "  2:54 pm" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "?".
  5. ^ a b c "ABC gives full season pickups to “Modern Family“, “Cougar Town,” and “The Middle“")
  6. ^ a b c Isis Abrams. "ABC Picks Up Cougar Town, Modern Family and The Middle". TVGuide.com.
  7. ^ a b "Modern Family", "Cougar Town", "The Middle" Picked Up, Zap2It.com, January 12, 2010
  8. ^ Nominations: Official Primetime Emmy Award Nominees. Emmys.tv (2010-07-08).
  9. ^ April MacIntyre (August 30, 2010). "Emmy Awards 2010 Winners List, Surprises and Omissions". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  10. ^ a b Gorman, Bill (June 29, 2010). "Oxygen Gets 'Glee,' USA Nabs 'Modern Family' For Fall 2013 Syndication". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Gorman, Bill (June 29, 2010). "USA Network Acquires Rights To 'Modern Family'". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  12. ^ a b "'Modern Family' to be syndicated for 2013". USA Today. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  13. ^ Pomerantz, Dorothy (March 16, 2011). "TV's Biggest Moneymakers - Dorothy Pomerantz - Show Me The Money - Forbes". Blogs.forbes.com. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c Hibberd, James. "'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Modern Family,' 'Castle' plus three more ABC shows get early renewals | Inside TV | EW.com". Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  15. ^ "Modern Family Season 1: Christopher Lloyd Interview". MovieWeb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  16. ^ "'Modern Family' a freshman hit for ABC - Entertainment - Television - TODAYshow.com". Today.msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  17. ^ "Modern Family: Co-creator Steve Levitan weighs in". NJ.com. January 14, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  18. ^ Pond, Steve. "It's a 'Modern Family' Affair at the Emmys". The Wrap. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  19. ^ From Variety (May 8, 2009)
  20. ^ From TV Guide (May 8, 2009)
  21. ^ "ABC picks up its first series for fall (updated)" From Los Angeles Times (May 8, 2009)
  22. ^ Keller, Joel (January 12, 2010). "The Middle, Cougar Town and Modern Family all get a second season - TCA Report". TV Squad. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  23. ^ Finke, Nikki and Nellie Andreeva (June 29, 2010). "Big Syndie deals: 'Glee' To Oxygen; 'Modern Family' To USA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  24. ^ "Gloria (Sofía Vergara) Bio". ABC.com. Retrieved October 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  25. ^ "Haley (Sarah Hyland) Bio". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  26. ^ "Alex (Ariel Winter) Bio". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  27. ^ "Luke (Nolan Gould) Bio". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  28. ^ "Episode Title: (#2ARG??) "The Old Wagon"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  29. ^ "Modern Family - Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  30. ^ TV Review – Modern Family (2009) Entertainment Weekly
  31. ^ Yes, We Kin Time Magazine, September 28, 2009
  32. ^ Fall TV Preview 2009: Modern Family E! Online
  33. ^ BuddyTV Slideshow | Top 9 of '09: Best Shows of the Year. Buddytv.com. Retrieved on 2010-07-02.
  34. ^ Bianco, Robert (October 6, 2010). "These TV series are back, but are they better than ever?". USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  35. ^ Bianco, Robert (November 23, 2010). "We have a lot of love for ABC's 'Modern Family'". USA Today. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  36. ^ Gorman, Bill (March 15, 2011). "'Glee,' 'Modern Family,' 'Jersey Shore,' 'The Walking Dead' Among AdWeek's 100 Most Influential TV Shows". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  37. ^ "Layout 1" (PDF). Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  38. ^ a b Feiler, Bruce (January 23, 2011). "What 'Modern Family' Says About Modern Families". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  39. ^ Guider, Elizabeth (August 28, 2010). "'Modern Family' actors practicing gay kiss". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  40. ^ Poniewozik, James (September 31, 2010). "Modern Family Watch: Lips Service". Time. Retrieved 2010-09-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  41. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 30, 2010). "'Modern Family' - 'The Kiss': PDA's are A-OK". HitFix. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  42. ^ "Modern Family Tops Nominations for TV Crtics Association Awards". TVGuide.com.
  43. ^ Melillo, Amanda (April 13, 2010) Melillo, Amanda (April 13, 2010). "?". New York Post. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  44. ^ Rou, Allison (October 7, 2010). "GLSEN TO HONOR ABC'S MODERN FAMILY". ABCmedianet. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  45. ^ Kubicek, John "?". BuddyTV. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  46. ^ Poniewozik, James (December 8, 2009) "?". Time. December 8, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  47. ^ "?". BuddyTV. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  48. ^ "Best and Worst TV of 2009: Jason's List". Tvsquad.com. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  49. ^ "Top 10 Returning Shows We're Most Excited to Come Back". BuddyTV. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  50. ^ "Our Favorite TV Families". TV Guide. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  51. ^ a b c d e Andreeva, Nellie. (2010-05-27) Full Series Rankings For The 2009-10 Broadcast Season –. Deadline.com. Retrieved on 2010-07-02.
  52. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 23, 2010). "ABC Turns in its Strongest Wednesday in Nearly 10 Months; 'Modern Family' Opens as Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  53. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 21, 2010). "Glee, Dancing, Modern Family, Castle Lead Season's Ratings Gainers, CSI:NY, Lie To Me, House Lead Losers". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  54. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 2, 2010). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NFL, Modern Family, Glee, NCIS, DWTS Top Week 6 Viewing". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  55. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 26, 2010). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: Brett Favre, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, NCIS, DWTS, The Big Bang Theory Top Week 5 Viewing". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  56. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 19, 2010). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: Modern Family, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Sunday Night Football, DWTS, NCIS Top Week 4 Viewing". TVbythenumbers. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  57. ^ Weisman, Jon (October 21, 2010). "'Modern Family' is a 'Cosby' celebre". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  58. ^ ABC Announces 2010-11 Primetime Schedule - TV Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Television Show Ratings. TVbytheNumbers.com (2010-05-18). Retrieved on 2010-07-02.
  59. ^ a b "Nielsen Television - TV Ratings for Primetime: 2010-11 Season-to-Date". October 31, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "workZap2it" ignored (help)
  60. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (February 16, 2011). "Midseason ratings: The top 50 shows so far! | Inside TV | EW.com". Insidetv.ew.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.

Press releases

Wikiquote has quotations related to Modern Family.

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