Today, so many television shows are dumbed down. Jokes are over-simplified and often attached to canned laughter. The audience is frequently treated as if they are no more intelligent than the average five year old.* When you find a show that treats you as a thinking adult, it creates a happy moment. You savor that discovery. Shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men expect more of their audience. While those are dramas, there are comedies out there for people who want to be treated intelligently. While it wasn't what I was expecting, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Modern Family expects more of its audience than many other shows.
With any sitcom type show, a great deal of the success is tied into the jokes. Is the show funny? Do you want to keep watching? Do they reuse the same joke over and over again? Does it get old? Luckily, Modern Family practices a much drier and subdued sense of humor than your average television show. A great deal of the laughs come from mild character reactions. On occasion, the same joke may be used but never in a stale manner. Throughout the season, you see the one family constantly tripping on a particular stair. It doesn't happen so much that it gets old, but it is a familiar quirk of the house that pops up at odd times, garnering a smile. Some jokes are subtle enough that it takes me or Mark a few seconds to catch up.
With this type of humor, it's important to cast actors that can handle the material. I don't think their is a single actor on the show that I don't like. They're all quite talented and portray their characters well. While some of them are recognizable, the one that I was the most familiar with was Phil Dunphy, who is played by Ty Burrell.** He just so happened to be in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, which I am fond of. In it, he plays a sleazy prick. He does such a good job of it that I kind of despised him. When I saw him in the Edward Norton Hulk movie, I started to realize he wasn't just a sleaze. Fast forward to me watching Modern Family, and color me shocked. He is the nicest, sweetest guy.*** What's amazing is that the show is full of quality actors who are blessed with quality material.
While it is easier to find humor in things that mirror our own life, don't assume that you can't enjoy Modern Family just because your family is a bit on the normal side. I grew up in a home with a mom and dad who are still married, and I have two younger brothers. I don't have any in-laws as exciting as those in the show, but it's still easy to find the humor. I'm sure there are some people who won't watch the show because of the family structures, but that would be silly. The humor isn't in the types of family; the humor is family in general.
A great deal of the humor is successful because the characters are not one dimensional. Each character has positive characteristics while simultaneously carrying flaws. You can see yourself and your relatives in them. That's what makes it great. While some of the background type characters are a bit out there, the main characters are pretty grounded. Yes, they all have lots of money and fancy houses, unlike most of us, but the setting is less important than the characters.
If you haven't watched Modern Family yet, you should definitely check it out. I just caught the episode where they go to Disneyland, and it was so sweet and tender, yet funny. I'm not gonna lie; I may have teared up a bit. It's wonderful to watch a show that can make you laugh. It's even better when that same show can pull other emotions from you without resorting to cheap tricks. Bravo, Modern Family. Bravo!
*I am not disparaging five year-old kids. Some of them are quite smart.
**I'm sure most people are more familiar with Ed O'Neill who was on Married with Children. I don't really remember watching that show. I know who the characters were, but he was not typecast in my mind.
***I guess that's why they call it acting.
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