The series premiere of ABC's "Modern Family" airs on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 @ 9 PM ET.
Reviews upcoming.
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
Variety's review: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern Family (Series -- ABC, Wed. Sept. 23, 9 P.M.) by BRIAN LOWRY
Filmed in Los Angeles by Levitan Lloyd Prods. in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television. Executive producers, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd; producer, Jeff Morton; director, Jason Winer; writers, Levitan, Lloyd.
Jay - Ed O'Neill Claire - Julie Bowen Phil - Ty Burrell Gloria - Sofia Vergara Mitchell - Jesse Tyler Ferguson Cameron - Eric Stonestreet Haley - Sarah Hyland Luke - Nolan Gould Alex - Ariel Winter Manny - Rico Rodriguez
Easily the new season's best comedy pilot, "Modern Family" deftly serves up laughs on multiple levels -- from understated one-liners to grand sight gags. Flitting among three storylines, it's smart, nimble, and best of all, funny, while actually making a point about the evolving nature of what constitutes "family." It is also, more pragmatically, something of an odd fit in ABC's Wednesday stack of new comedies, which otherwise range from a staid 1990s feel ("Hank") to low-brow not-so-hilarity ("Cougar Town"). Some thinning of the comedy herd seems likely, and one can only hope that this cream rises to the top.
The pairing of former "Frasier" writer-producer Christopher Lloyd and "Just Shoot Me's" Steven Levitan has previously yielded "Back to You," but this is a vastly superior effort -- one that employs some of "The Office's" direct-to-camera production style and confessionals without feeling overly precious or like it's working too hard at being the coolest kid in the room.
ABC's promos spoil a nice reveal toward the end of the pilot (we won't), which follows three separate arcs: A gay couple (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) who have just adopted a Vietnamese baby; a know-it-all dad (Ty Burrell) and his wife (Julie Bowen), raising kids in a somewhat unorthodox manner; and the May-December marriage of a cranky older guy (Ed O'Neill) trying to keep pace with his extravagantly gorgeous Latina bride (Sofia Vergara) and her son, enduring the fact that people tend to call him "Grandpa."
Each thread has its own merits, with O'Neill (he of "Married . . . With Children") as perhaps the lowest-key and highest-profile of the leads. Burrell (whose teachable parenting moments have a way of spectacularly backfiring) and Stonestreet (music from "The Lion King" has seldom been put to funnier use) nab the biggest laughs in the premiere.
As for the show's prospects, the lack of an obvious companion amid ABC's fledgling sitcom four-stack, and the shaky track record for smart single-camera comedies, raise doubts as to whether "Family" can find a sizable audience. Although the network clearly recognizes the show's potential -- having screened the pilot in its entirety at the upfronts -- the specter of another dysfunctional clan, "Arrested Development," looms relatively large, and juggling three storylines does invite skepticism as to whether Levitan and Lloyd can maintain the zaniness and quality.
In other words, as enjoyable as "Modern Family" is, these are tough times for families in general and sitcoms in particular. Those dynamics require applying some of the same approach to grading half-hours as dealing with eccentric relatives -- namely, practicing patience, and lowering expectations.
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
I have already seen the pilot. I really liked it. It was much better than I was anticipating. One of the best half-hour comedies ABC has had in years. Pretty strong pilot. I will definitely give the next few episodes a look.
Hollywood Reporter's review: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Modern Family" -- TV Review by Barry Garron, September 22, 2009
Bottom Line: "Modern Family" is more than a "relative" success; it's a breakthrough.
It's always a challenge to say specifically what makes a TV comedy outstanding, but, as Justice Potter Stewart said of pornography 45 years ago, "I know it when I see it." When it comes to "Modern Family," you will, too.
Long on heart, brimming with great characters, smartly cast, expertly written, and funny from start to finish, "Family" is the obvious choice for best new fall comedy -- and possibly best series.
If ABC's new two-hour comedy block puts the network on top on Wednesdays, much of the credit rightly will belong to veteran sitcom producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Their new series, with its multifamily approach and semi-documentary form, redefines, updates, and invigorates the family-comedy genre. Freed from the speed bumps created by laugh tracks, the show moves smoothly and briskly, with one good line quickly followed by another.
The premiere introduces viewers to three families. Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen play the traditional mom and dad. Burrell takes the role of TV clueless dad up a notch by deluding himself into thinking he is hip and cool. Bowen portrays the mom as a former wild child who now worries her kids will follow her former rebellious path. Their three kids -- a high school cutie, a precocious daughter, and a klutzy son, all familiar TV types -- turn everyday parenting challenges into comedic gold.
The second family, a gay couple played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, become adoptive parents in the opener. Ferguson's comedy skills were apparent on CBS' "The Class," then obscured in Fox's "Do Not Disturb." Here, and especially opposite Stonestreet, Ferguson realizes his potential.
The third family is a May-December combination played by Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara. O'Neill's Al Bundy is one of TV's most unforgettable characters, but this role will let viewers see him in a new light. At the same time, Vergara's character confirms that the former calendar-pinup girl can be a formidable comedy actress, something her previous series suggested but didn't conclusively demonstrate. In this show, she has a stocky young son from a previous marriage.
The premiere's story line leads up to a big surprise, which won't be divulged here. Suffice it to say, though, that the twist creates the potential for even greater hilarity in future episodes. Is the sitcom staging a comeback? If previous ones were this clever, the genre never would have fallen off.
Airdate: 9-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23 (ABC) Production: Twentieth Television in association with Levitan Lloyd Prods. Cast: Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Nolan Gould, Ariel Winter, Rico Rodriguez Executive producers/writers/creators: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd Producer: Jeff Morton Director: Jason Winer Director of photography: David Hennings Production designer: Richard Berg Editor: Ryan Case Casting: Jeff Greenberg
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
LA Times' review: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TELEVISION REVIEW "Modern Family"
The ABC show does indeed successfully modernize the classic family sitcom. Ed O'Neill stars.
by MARY McNAMARA Television Critic September 23, 2009
Just when we were thinking it couldn't be done, ABC's "Modern Family" has single-handedly brought the family comedy back from the dead. Astute in a way we haven't seen since, oh, I don't know, "Family Ties" or maybe "Married . . . With Children," "Modern Family" is sharp, timely, and fresh, complicated enough to be interesting but with a soft, sweet center because, and I'm speaking loudly so even cable channels can hear, there is nothing wrong with that.
Interspersed with faux documentary-like interviews with the principals, "Modern Family" follows three parts of a larger clan. "Married . . . With Children's" Ed O'Neill plays Jay, who favors a sweat-suited retiree look despite being rich and married to a young Colombian woman, Gloria (Sofia Vergara, at times over-accessing her inner Charo). Gloria comes with a fabulous young son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez), who, at 11, already believes in the ascendancy of true love and the power of poetry to capture same. Jay spends much of his time in the pilot glancing at Manny through the rearview mirror as if he were some ornately plumed exotic bird, while Gloria exhorts him to be the wind at her son's back, not "the spit in his face."
Helping to raise Gloria's son is Jay's second chance at fatherhood; apparently he flubbed his first a bit. Daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) is a stressed-out, overworked, over-scheduled mother trying to keep her teenage daughter from following in her own apparently wanton footsteps and her two youngest children from killing each other. Helping not at all is her husband Phil, a hilarious Ty Burrell, aiming to be the coolest dad on the block, despite the outdated slang, a very bad back, and a general air of oblivion.
Providing the sparkling centerpiece of the family is Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who, with his partner, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), has just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. High-strung by nature, Mitchell is suddenly torn by feeling they are too gay to raise a child -- "We've got to stop having friends with names like Jacques," he says -- and furious at anyone who might possibly feel the same way. Cameron, meanwhile, is content to go more Zero Mostel, in word, deed, and totally fabulous silk robe, creating a naturally occurring updated version of "The Odd Couple." In the pilot, theirs are the funniest segments, particularly the introduction of the baby to the rest of the family, though Bowen and Burrell run a very close second.
All the performances are terrific, but what makes "Modern Family" work is its relentless portrayal of recognizable family life. Creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (both from "Back to You" and "Frasier") have given us a comedy that is sharp but not cruel, amused but not judgmental. It's hard not to see yourself, or your mother, or your kids, or your sibling, reflected clearly in one scene at least, and to laugh out loud anyway.
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
I've seen the pilot and I have to say it's one of the best and funniest pilots I've seen in ages. So hilarious, original, and entertaining. The cast is fantastic all around. (Faves: Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara and Eric Stonestreet). I cant wait to see more. Grade: A
Synopsis: Modern families come in all shapes and sizes, and that is very evident in Jay Pritchett's very full and very blended family; Jay (Ed O'Neill) and his new gorgeous and much younger wife, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), are happily married and getting accustomed to their new life together; Jay's grown daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), has a family of her own -- three kids and a husband, Phil (Ty Burrell), who is practically a giant kid himself who desperately wants to be the cool, hip dad; Jay's other grown son, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), is in a committed relationship and has just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam with his life partner, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), but Mitchell still has the daunting task of introducing their new addition to this unconventional, blended family.
Discuss.
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
That was so good. "The Lion King." LoL. Such a great premise that could go really far with this cast and high level of writing. I look forward to seeing what they'll come up with next for these characters.
Grade for "Pilot": A
"They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin, and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of '30 Rock.' Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."
~ Tina Fey
Posts: 24805 | Location: North Carolina, USA | Registered: April 11, 2005
I loved this Pilot episode! Very very funny. Julie Bowen and, especially, Ty Burrell were great. Burell was hilarious and MVP for me. Every single scene of his had me laughing(Lilly? Isn't that gonna be hard for her to say? ). O'Neill, Vergara and the boy who plays her son were all great too.
Between this and Cougartown(which I also found hilarious) will make a very solid hour of comedy for ABC. Praying that the ratings for both are solid so we can see these show for some time.
Posts: 3716 | Location: USA | Registered: July 27, 2005
Slow to start, got stronger as it progressed. Some of the deadpan is too low-key to inspire vigorous laughter, but there was some of that too: "The Lion King," the multiple shootings. This is a stellar cast. The comic timing is strong. The writing is sharp. I'm not in love just yet, but I'm starting off with strong like and hoping to move forward from there.
Grade: B+
"A movie is not good because it arrives at conclusions you share, or bad because it does not. A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it: about the way it considers its subject matter, and about how its real subject may be quite different from the one it seems to provide." - Roger Ebert, from the introduction to "Awake in the Dark" (2006)
The writing is fantastic and the cast can actually deliver. Those kids are all hilarious. Especially Manny. When a 11 year old is holding his own against Ed O'Niel you know you have something.
Maybe it was the material but I'll go ahead and say it Ed O'Niel was the weakest link here. I could see how he has great potential in that role though.
Of course the writing's so sharp and fast I'm already afraid it'll turn America off. But how will they know when to laugh?!
This could break into series next year Emmy time.
Grade: A- MVP: Julie Bowen, Rico Rodriguez.
Could use a slightly stiller camera though. It's even more all over the place than AD.
The cool dad thing is kinda lame and isn't getting any laughs from me, but Ty Burrell had the best line of the night from my three shows. (this, Cougar Town, and Eastwick)
"Sorry bud, it's already on the calendar."
poor kid lol.
I'll be giving all three shows at least two more chances, unless they get canceled beforehand.
I thought this was phenomenal. Extremely crisp and witty dialogue and excellent performances all around. I laughed out loud quite a bit but off the top of my head Burrell talking about his son never beating him basketball with interlaced scenes of him dominating the kid on the trampoline/basketball court and "Sir, we ask that mall walkers keep to the right" were the highlights of the night.
Lion King and trying to intimidate the kid were great too. Nice call back to the stairs being oiled up.
I loved Community but I would go as far as to say this was even funnier and has loads more potential.
I think the funniest part of the episode for me was when Vergara translated O'Neil's comment into Spanish. Overall, I liked the show and will continue to watch.
). O'Neill, Vergara and the boy who plays her son were all great too.
