My wife and I love the show, and now that it's been syndicated for a while on USA and Fox, we watch reruns multiple times a week in addition to new episodes.
"Phil’sosophies," Dunphy's funny and sometimes odd collection of thoughts and beliefs about life, has become a sacred text in our household. And whenever Phil says or does something silly or embarrassing, my wife turns to me and says, "You're SO like him." Funny, successful, great family man... I'll take that as a compliment, sweetheart!
When you talk about feel-good shows, this one's right up there among the very best of them. Yet, as we saw in the episode in which Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) told his father, Jay (Ed O'Neill) not to come to his wedding if he was uncomfortable inviting his friends to a same-sex union, and the one in which Alex (Ariel Winter) told the therapist she felt alone due to immense self-inflicted pressure, "Modern Family" isn’t afraid to delve into drama.
It's one of the funniest shows in history, but it's also beautifully heartfelt--and it's this same combination that made "Friends," "The Office," and "How I Met Your Mother" so successful and unforgettable, too. We fall in love with the characters, and we welcome them into our homes as though they're our close friends. When a show can make us do that, it's magic.
Throughout its eight-season run thus far, "Modern" has both deftly and hilariously handled numerous issues, including adoption and gay rights. It's made a powerful statement in support of same-sex couples--by not overtly making a statement at all. The writers don't preach; they don't push an agenda in any kind of obvious way. They just tell the story, developing this rich, complex, and real family of characters and taking us on a journey through the ups and downs of their lives; and in so doing, they forge a powerful bond between us and them.
Without getting too political, I'll just say I’d bet that even staunch conservatives, after getting hooked on the show, would have a devil of a time coming up with any reason why the lovable Mitch and Cam shouldn't be together. "Modern Family" demonstrates that gay couples are the same as traditional male/female couples, something proponents of same-sex relationships have been saying for many years. Love is gender-less, color-blind, and also age-blind, and it is the greatest force in the universe. It brought reserved, anxious lawyer Mitch and larger-than-life teacher and clown college graduate Cam together, and led them to adopt a beautiful Vietnamese baby. It led Jay, a gruff American man's man, to marry Gloria, a gorgeous, vivacious Colombian roughly twenty-five years his junior, and raise her son, Manny, as his own.
In this country that is, in some ways, still deeply divided, "Modern Family" has been bringing people together for eight years. And has there ever been a time in our nation's history when we needed that more than we do now? Okay, maybe during the Civil War...it's actually very hard to argue with that, but you get the point.
"Modern Family" has solidified itself as a groundbreaking show because of the brilliant way in which it has painted a real, moving, and laugh-out-loud portrait of the contemporary American family, showing ways in which it's evolving and other ways in which it's staying the same. The series has always been open, inclusive, and supportive of love and family in all its forms, epitomizing the feel-good show while also being an important and deeply meaningful one. Laughter, smiles, love, and support are elixirs for the weary soul. I can't wait for these next two seasons.
Share This Article
