Some shows appear and almost disappear overnight; Others become institutions. Modern family is in this last category: more than five years after its end, it is always one of the most watched programs on Disney + in the world.
Modern family Ran from 2009 to early 2020, and like any show with so many seasons, it is fair to say that it has lost part of its freshness over time: where season 1 has a stellar note at 100% of criticisms on Rotten Tomatoes, the last season – the season 11 – only reached 80%. But it is always a much higher note than many rival sitcoms, and there is still a lot to rent.
Here is why Modern family is a modern classic and one of the best Disney + shows – or the best Hulu shows if you are in the United States – of all time.
Why this family is worth knowing
To watch
The first season set up the premise for the show. An unidentified filming team (for us) follows the Dunphys to make a Fly-On-the Wall documentary on the extended family: Maman and Papa Claire and Phil and their three children; Claire Jay’s father and his wife much younger Gloria; Jay’s son Mitchell, his partner Cameron and their adoptive daughter.
As you can see, the configuration justifies the title: it is a completely modern, multi-generational, multi-racial and inclusive family. And if that’s all the spectacle was about this, it would probably have been a disaster, preacher and worthy rather than punchy and hilarious. But the writing team is incredibly sharp, the dialog box and the sets are often hilarious and the casting is spectacular. And I think that its warmth and its big heart really resonate with people whose screens seem more and more to detonate them with bad news.
The basic cast is brilliant, and although part of the characterization is close to stereotypes – the Cameron camp, the Jay Acariné, the Fiery Gloria – I do not think that it has ever crossed affectionately to the problem.
You have the real feeling that writers care and love the whole distribution – and what is a casting. Ed O’Neill like Jay, Sofia Vergara like Gloria, Ty Burrell like Phil, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Julie Bowen in the role of Claire and Eric Sonestreet as Cameron are all delicious. And with the spectacle that lasts so long – almost a life for its youngest stars, most of whom were adult adults in recent seasons – everyone has had a lot of time to grow.
The characters are all the favorites for me, but I think that the show was most often stolen by Rico Rodriguez like Manny, the oldest older to exist (and someone I can’t separate What we do in the shade Guillermo just as entertaining, played by Harvey Guillen).
NPR said very well, describing season 1: “Good game.
Writing in living room, Heather Havrilesky urged us not to touch this remote control. “Between catchy writing, the great comic realization and the remarkable timing of all the actors involved,” Modern Family “is one of those rare comedies that never feel awkward or cheesy because it finds itself a line of punch … Laughter and families? And Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly also loved it.” From each member of the distribution a lively and complex character, “he wrote.” Oh, and it’s really funny too. “
Every 250 episodes of Modern family are available to broadcast on Hulu and Peacock in the United States, and Disney + in the United Kingdom and Australia.
