The state of TV comedy is always in flux. Sometimes there are a plethora of great comedies and the laughs don't stop coming. Then there's suddenly a dearth of giggles as networks decide they want to make more serious award-baiting dramas and the comedy budget goes way down. Once the dramas flop, it's back to the drawing board, and the audience is faced with an onslaught of dated sitcom tropes and humorless one-liners as series developers furiously throw us every idea they have in order to see what sticks. This is the TV version of throwing the spaghetti on the wall to see if it's done.
When Modern Family began in 2009, it was a revelation. TV comedy was in a slump and Modern Family was like a breath of fresh air. Unlike other comedies that need some time to work out what their doing and start blossoming after a few episodes, or even a season (like the fantastic Parks & Recreation), Modern Family was an instant success, garnering critical acclaim and audience approval from Day One. And with good reason. The show was sharp, witty, warm, and good-natured. It also brought back the time-honored tradition of the sitcom family (or in this case, three whole families) at a time when comedies were very much focused on twenty-somethings and their careers and love lives. Instead Modern Family mined the genuine comedy that can be found when you throw together some hapless parents and precocious children - and it did so with aplomb.
The very first episode of Modern Family is a masterclass in the art of comedy writing. It effortlessly introduced the huge cast of characters by taking full advantage of the mockumentary style, gave every family a funny storyline, and then managed to bring all those characters together for the fantastic reveal that they were actually all related. The fact that this all took place within the time constraint of 22 minutes still seems miraculous to me. Throughout the first and second season, the show maintained its high standard of writing and originality, as well as imbuing the plots with a great deal of warmth and love. A lot of shows get increasingly dramatic in an effort to garner attention and the "dramedy" is a staple of TV today. But Modern Family's insistence on being resolutely funny and tidily resolving any acrimony with a hug and a laugh has made it award-worthy in its own right.
Now we get to the third season, and more specifically, last night's episode. If you haven't seen it, and don't want to be spoiled, read no further - you have been warned. Clare is keen to have a night out by herself since Luke and Alex are off at sleepovers and Haley is on a college visit with Phil to see his alma mater. So she decides that what she needs is to hang out with Cam & Mitchell - they're gay, they know how to have a good time, right? Tired sitcom trope #1. Also, this is the first time I've realized that Clare doesn't seem to have any friends. Seriously, we always just hear her complaining about the other mothers, does she actually have anyone to hang out with? Anyway, they all go out, and of course, Cam & Mitchell just want to have a quiet dinner with some chicken pot-pies and head to bed by 9:30. Clare is appalled because she wanted a splashy gay outing so they head off to a boutique show complete with booze, fashion, and Cam & Mitchell's fabulously-named friend, Longines who is there with a presumed boyfriend Julian (played by Frenchman Gilles Marini).
Can you predict what happens next? Cam & Mitchell are tired and want to go home so Clare ditches them to hang out with the fun Julian. And as we later discover, Julian is not Longines's boyfriend and is very much straight. Sitcom trope #2 - the man you thought was gay turns out to be straight. Trope #3 - you thought he was gay so of course you undressed in front of him while trying out new clothes. Trope #4 - he is offended and declares "I'm not gay, I'm French!" End scene.
I've increasingly noticed this sort of recycled material on this season of Modern Family and it bothers me because the show was always better than that. There were some fun moments in last night's episode, but just as Cam & Mitchell discuss how they are figuratively (and then literally) in a rut, it feels like the show is getting a bit too complacent with its characters. The hilarious Sophia Vergara is mostly just around to be mocked for her accent or to wear something flashy, Jay continues to resist and then submit to giving fatherly advice to Manny, Cam & Mitchell will bicker throughout the episode and then realize that they like their lives in the end, Phil will be an overgrown man-child and then bust out something heartfelt and grown-up to redeem himself.
These formulas are not a bad thing - after all, people are who they are, and they will behave in certain ways because that's how real life works. But a sitcom is not real life - it's supposed to be a little more ridiculous, more absurd, more vibrant. And your idea of a hilarious situation should not be "oh no, the gay guy's actually straight!" because we've seen that so many times before. It's a common problem with American sitcoms - when you have to do 20-plus shows every year, ideas start to stagnate, and relying on quick and easy jokes and scenarios is the only way you can get the show out on time. Luckily the show's writers are a talented and award-winning group - I can only hope that they will soon get out of their rut and bring back the laughs.
When Modern Family began in 2009, it was a revelation. TV comedy was in a slump and Modern Family was like a breath of fresh air. Unlike other comedies that need some time to work out what their doing and start blossoming after a few episodes, or even a season (like the fantastic Parks & Recreation), Modern Family was an instant success, garnering critical acclaim and audience approval from Day One. And with good reason. The show was sharp, witty, warm, and good-natured. It also brought back the time-honored tradition of the sitcom family (or in this case, three whole families) at a time when comedies were very much focused on twenty-somethings and their careers and love lives. Instead Modern Family mined the genuine comedy that can be found when you throw together some hapless parents and precocious children - and it did so with aplomb.
The very first episode of Modern Family is a masterclass in the art of comedy writing. It effortlessly introduced the huge cast of characters by taking full advantage of the mockumentary style, gave every family a funny storyline, and then managed to bring all those characters together for the fantastic reveal that they were actually all related. The fact that this all took place within the time constraint of 22 minutes still seems miraculous to me. Throughout the first and second season, the show maintained its high standard of writing and originality, as well as imbuing the plots with a great deal of warmth and love. A lot of shows get increasingly dramatic in an effort to garner attention and the "dramedy" is a staple of TV today. But Modern Family's insistence on being resolutely funny and tidily resolving any acrimony with a hug and a laugh has made it award-worthy in its own right.
Now we get to the third season, and more specifically, last night's episode. If you haven't seen it, and don't want to be spoiled, read no further - you have been warned. Clare is keen to have a night out by herself since Luke and Alex are off at sleepovers and Haley is on a college visit with Phil to see his alma mater. So she decides that what she needs is to hang out with Cam & Mitchell - they're gay, they know how to have a good time, right? Tired sitcom trope #1. Also, this is the first time I've realized that Clare doesn't seem to have any friends. Seriously, we always just hear her complaining about the other mothers, does she actually have anyone to hang out with? Anyway, they all go out, and of course, Cam & Mitchell just want to have a quiet dinner with some chicken pot-pies and head to bed by 9:30. Clare is appalled because she wanted a splashy gay outing so they head off to a boutique show complete with booze, fashion, and Cam & Mitchell's fabulously-named friend, Longines who is there with a presumed boyfriend Julian (played by Frenchman Gilles Marini).
Can you predict what happens next? Cam & Mitchell are tired and want to go home so Clare ditches them to hang out with the fun Julian. And as we later discover, Julian is not Longines's boyfriend and is very much straight. Sitcom trope #2 - the man you thought was gay turns out to be straight. Trope #3 - you thought he was gay so of course you undressed in front of him while trying out new clothes. Trope #4 - he is offended and declares "I'm not gay, I'm French!" End scene.
I've increasingly noticed this sort of recycled material on this season of Modern Family and it bothers me because the show was always better than that. There were some fun moments in last night's episode, but just as Cam & Mitchell discuss how they are figuratively (and then literally) in a rut, it feels like the show is getting a bit too complacent with its characters. The hilarious Sophia Vergara is mostly just around to be mocked for her accent or to wear something flashy, Jay continues to resist and then submit to giving fatherly advice to Manny, Cam & Mitchell will bicker throughout the episode and then realize that they like their lives in the end, Phil will be an overgrown man-child and then bust out something heartfelt and grown-up to redeem himself.
These formulas are not a bad thing - after all, people are who they are, and they will behave in certain ways because that's how real life works. But a sitcom is not real life - it's supposed to be a little more ridiculous, more absurd, more vibrant. And your idea of a hilarious situation should not be "oh no, the gay guy's actually straight!" because we've seen that so many times before. It's a common problem with American sitcoms - when you have to do 20-plus shows every year, ideas start to stagnate, and relying on quick and easy jokes and scenarios is the only way you can get the show out on time. Luckily the show's writers are a talented and award-winning group - I can only hope that they will soon get out of their rut and bring back the laughs.
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