It’s the planet’s most popular TV comedy and it seems that nothing can stop the rise and rise of Modern Family. John Byrne reckons it’s got to do with a 21st-Century twist on a tried-and-tested formula – and the presence of Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy.
The look on the faces of the cast as the first awards were being handed out at last September’s Emmys was enough to prove how successful Modern Family has become in such a short space of time. The comedy’s third season had just begun shooting and already a familiar pattern had developed at events where TV and trophies take centre stage. That pattern being a combination of the words ‘And the winner is’ being paired with ‘Modern Family’.
It was quite fitting that the recipients of the first two trophies at LA's Nokia Theatre were Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell, for their outstanding roles as husband and wife team Claire and Phil Dunphy.
"I don't know what I'm going to talk about in therapy now", Bowen joked as she accepted her award.
Not to be out-gunned, Burrell paid a tongue-in-cheek tribute to his late father in his acceptance speech. He recalled Burrell the senior saying: "'Why do you have to look like a harlot?'" as he wondered aloud about his son’s decision to go into acting, a line of work that requires everyone involved to wear make-up. Burrell’s response is a very Phil-like: "I would say, 'Dad, just think of me as a very masculine lady.'"
Modern Family won the first four awards that night, and won best comedy series for the second year in a row. More recently, the show took home the Golden Globe for Best TV Series (Comedy). There really is no show near it in terms of success and popularity these days, although closer to home, Brendan O’Carroll is doing something similar on RTÉ and BBC with his immensely popular Mrs Brown’s Boys.
While the Finglas funny man is enjoying something of a renaissance both here and in Britain, the success of Modern Family is unquestionably a global phenomenon. Although it’s often pointed out that the show’s success is down to its, well, modern interpretation of what constitutes a family, it’s really the show’s old-fashioned comedy values that are at the heart of its success.
The once-standard mother, father and kids set-up is thrown out the window by the show’s creators, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan. On top of the pile is patriarch Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill), a white, 60-something who has remarried, to a much younger, Colombian wife, Gloria (Sofía Vergara). Together they bring up Manny ((Rico Rodriguez), Gloria’s son from a previous marriage. Jay has two adult kids from his first marriage: Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), a gay lawyer who, with his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), has adopted a Vietnamese baby; and Claire (Julie Bowen), who is married to and shares three children with Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell), a real estate agent and self-professed cool dad.
Sure, the nuclear family is blown away with this multi-generational, multi-ethnic, straight and gay ensemble that weighs in at a hefty eleven characters but it’s also cleverly mainstream and almost reverentially old-fashioned in its approach.
For one thing, Modern Family is as cosy as The Cosby Show ever was (and it was very cosy). Everyone’s really a nice person (even grumpy Jay and shrill Gloria), nothing that happens is ever that serious, and every situation can be resolved with a little bit of love and understanding – and the odd hug – over the course of a single episode. This is not Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld; there isn’t a cynical bone in this show’s many bodies. Perhaps the most uncynical character of all is Phil Dunphy, played with tremendous energy and comic timing by Ty Burrell.
After a decade of bit parts on TV and in movies, Burrell really drew attention to himself when he landed the role of roving TV reporter Gary Crezyzewski in Back to You. While the show was a pretty dull affair about two local TV anchors, played by Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, and only lasted a season, Burrell was fantastic as the clueless Crezyzewski.
After the show was cancelled, Back to You creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd concentrated on a new project, Modern Family, and knew exactly who should play the juvenile son-in-law, Phil Dunphy. The rest is comedy gold.
In recent weeks, the Golden Globe for Best TV Series, Comedy joined the other accolades that have come the show’s way. And like another huge hit – Friends – the cast seem to be very united. Add that to the fine writing and a set of clearly defined characters and you’ve got a show that could run for many more years.
This week, Modern Family returns to Sky 1 on Friday after its mid-season hiatus (as does The Middle), with alarm bells ringing for Phil when, following a check-up at the doctors, he misses the phone call with the test results. Add to that Gloria’s recent ominous visit from the ‘Colombian Death’ (a black mouse) and the fact that his lifetime supply of twin-blade razors is inexplicably running out, and Phil assumes the worst, so prepares to say his goodbyes.
Dunphy dialogue
On a great show with loads of laughs, Phil Dunphy gets the lion’s share of the best and funniest lines. Here are just a few of his crackers:
"I'm the cool dad. That's my thing. I'm hip. I surf the web. I text. LOL: Laughing Out Loud. OMG: Oh My God. WTF: Why the face? Hmm, you know, I know all the dances to High School Musical..."
"Act like a parent, talk like a peer. I call it peer-enting. I learned it from my own dad who used to walk into my room and say, ‘What's up sweat-hog?’"
"I have three kids and at least one of them is going to college. Worst case scenario: they all go!"
"I've always said that if my son thinks of me as one of his idiot friends, I've succeeded as a dad."
"How awesome are people?"
"Note to Claire, if you want intense family drama, rent Spy Kids."
Six great family sitcoms
The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
A groundbreaker at the time, The Cosby Show ran for eight seasons and featured the Huxtables, an affluent African-American family in Brooklyn. Although it was the first mainstream comedy about a black family (and opened the door for others), it was a rather old-fashioned comedy, in which Dad was usually right, and helped make an international superstar out of Bill Cosby.
The Flintstones (1960-1966)
An animated Stone Age caper proved to be a huge hit that still gets shown on TV more than 50 years after its debut. Featuring Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their neighbours Barney and Betty Rubble, its main attraction was the clever (and often animal-powered) equivalents of modern technology such as cars and dishwashers. A revival of The Flintstones is due in 2013.
Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)
A zany and dysfunctional family led by hopeless parents Lois and Hal, and featuring gifted Malcolm, rebellious older brother Francis, dim-witted-but-ambitious Reese, and endearingly odd wunderkind, Dewey. Without a laugh track, the show relied on its quirky comedy to great effect, and the early subplot of Francis in a military school for teenage delinquents was truly inspired.
Married . . . with Children (1987-1997)
Starring Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill as Al Bundy, a former high-school American football player who ends up a shoe salesman, married to the demanding, tarty Peg. Together they shared a house with their dim-witted and promiscuous daughter Kelly, and Bud, their unpopular, girl-crazy son. The Bundys wore dysfunction like a badge of honour. A huge success, it lasted eleven seasons.
The Simpsons (1989-present)
Currently a sad shadow of its former self, The Simpsons is a modern phenomenon that has made millions for its creator Matt Groening and a cast that continues to enjoy superstardom in their yellow-skinned guises as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. At its creative height, The Simpsons effortlessly parodied American culture, and just about anything that sprung up in Springfield.
Arrested Development (2003-2006)
A critical hit that failed to attract big viewing figures, Arrested Development certainly offered the most dysfunctional family ever to grace the small screen. With the exception of the long-suffering Michael Bluth, who carried the rest of the family on his shoulders, this lot were impressively (and hilariously) inept. A movie is in the offing, and will star the original cast, including Jason Bateman as Michael.
John Byrne
