Modern Family Season 2

• 9th Aug 2011

After the outstanding first season of Modern Family the pressure was on to repeat the trick for the best new sit-com currently on television. The show focuses on one large extended family that includes the patriarch Jay (Ed O’Neill) and his new wife and adopted son, his daughter’s family and his gay son’s family with his partner and adopted daughter.

Producers’ Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd were the brains behind Frasier so it’s hardly surprising that this program has a pedigree reminiscent of the greatest sit-com in television history. The cast is flawless from Married with Children legend O’Neil (Jay) and his hysterical wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) possibly the sexiest 40 years old woman in the world. The remaining cast members are all superb in possessing perfect comic timing which includes the ridiculously talented youngsters on show.

Like Frasier the show has already laid down the template for its humor from the first season and now simply succeeds on brilliant scripts from one episode to another. The genius of this show like Frasier is that you can see the majority of the jokes coming but it still works due to your investment in the characters. This level of investment allows for the drama to affect you whilst you laugh at the never ending stupidity no matter how obvious.  Friends had an element of the same but Modern Family like Frasier is darker as it matches its comedy with a more honest view of modern relationships. Unlike Friends it stays well clear of fantasy and wish fulfillment and places itself far closer to actual reality.

This season also has a nice quota of star cameos given the success of the previous season it’s not that surprising. Excellent turns by Matt Damon, Shelly Long and Danny Trejo are highly amusing. But the highlight of all highlights is the always amazing Nathan Lane as the perfectly named Pepper Saltsman. Cameron’s former lover is naturally straight out of the Birdcage as Lane once again lights up the screen as the ultimate bitchy aging queen. The episode where he bonds and then hangs out with the ultra macho Jay (Ed O’Neil) is a comedy master class.

Running to a gut busting 24 episodes (not the usual 6 you get in the UK) there really isn’t a poor 25 minutes among them, as the hallmark of this show like other US comedy classics is the consistent level of writing. The writing team that Modern Family has assembled is seamless in keeping the simple brilliance of the scenario fresh and funny. Given the participation of the legendary Ed O’Neill one is pushed to say that this is the more up-scale sequel to Married with Children, but the truth is it’s much more. The family sit-com has been done to death over the years with legendary productions such as Soap, The Cosby Show and Family Ties to name but three. Here we have an established formula raised to dizzy new heights thanks to impeccable casting and solid gold scripts.

This DVD release is solid without being spectacular but beyond getting every single hilarious episode from this show what else do you actually need. Apart from the Chuck Lorre produced The Bing Bang Theory there is no doubt in my mind that Modern Family is the best sit-com on television today by a country mile. All you can hope is that it runs for even half the time Frasier did with as much aplomb as the first two seasons have achieved. Modern Family is a possible classic in the making so you better tune in now before you have to be one of those people that hate to admit they only caught on once it became massively popular.

Aled Jones