Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my look at Modern Family (2009-2020, ABC), which is currently available on DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming!
Modern Family stars ED O’NEILL as Jay, SOFIA VERGARA as Gloria, JULIE BOWEN as Claire, TY BURRELL as Phil, JESSE TYLER FERGUSON as Mitch, ERIC STONESTREET as Cam, SARAH HYLAND as Haley, ARIEL WINTER as Alex, NOLAN GOULD as Luke, RICO RODRIGUEZ as Manny, and AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS as Lily.
Season Five is a good year for Modern Family because it’s a natural crescendo that also offers pause for reflection and pride. The year opens with Cam and Mitch’s engagement and closes with a triumphant wedding that solidifies what Modern Family has been practicing all along — the normalization of otherwise “non-traditional” family dynamics. Those dynamics once made the show “modern” and fresh, but they’ve been minimized over time to be less often a source of conflict in story, leading to less situation comedy related to the series’ specific premise and its most special elements. Indeed, after the wedding, it’ll become even rarer to see tension about Mitch’s familial construct, with Five signaling a demarcation that will essentially precede a drop in the series’ regular quality. In fact, the show — which reaches its 100th episode milestone here in Season Five — has sustained itself rather well up to this point. Even though its narrative ingenuity has declined incrementally every year since the first, Five’s baseline quality remains in the green. This is a testament to some core strengths — smart writers who designed easy, comedically clear characters in a wide-open low concept. They might not be tops at guaranteeing lots of original, unique-to-the-series ideas, but they’ve been stabilizing and reliable — and to a much greater degree than what we see on most 21st century sitcoms.
To wit, even a contemporary I generally prefer, Parks And Recreation, is more obviously not in peak-form at episode 100 than Modern Family is here. That’s right; despite an ongoing decline — and this year’s increasing strain as it consumes even more stories per week — this sitcom’s intra-series quality is still so fine that its inter-series quality becomes more competitive as a result. Meaning, while this year isn’t better than any of its predecessors, the fact that the show has gone so long without greater erosion makes Five more broadly exciting than Three or Four, where that posture was simply less surprising. What’s more, with a few half hours that actually could go on a series-best list, there’s no doubt about it: this is a good season of a good sitcom that’s even better because it’s this good in a fifth season. There are better sitcoms, and better seasons of this sitcom, but the hallmark of this genre is consistency, and that’s Modern Family’s superpower. Season Five — the fifth and final year for which the Television Academy honored it as the year’s Outstanding Comedy Series — is compelling proof of that fundamental strength.
01) Episode 100: “Farm Strong” (Aired: 10/09/13)
Cam’s sister visits with news that upsets him.
Written by Elaine Ko | Directed by Alisa Statman
Cam’s visiting sister (Dana Powell) debuts in this episode, which aired as the series’ milestone 100th but is pleasantly downplayed as just a normal half hour. She’s a bit like Daphne’s mother on Frasier — a recurring nuisance with only one narrative job: to annoy the people whose home she’s invading. That is, she’s a clichéd device that signals the absence of original stories with regard to the regulars and their ability to generate their own interpersonal tension, sans gaudy help. However, her first appearance is her best, for it’s actually in support of a larger examination of Cam as a character, culminating in a terrific all-cast scene where Cam’s sensitivity comes to the fore — a known aspect of his personality that helps tie together this confrontation as a climax, giving this entry a sense of cohesion and self-reflection that elevates its overall standing. And since I think it may be one of the best Cam showings of the entire series, it felt like a more worthy inclusion than some of the Honorable Mentions listed below.
02) Episode 101: “The Late Show” (Aired: 10/16/13)
Everyone seems to have trouble arriving on time to Jay’s birthday dinner.
Written by Abraham Higginbotham | Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
This well-liked selection reminds me a lot of Season Two’s “Manny Get Your Gun,” which was also about the process of everyone going to a pre-arranged birthday dinner at a restaurant. Coming at a time when the show was fresher due to the relative novelty, or newness, of its sheer existence, that aforementioned outing was naturally much stronger, with better comic ideas that were more memorable and therefore more of a credit to the series’ creativity. And yet, this shared template is reliable and unifying, offering an easy and low-concept showcase for character. In fact, “The Late Show” really grounds itself in the individual dynamics between the three main couples, which actually makes it an exhibition for them, eschewing the sort of hokey narrative gimmickry that’s otherwise coming to increasingly define the series here in its still-good-but-inevitably-tiring middle era. This simplicity is a testament to the series’ character work overall, which is the very reason that this segment impresses as a tribute to the year.
03) Episode 103: “A Fair To Remember” (Aired: 11/13/13)
The family attends the high school fair while Haley faces off against Joe’s new nanny.
Written by Emily Spivey | Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Adam Devine debuts this season — his first appearance is in the episode directly prior. He plays Andy, Jay and Gloria’s new hired nanny for Joe, and an obvious love interest for Haley. This is gripping, at least initially. While Haley’s prior boyfriend Dylan accentuated her characterization by implying her general type, Andy reinforces it by contrast, for this is not the kind of guy for whom she usually falls. And we see that here — as the rule-breaker clashes with the rule-follower. Eventually, their material will devolve into a lot of rom-com hokum (which dilutes her overall personality), but at first, it’s minimal and additive. As for the rest of this half hour, it works because it’s largely set at a school fair, a location that unites all the stories, including Jay’s initial rivalry and then friendship with a fellow father tasked with playing his “cop” partner — portrayed by Jordan Peele. And though there are several other location-unifying samples in Five, this is the one that feels the tightest and most comprehensively fun.
04) Episode 104: “ClosetCon ’13” (Aired: 11/20/13)
Jay and Claire go out of town on business while Cam takes Mitch to his hometown.
Written by Ben Karlin | Directed by Fred Savage
Another thing Season Five benefits from is the smart choice to have Claire go to work at Jay’s company. This is an excuse to pair them more often in stories, and seeing that their father/daughter dynamic is one of the linchpins of this entire extended-family setup, any focus on their relationship is situation-reinforcing. Now, eventually, these Claire-at-work subplots will become dull and formulaic unless Jay is directly and explicitly involved, but in the beginning — when the spotlight is on them as a duo, like here — it’s exciting. Meanwhile, I also appreciate this entry because it takes Cam and Mitch to Cam’s hometown, where we not only learn more about him, but we also get to see some of his family members — including Celia Weston as Cam’s mom, and Ann Morgan Guilbert as his grandmother, to whom he’s not yet come out. That’s a notion that also plays to an aspect of the premise that makes them, and this series, special. Also, Fred Willard continues to recur, while Randee Heller guests.
05) Episode 108: “Under Pressure” (Aired: 01/15/14)
Claire takes Alex’s classes at the school open house while Gloria feuds with another parent.
Written by Elaine Ko | Directed by James Bagdonas
Most of this episode takes place at the high school open house — where Alex, Luke, and Manny are all students, and Cam now works. Meaning, this is a place that currently unites all three of the households. That’s helpful for stories, and this is indeed a standout from the season, with a lot of funny ideas that also emphasize the characters. In particular, Alex books an appointment with a therapist (John Benjamin Hickey) to help manage her stress while Claire visits her classes and comes to truly appreciate just how hard her daughter works every week. Additionally, Jay corrupts Phil by convincing him to “skip” class, and Gloria gets into a rivalry with another mother in a dodgeball game. Said mother is played by 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski, who’ll recur a few times after this in a fruitless attempt to duplicate the big-laugh comedy of this first appearance, her best. To that point, I reiterate that this is one of the year’s finest — with great character stories and a cohesion enabled by the shared proximity, themes, and even narrative threads via the school setting. (Jesse Eisenberg also guests.)
06) Episode 109: “Three Dinners” (Aired: 01/22/14)
At dinner, Haley surprises her folks, Cam and Mitch make new friends, and Jay gets bad news.
Written by Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, & Jeffrey Richman | Directed by Steven Levitan
In addition to a one-story-per-household design that reduces quality-variance, I appreciate this excursion for its deliberately simple structure, which keeps the unifying principle uncomplicated: just three evening dinners. And each one has some laughs and/or character insight. On the more comedic end is Cam and Mitch’s intrusion on a neighboring couple’s romantic evening, which looks to be a proposal before she finds out and rejects him. It’s amusingly awkward. Then Jay’s friends — played by Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly — announce their upcoming move, which naturally upsets Jay. It’s not a hilarious notion, but it plays upon the continuity of their prior appearances and emphasizes Jay’s sensitivity. And Haley has a grand showing when she reveals that she’s making moves in her career, pleasantly surprising her worried parents. Nothing here is exceptional, I grant, but it’s all very solid — one of those samples that communicates just how consistent and reliable Season Five remains.
07) Episode 114: “Las Vegas” (Aired: 03/26/14)
Hijinks ensue with the adult members of the family in Las Vegas.
Written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh, & Bill Wrubel | Directed by Gail Mancuso
My choice for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “Las Vegas” is a quintessential bedroom farce. It’s the type of harried, tightly plotted one-act play that Frasier used to delight in offering, in reflection of its title character’s personal comedic ethos, as his general attitude of pompous sophistication and his self-focused pursuit of sex made him ripe for such fast-paced, frothy fun, where the clash of the highfalutin and the ignoble could lead to mounting chaos. Modern Family doesn’t have the same character-rooted access with regard to this particular style, but it’s always communicated a willingness to indulge big comedic centerpieces in evidence of its prioritization of laughs, often upheld by classic sitcom fodder like misunderstandings and lies. So, with former Frasier writers at the helm, it was only a matter of time before this series would also indulge this farce subgenre overtly. And indeed, this is a classic, textbook example of the form — with people running in and out of hotel bedrooms in outrageous costumes, ever-confused but ready for sex. It’s all naturally hilarious, with a plotting that’s impressive because it demands a delicate hand, especially because it requires setting up character goals that justify their silly maneuvers. In fact, thanks to the success of this entry, there will be several more farces in the years to come. This, however, is the purest, and for its sheer commitment to bold comedy — though atypical as a slice of this series — it depicts Modern Family’s sense of humor more favorably than any other selection here in Season Five, making it a true standout — the kind that deserves the spotlight. (Stephen Merchant, Fred Armisen, and Patton Oswalt guest. Notably, none of the kids appear — this is the only time that happens.)
08) Episode 115: “A Hard Jay’s Night” (Aired: 04/02/14)
Mitch and Cam disagree about their wedding while Gloria takes Phil to her old salon.
Written by Megan Ganz & Ben Karlin | Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
There are a handful of decent ideas in this fairly ordinary outing that nevertheless knows to smartly culminate at a family dinner — an easy way to suggest cohesion by forcing all stories to resolve in the same place, regardless of where they otherwise originated. It’s the bare minimum Modern Family can do on that front, but it’s effective here, elevated by another Jay/Claire story that focuses on historically rooted tension in their dynamic that therefore nods to the situation because theirs is a key structure-upholding bond. Additionally, this is also a fun showing for Gloria, as she takes Phil to the salon where she used to work — a pairing of two funny characters with a bit of added backstory for her — and I appreciate all the subplots this season related to Cam and Mitch’s forthcoming wedding, which is both normal fodder for a sitcom and special because of who they are premised to be. So, with a handful of solid notions with regard to character, this is an above-average sample from this above-average season.
09) Episode 118: “Message Received” (Aired: 05/07/14)
The Dunphy kids prank their folks, while Cam and Mitch need money for their wedding.
Written by Steven Levitan | Directed by Jeffrey Walker
The popular A-story here has the Dunphy kids finding an old answering machine and using a recording to prank their parents. It’s amusing, but it’s the sort of thing most sitcom children could do, so it doesn’t impress me as specifically tailored to the series, even though I credit it for some degree of originality and note that it involves “technology” — a subject that this show’s creators will try to argue is foundational to the situation. (It isn’t.) Actually, what I most like about this installment is the convergence of the Gloria/Jay/Manny and Cam/Mitch subplots — the latter of which is directly about their forthcoming wedding and the financial difficulties that force them to consider selling some of their valuable items. This culminates in an exchange between Mitch and Jay that yields dramatic tension as a result of the unique premised dynamic making Modern Family an individual entry in the subgenre, for Jay voices discomfort with the whole idea of their public ceremony. It’s the kind of explicitly premised conflict that Modern Family has seldom indulged after Season One but is occasionally centering again ahead of this wedding — and it’s thus something that is personalized to this series.
10) Episode 120: “The Wedding (II)” (Aired: 05/21/14)
Mitch and Cam face a series of setbacks on their wedding day.
Written by Megan Ganz, Christopher Lloyd, & Dan O’Shannon | Directed by Alisa Statman
Season Five’s two-part finale enjoys a classic disastrous wedding day that’s itself become a genre cliché. However, Part II — following Part I’s buildup — benefits from using this string of setbacks to call attention to lingering family tensions. It’s a notion that again speaks to Jay’s difficultly in accepting his son’s sexuality — acknowledging a major conceit of the situation: their “non-traditional” family dynamic that, in this case, is actually being utilized as a direct source of conflict between characters. And it also sets up an opportunity for Jay to finally prove himself by walking his son down the aisle at his own personal country club, where all his friends will see — the ultimate sign of Jay’s acceptance and the show’s official normalization of something it initially premised as unusual and “modern.” In that regard, this is essentially the fulfillment of the situation, with the rest of the family’s acceptance of Gloria also symbolically capped, as she walks Mitch down the aisle with Jay. So, you can understand why this is a turning point in terms of sitcommery — after this, the premise has nothing left to do.
Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “The Big Game,” which boasts some great physical comedy from Phil and a string of stories largely set at a high school football game, “The Old Man & The Tree,” a Christmas outing that I most like for the subplot with Gloria, Claire, and Gloria’s mother, “Other People’s Children,” which is memorable because of its deliberately unusual character pairings, and “Sleeper,” a solid sequel to the first season’s “Family Portrait.” I’ll also take this space to cite “Suddenly, Last Summer,” the sweet season premiere where Mitch and Cam both plan to propose to each other, “iSpy,” a so-so offering that nevertheless builds to a satisfying and feel-good climax with the ensemble, and “The Wedding (I),” which helps set up the second half of the finale that I discussed above. (Incidentally, I have no other place to put this detail, but for those who keep track, Ty Burrell also won another Emmy for his work in this particular season.)
*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Five of Modern Family goes to…
“Las Vegas”
Come back next week for Season Six! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!