Sitcoms suck.
Sure, they were hilarious when I was 10. Cosby Show, Family Ties, and the mother of all sitcoms, Seinfeld, all cracked me up back in the day. But lately–and I’m talking within the past 10 years or so–I just can’t get into any sitcom. They all seem to use the same predictable formulas, employ no-talent ass clown writers, and lean on the lamest of lame stereotypes, with a canned laugh track to cue when you’re supposed to laugh at home.
You can imagine my very pleasant surprise when I actually LOLed (yeah, I used it as a verb) at the premiere of Modern Family, a new sitcom on ABC (Wednesday at 9/8c p.m.) Because I’m a couple of weeks behind on the old DVR, this post may seem a bit stale. But the show was so dang funny that I felt compelled to to tell all of you, even if I’m late, you must watch it!
Modern Family portrays the lives of three families (intertwined as one), all “modern” in their own way (a gay couple adopting a kid, an old-guy/younger woman second marriage with stepkids of all ages, and a “nuclear” family that’s very of the times).
What’s hilarious is the writing — the characters, the dialogue, the plots are all so funny, true-to-life, wry, yet over-the-top enough not to feel too “close to home” (like The Office sometimes does, which is why I can watch an entire episode without even a smile sometimes). The actors aren’t too shabby themselves, especially Ed O’Neill (remember Al Bundy?) as the old-guy dad/stepdad and Julie Bowen as the nuclear family mom with some serious sass. I haven’t laughed this hard at a network show in quite some time.
All I’m saying is, give it a shot (if you haven’t already) and tell me what you think. If you missed the first couple of episodes, you can watch them online for free.