"Modern Family" is a must watch

The problem with watching a sitcom like Seinfeld is that it sets the benchmark for comedy quite high. Whatever else you watch after that will never measure up to it. I even found F.R.I.E.N.D.S to be on the boring side after the Seinfeld effect. How I met your mother was extremely pretentious and unfunny to a level that even Barney has started to be such bore in the later seasons. Bing Bang Theory was quite funny in the first 3 seasons and the 4th season is already showing signs of writers-running-out-of-ideas syndrome. Two and a half men was an interesting concept, but had it not been for Charlie Sheen’s uber cool acting, I would have passed it after the 1st season. Frasier was impressive when I reviewed it earlier, but the later seasons were a colossal disappointment.

So, I stumbled upon 30 Rock, created by Tina Fey, which turned out to be amazingly refreshing. Shot outdoor with moving cameras (mockumentry style) and with no audience laughs (thank god for that), Tina Fey has created an hilarious series based on her experiences while working for Saturday Night Live at NBC. This is a definitely must watch for those who want some fresh air in the sitcom domain. The acting by the cast is brilliant and Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of an ambitious CEO is memorable.

But now to the original intent of the post. When I was checking out 30 rock on Wikipedia, I noticed that it had won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series for 3 years in a row. But if failed to do so in the latest emmy awards when it lost out to a debut series called Modern Family. Normally I don’t go by the awards (Seinfeld just won one during it’s 9 years of run!), but I was curious to check this one out. It turned out to be a good decision.

Modern Family is a story about three yet one family. An old man who has married a young hot Columbian mother. His son is gay and lives with his partner along with their adopted baby from Vietnam. And finally the daughter who has a standard family with three kids and a joker of an husband. The premise sets for an interesting viewing. And how hilarious it is! Every character is absolutely adorable. The acting is flawless, thanks to all the fresh faces whom you have never seen before.

In most sitcoms there would be one character that usually steels the show. Ex : George Costanza, Sheldon Cooper, Charlie Harper, Barney Simpsons etc. In Modern Family, you won’t be able to point even one such USP character because it is the interaction between the characters that makes this absolutely hilarious. Situations are not forced in to make it funny, instead the normal day to day interactions that happen in any family are captured in a funny way. And each episode has this beautiful ‘family’ moment at the end that leaves you with a smile.

Full credit to the writers for pulling off such a brilliant show.

Highly recommended.