Modern Family is an American television mockumentary family sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009, which follows the lives of Jay Pritchett and his family, all of whom live in suburban Los Angeles. Pritchett's family includes his second wife, their son and his stepson, as well as his two adult children and their spouses and children.
Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan conceived the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families". Modern Family employs an ensemble cast. The series is presented in mockumentary style, with the characters frequently talking directly into the camera. The series was renewed for a tenth season on May 10, 2017.
Modern Family is both witty and atmospheric, so it really invites audiences to consider how modern access to a wide range of entertainment (e.g., NASCAR, comedy, music-TV, Home Shopping Network, cooking shows, HBO, Cartoon Network, etc.) offers us consumers a nice liberty in personally selecting what we want to get out of our TV-viewing experience.
Since
Modern Family is all about negotiating traditional values with modern drama (e.g., MTV, multiculturalism, Playboy, education, community projects, etc.), it's a terrific show to unwind to and think about why/how portraits and vignettes of 'everyday life' motivate us to think about spiritual self-improvement (perhaps especially when comedy makes things easier to digest in terms of self-forgiveness!).
I like watching this show at the end of the week and then again at the beginning of the following week (reruns air on various networks now in the USA), so I can get a charge of energy or revitalizing breath of fresh air about what comprises my 'modern routine life.'
After all, shouldn't TV make us more...socially evangelical?
{interpretive dialogue between characters on the show}
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CLAIRE: I don't want to spend time with Gloria right now.
JAY: You resent I remarried a younger woman (who's a minority!).
CLAIRE: No, dad; if she gives you happiness, I don't want to rain on your parade...
JAY: Admit it; you're jealous!
CLAIRE: Jealous?? No, I have my own problems...
JAY: Yeah, like are you sure Phil is faithful?
CLAIRE: My husband will never cheat on me!
JAY: Maybe you should 're-kindle' your romance (for him!).
CLAIRE: Our 'romance' is perfectly sane, dad...
JAY: I'm bored already.
CLAIRE: Well, not everyone can be 'festive.'
JAY: True, but everyone can try to put on a little ruffles every now and then.
CLAIRE: I'll think about it.
JAY: Somehow, you knew I'd turn this around on ya...
CLAIRE: I sure did.
JAY: I envision you and Gloria shopping together every Saturday!
CLAIRE: We'll see.
JAY: Now, excuse me while I go watch the new sci-fi horror film
Alien: Covenant on Netflix.
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