ABC. Wednesdays at 9.
Starring: Ariel Winter, Ed O’Neill, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julie Bowen, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vergara, and Ty Burrell
I really hope ABC is not duping me into saying this but: ABC’s comedies might be close to rivaling NBC’s lineup. Because between ABC’s acquisition of Scrubs (which, darn it, I still have hopes for), the immensely under-rated and quickly-rising-up-my-list-of-favorite-shows Better Off Ted, and now Modern Family, they might actually have a comedy lineup to challenge NBC’s current quality level.
If you didn’t pick it up from that first paragraph, I really liked Modern Family. I was all set to groan my little blogging heart out over the tired ABC family comedy clichés I was expecting, only to be surprised by a large number of genuinely funny moments, executed by a cast that works well together and has pretty darn good comedic timing. I found myself genuinely liking all three storylines pretty much evenly, and there wasn’t even a single character that got to me, as most shows, even the ones I like, tend to have. Simply put, Modern Family is no According To Jim (aka: It’s actually really good). In fact, I almost want to give it more credit, because a number of the actors in it have grated on me from other projects, but Sofia Vergara had great timing, and Ty Burrell actually maybe even being my favorite character. Even the kid actors, who can tend towards the ever-so-grating end of the spectrum, were solidly funny.
Back to that ABC vs. NBC challenge I was talking about earlier, I’m holding off on crowning a winner in that battle until I watch “Community”, but with me stopping with Parks and Recreation after the second episode and my dwindling interest in “The Office”, ABC’s line-up seems to be a serious threat to their comedy throne. 30 Rock will hopefully be as strong as always, but Modern Family and Better Off Ted just may take the throne.
Rating: Definitely Worth Another Viewing
