Modern Family "Pilot" Review

I had the chance of watching the pilot weeks ago.  The reason why I made this site is because I just fell in love with the show.  And that doesn't happen very often.  I made this for all fans who want to be updated on what's happening with the show.  This about sums up my reaction and view on ABC's Modern Family.  Here is IGN TV's review.  I hope you do watch it tonight.

Modern Family: "Pilot" Review

ABC gets hilariously modern with this family comedy.

by Robert Canning

September 22, 2009 - Advance Review: ABC's Modern Family already has a ton of critical buzz going for it, and from my perspective, the series is the most talked about new comedy of the season. And after an advance viewing of the pilot, that all makes sense. The premiere takes a clever new look at some of your basic sitcom set-ups and the result is a lot of laugh-out-loud hilarity. Though the pilot does have its weaker moments, and it still needs a bit of definition with its format, Modern Family gives us a solid, very funny debut.

The pilot episode introduces us to three distinct family units. There's the overall traditional family, with a mom, a dad and three kids. Then there's the May-December couple, where the younger (very hot) wife has a tween-age son from a previous marriage. And finally there's the gay couple that have just recently adopted a baby. All three face their share of problems in the premiere episode, most of which are variations of issues that have come up in sitcoms for years: troublesome boyfriends, feeling old, family gatherings, etc. But Modern Family adds enough of a twist to the tried-and-true formulas to make these situations feel fresh and enough clever wit to make them funny.

The major "twist" given to this family sitcom formula is setting it up as a mockumentary, much like the very successful The Office. It's no surprise that this style would soon find its way into the family sitcom genre. As a pilot, there's little actual set up to the documentary angle. Things kick in early with on camera interviews tucked in between the daily lives of our families. There was some confusion for me as to whether the day-to-day activities were being documented, or just the interview segments. At first, I didn't think it was an exact match to the style of The Office, but then I noticed a few subtle glances directly to the camera. Very subtle, actually. The complete opposite of a Jim Halpert reaction shot. This all may become more clear in future episodes, or maybe it won't. In either case, the overall quality of the pilot was not greatly hindered by this one small issue.

The cast is stellar. Julie Bowen (Ed, Boston Legal) and Ty Burrell (Back to You) head the traditional household and both are strong. In the pilot, Burrell does have some weaker moments when he's playing up the "cool dad" clich?, but his hilarious, unforced scene with his son and a BB gun prove there's great potential for the character. Elsewhere, it's great to see Ed O'Neill back in action. His character Jay could be an older, slightly more toned-down version of Al from Married with Children, in a very good way. The lesser-known actors filling out the series are all expertly cast, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet as the lovingly bickering gay couple, and the young Rico Rodriquez as Jay's stepson. From the pilot alone, Rodriquez has proven he has the potential to steal any scene he's in.

The premiere episode does a fantastic job of introducing us to these family units, and it was fun to see how they would be connected to each other in the realm of the series. The smaller issues aside -- the mildly unclear format, some forced clichés -- the pilot episode of Modern Family is a must see comedy. And judging by stars already slated to guest star -- Edward Norton, Elizabeth Banks -- it appears there will be much to look forward to as the season continues.

Modern Family premieres Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 9pm ET/PT on ABC.

(Source: IGN TV)