Modern Family: laughs galore

From the Emmy award-winning writers of Frasier comes Modern Family; a mockumentary/reality TV style series.

We're not talking white picket fence, husband, wife, dog and 2.4 children - the show isn't called 'Modern Family' for nothing.

Very much in the style of The Office, this celebrated sitcom is absolutely hilarious.

The families

Meet Phil (played by Ty Burrell) and Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen). Parents to three precocious kids, they try to have an open relationship with their brood, but it's not helped by well-meaning Phil's determination to be "hip".

"I'm the cool dad," he says. "That's my thang. I'm hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud. OMG: oh my god. WTF: why the face. I know all the dances to High School Musical, so..."

Yes, he does a High School Musical dance. Yes, it's typical dad-dancing. Yes, it's beyond cringy. But it's also a gut-buster.

How times change; I remember my dad's attempt to body-pop in the 1980s. Why do dads do this? Anyway, picture Ricky Gervais' David Brent as an American father; the result is Phil-the-cool-dad.

Meet Jay (Ed O'Neill) and Gloria (Sofia Vergara). Jay is a guys' guy.

He's got a younger (and waaaaay hotter) Latino wife named Gloria and an 11-year-old stepson named Manny. Jay's constantly mistaken for Gloria's father instead of her husband. It bugs him - but what can he do?

Dear, sweet Manny is a romantic and Jay sees it as his duty to toughen up the young boy. As played by Rico Rodriguez, Manny's wise beyond his tender years. It's a great avenue for comedy.

Little wonder he easily steals every scene and is well on his way to becoming a cult fave.

Finally, meet Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet).

They've been together for five years and have just adopted a Vietnamese baby together.

Flamboyant Cameron and the more serious Mitchell are hilarious.

Destined to become firm faves, they can make even the most obvious of sight gags (cream puffs) funny.

"Phil Dunphy, yo!"

The pilot episode was met with considerable critical acclaim in the US: USA Today called it: "smart, funny and well-cast"; Variety said: "one of the best comedy pilots in a long time" and Time Magazine found it "the funniest new family comedy of the year... very, very funny".

What's more, Modern Family has already attracted big name guest stars in the shape of Benjamin Bratt (as Manny's father) and Edward Norton as a band member of Spandau Ballet (showcasing one of the worst English accents by an American actor in a long while).

Lest we forget, this show is from the people behind Frasier: quality seeps from every pore. Nothing feels forced here - the farcial situations and slapstick flow naturally, the dialogue is genius and the charaterisation is spot on (Phil-the-cool-dad is a star! A star, I tells ya!).

Question is, can they maintain this high standard throughout the remaining run of the series? I do hope so because so far, Modern Family is laugh-out-loud funny and one of the best sitcoms on TV.
Modern Family, Thursdays at 8pm on Sky1

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