Modern Family [ SPOILERS ]

pixelburp · 16-05-2014 3:45pm

Penn wrote: »

Still doesn't make sense. What about times where two things have been happening at the same time as each other?

I don't think it needs any explanation tbh. It is what it is.

Thing is, it’s neither a full-on mockumentary like The Office - where it’s acknowledged there’s a camera crew following everyone - nor is it like the fake, meta version as seen in something like Arrested Development where nobody’s aware they’re being watched by Ron Howard.

Modern Family doesn’t seem to want to do anything with its own documentary format, except use it for some cheap exposition and the set-up of the occasional visual gag. I don’t think it’s a huge thing, there are bigger problems with its format than the shooting style. It’s probably something originally planned by the show-runners and just never got around to (or else will form part of its last-ever episode)

colinod0806 · 17-05-2014 12:40am

pixelburp wrote: »

Thing is, it’s neither a full-on mockumentary like The Office - where it’s acknowledged there’s a camera crew following everyone - nor is it like the fake, meta version as seen in something like Arrested Development where nobody’s aware they’re being watched by Ron Howard.

Modern Family doesn’t seem to want to do anything with its own documentary format, except use it for some cheap exposition and the set-up of the occasional visual gag. I don’t think it’s a huge thing, there are bigger problems with its format than the shooting style. It’s probably something originally planned by the show-runners and just never got around to (or else will form part of its last-ever episode)

You've been banging this drum for a while now but I know from your posting history you're a big fan of Parks and Rec, which is also filmed like a documentary but doesnt incorporate it into the story either.

It seems to me like you have just fallen out of love with Modern Family now and are noticing problems that aren't really there.

IMO, this season has been fine. Big improvement over last year with plenty of laughs. Not the best series on at the moment but far, far from the worst.

pixelburp · 17-05-2014 4:15pm

colinod0806 wrote: »

You've been banging this drum for a while now but I know from your posting history you're a big fan of Parks and Rec, which is also filmed like a documentary but doesnt incorporate it into the story either.

For a while? Unless I've had a stroke, I don't recall mentioning the fake-doc format before, not til Darko spoke of it recently

I've been a recent critic of the show in general all right, particularly latter episodes that just hit some creative troughs, but as I said already, the mystery of doc format is not that big a deal for me *shrug* its just a mild annoyance, nothing major I'd lose sleep over.

As for Parks n Rec, well its use of the confessional is a little less lazy than Modern Family's, which helps forgive any context. Not to mention being a generally stronger, better written show anyway. On current form anyway.

17-05-2014 5:11pm

colinod0806 wrote: »

You've been banging this drum for a while now but I know from your posting history you're a big fan of Parks and Rec, which is also filmed like a documentary but doesnt incorporate it into the story either.

It seems to me like you have just fallen out of love with Modern Family now and are noticing problems that aren't really there.

IMO, this season has been fine. Big improvement over last year with plenty of laughs. Not the best series on at the moment but far, far from the worst.

I think you'll find that I was the first to mention it and to be honest I'd find it difficult to try and defend much of what we saw this series. Sure it was a step up from the last but that's akin to saying losing one leg isn't as bad as losing both.

Modern Family is a show that in recent years has no idea what it wants to be, it has nothing interesting to say anymore and seems content to go through the motions and not a lot else. Just look at the relationships between the characters to see how little the writers care, we are expected to believe that Cam and Mitch are so in love that they want to marry one another. Maybe it's just me but the last time they looked in love was in series 2 or 3 when they fell down and wept as their second kid was taken away from them. To me that was an emotional moment and something that separated Modern Family from the rest of the pack, now that's all gone and Modern Family may as well be retitled to Generic Sitcom 101.

Watch the second last episode and the scene where Mitchell accuses his father of being homophobic. It's a ridiculous moment that makes no sense given just how welcoming of the gays he has became. There's nothing to Jay anymore, he's bland and boring and so safe that he may as well not be there.

It's hard to care for a show when it's writers don't seem to care for their characters. And while most can look past the shooting style it's something that has always annoyed me, why bother framing it in such a manner if you are not going to do anything with it.

colinod0806 · 17-05-2014 5:50pm

I seem to have turned two posters into one in my head.:o Apologies Pixelburp.

In my defence, I was going off memory and I had drink taken. There are plenty of sticks to beat the show with but the documentary angle is not one as far as I'm concerned.

17-05-2014 6:36pm

colinod0806 wrote: »

I seem to have turned two posters into one in my head.:o Apologies Pixelburp.

In my defence, I was going off memory and I had drink taken. There are plenty of sticks to beat the show with but the documentary angle is not one as far as I'm concerned.

I only mentioned it once or twice in the past and to be fair if you shoot your show in such a style and never address it then questions need to be asked. If you read the posts about the style, no one was critisicing the show for it but rather the fact that it's a completely wasted opportunity. They have this great tool that they seem only interested in using for cheap gags. The Office was shot in a similar manner but it was acknowledged a number of times in some interesting ways.

colinod0806 · 17-05-2014 7:01pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The Office was shot in a similar manner but it was acknowledged a number of times in some interesting ways.

I only remember it being used when that guy stepped in to console Pam and then of course the actual documentary being released. But that was all toward the end. Were there other times that I'm forgetting.

17-05-2014 7:29pm

colinod0806 wrote: »

I only remember it being used when that guy stepped in to console Pam and then of course the actual documentary being released. But that was all toward the end. Were there other times that I'm forgetting.

There were numerous times when the camera crew were spotted in the background and reflections. Nothing major but their presence wasn't hidden

21-05-2014 2:09pm

Watched the first part of the wedding episode and it really was an uninspired and contrived 22 minutes. There was no wit or intelligence there and it's clear that the writers have just given up.

pickarooney · 22-05-2014 11:43am

I guess nobody's even bothered with the finale? It was rubbish, in case you're wondering.

horgan_p · 22-05-2014 12:28pm

For some reason when the episodes focus on anyone other than Phil's family they just dont seem to be as funny.

Otherwise its all stereotypes.

horgan_p · 22-05-2014 12:28pm

For some reason when the episodes focus on anyone other than Phil's family they just dont seem to be as funny.

Otherwise its all stereotypes.

pickarooney · 22-05-2014 1:50pm

The whole 'gay marriage' between Luke and Manny was utterly pointless. There was no joke and no pay-off.

Phil's middle name was probably the funniest part of that episode, which doesn't say much for the rest of it.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 22-05-2014 3:37pm

May drop this next season - I agree with most people here, the quality has dropped considerably.
A lot of people still going around saying it's the best comedy on US television... far from it...

Going in to next year Brooklyn Nine Nine, New Girl, Parks & Recreation, The Goldbergs, The Big Bang Theory and even The Middle (it has improved vastly season by season) are all far better - and that's just on network TV before we've seen any of the new shows.

22-05-2014 4:43pm

Something of a mixed bag, the wedding itself felt like the Modern Family of old and there seemed to be genuine affection between Cam and Mitch which is a really nice change. Sadly everything else was pointless and the Manny and Luke wedding just did nothing, it felt like an afterthought that they used to fill time.

titan18 · 22-05-2014 11:04pm

Pretty much dropping this now. Finished off the season and that was a chore, as I was just hoping it'd get better.

SureYWouldntYa · 23-05-2014 12:44am

Twas no good really, but the but where Joe left after being outside in the taxi was awful sad

whomitconcerns · 23-05-2014 9:23am

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Twas no good really, but the but where Joe left after being outside in the taxi was awful sad

you mean andy...joe (Glorias baby) left alone in a taxi would be more worrying than sad! :P

cloud493 · 23-05-2014 10:01am

Well I liked it :pac:

SureYWouldntYa · 23-05-2014 1:33pm

whomitconcerns wrote: »

you mean andy...joe (Glorias baby) left alone in a taxi would be more worrying than sad! :P

Ooops........ Think it would be weird if Joe was pining after his niece :pac:

pixelburp · 23-05-2014 9:03pm

Very poor finale; all the plot threads either came to nothing or just fixed themselves, as passionless sitcoms are wont to do. The material between Hayley and Andy was quite touching, but that plot so rarely appeared throughout the season it was hard to care that much.

The wedding itself was fine, nothing special, and while the reconciliation between Mitch & Jay was as contrived as the original rift itself, to be fair both actors still played the scene very well.

I said a few weeks back I'd probably drop the show, barring some massive upswing in quality & I think I'm sticking to that policy. Episodes like the Las Vegas one showed there are still the occasional gems, but too much of the season was mediocre at best. And while Modern Family was never a show to do season cliffhangers, the absence of any kind of loose thread makes me think the inevitable 6th season will simply be more of the same. The show desperately needs a shake-up, be it in personnel or environment; let the Dunphy kids move out, have Jay lose the company - something.

Side note: one laugh to be had was learning Phil's middle name: Phil Humphrey Dunphy

Mars Bar · 23-05-2014 10:04pm

Or Pepper to Lilly: "How many times do you see your Daddies (?) get married?"
Lilly: "Ehm, 1, 2, 3…"

Mars Bar · 02-06-2014 2:44pm

Apparently Ty Burrell has said he'll retire when Modern Family finishes up.

Hopefully the quality will pick up and it'll keep going for a long time yet!

Temaz · 21-06-2014 6:29pm

Wow, didn't know how sick Sarah Hyland who plays Haley was.

What a trooper!

FreudianSlippers · 22-06-2014 10:18am

Temaz wrote: »

Wow, didn't know how sick Sarah Hyland who plays Haley was.

What a trooper!

So let me get this straight in my head: you felt it was necessary to bump an already old-ish thread to talk about 2 year old news? Seems legit.

Temaz · 22-06-2014 10:36am

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

So let me get this straight in my head: you felt it was necessary to bump an already old-ish thread to talk about 2 year old news? Seems legit.

I just used the search engine on the forum, didn't look at the date on it but the last post in it was just in the last month.

I am a recent convert to the show and know little about the cast so it's new news to me.

"legit" is an odd word to use

Lady Chatterton · 22-06-2014 5:40pm

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JP Liz V1 · 25-08-2014 10:38pm

Steve Zahn is joining the upcoming 6th season in the recurring role of Ronnie, the patriarch of the new family that moves in next door to the Dunphys - Source TV Line

FreudianSlippers · 30-08-2014 2:33pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Steve Zahn is joining the upcoming 6th season in the recurring role of Ronnie, the patriarch of the new family that moves in next door to the Dunphys - Source TV Line

Was it 2 seasons ago that they tried that neighbour thing with Phil's new friend? Seems odd they'd have another go at a storyline that was fairly unsuccessful.

drugstore cowboy · 25-09-2014 10:53am

Good on Julie Bowen for stepping in.

Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was granted a restraining order against her ex boyfriend Matthew Prokop in a Los Angeles court on Friday.
A rep for the 23-year-old told MailOnline that the actress will not comment on the situation and is asking for privacy during this time.
In court documents filed on Friday, Hyland claims she was choked, pushed, and threatened by Prokop.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2768901/Sarah-Hyland-asks-privacy-securing-restraining-order-against-ex-boyfriend-threatened-life.html#ixzz3EJslGgfu

Glebee · 29-09-2014 2:49pm

OK so Season 6 is just started. I really liked the first episode. Hope it keeps up.. Cant belive how big the Dunphys son has grown :eek:(Cant remember his name)

SureYWouldntYa · 29-09-2014 4:27pm

Glebee wrote: »

OK so Season 6 is just started. I really liked the first episode. Hope it keeps up.. Cant belive how big the Dunphys son has grown :eek:(Cant remember his name)

In real life he's completely different character to the one on Modern Family, he has a high IQ and is a part of Mensa

Mars Bar · 29-09-2014 9:44pm

Didn't think much of that episode to be honest

pixelburp · 29-09-2014 10:52pm

I had actually forgotten I even watched the episode, guess that says it all. It wasn't bad, just felt like a continuation of the kind of uneventful monotony that typified Season 5 and latter-day Modern Family in general. Nobody's trying anymore, or interested in shaking the formula up a little - it makes the Simpsons look dynamic and ever-changing.

The Dunphys are goofy; Cam is overbearingly loving, then overreacts when Mitch gets uncomfortable; Jay and Gloria have a tiff about some shallow detail in their relationship no-one cares about; Lily says something snarky. Rinse. Repeat. I think I'm done with this show, even comfort food can lose its taste eventually.

FreudianSlippers · 30-09-2014 9:23am

The Dunphy story was actually the most enjoyable. The rest was phoning it in (not a good sign for the season premier)

pickarooney · 30-09-2014 10:05am

Start as you mean to go on... this is now relegated to the 'watch if there really is nothing else left on the hard drive' category.

lertsnim · 26-02-2015 9:55am

How much did Apple pay for this weeks advert? This show is really going down the pan.

pixelburp · 26-02-2015 10:27am

I heard this weeks was 'shot' entirely via FaceTime, sounds pretty obnoxious but wouldn't be the first time Apple got a glorified informercial from this show. I dipped into a few episodes of this years run to see if it got a new lease of life but honestly Modern Family seemed as dull and monotonous as ever. I know the whole point of sitcoms is that nothing changes, but with Parks & Recreation ending this week, it stands alone as a high watermark of how even a sitcom can give itself room to grow if it just maintains some confidence to simply change things around a little.

evilivor · 26-02-2015 11:06am

lertsnim wrote: »

How much did Apple pay for this weeks advert? This show is really going down the pan.

Apple didn’t pay a cent to be involved.

lertsnim · 26-02-2015 1:36pm

evilivor wrote: »

Apple didn’t pay a cent to be involved.

Why on earth would they give Apple a free 30 minute advert?

evilivor · 26-02-2015 2:56pm

lertsnim wrote: »

Why on earth would they give Apple a free 30 minute advert?

The result is an episode that’s incredibly effective and very funny, without ever actually seeming like an ad. In part, that’s because—surprise!—Apple didn’t pay a cent to be involved. Instead, the idea came from Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan, who co-wrote and directed the episode. Levitan was inspired in part by a FaceTime chat with one of his college-age daughters. “This came from life and it made sense,” Levitan told the Associated Press. Show producers sought out and received Apple’s blessing, of course. There’s precedent for the relationship—in 2010 a Modern Family episode centered around Ty Burrell’s character Phil Dunphy pining for an about-to-be-released iPad. Apple didn’t pay for inclusion in that episode either.

http://qz.com/350518/modern-familys-apple-centric-episode-is-product-placement-at-its-best-and-great-tv/

lertsnim · 26-02-2015 2:59pm

evilivor wrote: »

The result is an episode that’s incredibly effective and very funny, without ever actually seeming like an ad

They failed on all

evilivor · 26-02-2015 6:39pm

lertsnim wrote: »

They failed on all

Having just watched it, I must agree.

youngblood · 26-02-2015 11:10pm

Interesting episode, liked it

Fred Swanson · 27-02-2015 12:22am

This post has been deleted.

Glebee · 27-02-2015 12:39am

Wow. I really liked that episode. I guess it's going to divide opinion but thumbs up from me. Must use FaceTime more.

allanb49 · 27-02-2015 5:16pm

I enjoyed the episode it was a nice concept, to be honest didn't bother me with the apple products or placement or even the microsoft placement,

people communicate like this now a days and it was a nice approach

27-02-2015 5:22pm

Have to say that I really enjoyed this weeks episode, I was fearful that it would be nothing more than a cheap Apple commercial but the writers really pulled it off and I did like the message at the heart of it. If it wasn't for our reliance on technology Phil would have checked Haley's room and found her sleeping and saved them all a lot of time. It's sad to see how reliant on tech people are, I see it with friends all the time. They can't go 5 minutes without checking facebook or texts and the art of conversation is slowly dying.

mafaa · 08-05-2015 5:23am

Renewed for a 7th Season

SteelyDanJalapeno · 08-05-2015 9:46am

Ugh, this is has been done a death at this stage

Modern Family [** SPOILERS **]

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Modern Family [ SPOILERS ]