I'm not the world's biggest fan of US TV sitcoms. I know series such as Two and a half man, Seinfeld, Scrubs, Frasier, and whatever they are called are really popular but I just don't think they're funny. I don't like US comedies, I don't know if it's their (lack) of humor or something else, I usually avoid them or don't like them. The few I've enjoyed are eiher animated (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad!, but NOT Futurama) or are in fact really funny, such as the Drew Carrey Show (I miss Mimi sometimes), The King of Queens and the flopped but amazing Get a Life about a 30-year-old paper boy living in the garage of his parents (and subsequently teaching me that REM had made records before 'Losing my Religion'). Now there's a show I'd like to see again. But considering the amount of American Sitcoms in this life, you can't say I'm a big fan, not by a long shot.
This is why I paid little attention to the announcement of a new TV series on Dutch TV, automatically assuming it's crap anyway but when it rolled on and I was being too lazy to change the channel I started to watch it with one eye as soon as I saw 'Al Bundy' (Ed O'Neill) sitting on a sofa (again) and I was actually quite charmed that they showed two episodes. Is it really? Is Modern Family one of the few sitcoms (actually it doesn't matter where they're from, I consider myself a funny person but my sense of funny does rarely match sitcom-funny) I like? Really, really? The concept is brilliant though also has all ingredients that spell fail. Nevertheless it has won some Emmy Awards. It's all about one family, the father (played by the brilliant Ed O'Neill) who has re-married a much younger woman and his two children who all have their families as well. There's a lot of stereotyping going on and typical family situations which is the successful factor. What I liked best, apart from Ed O'Neill, is the stereotypical gay behaviour of Cam Tucker, but he sure doesn't look like your stereotypical TV gay.
I hope I remember to watch more episodes. I don't watch TV but this I like. It takes a little effort to figure out the family relations but I don't mind this time. Well done.
