The Modern Family

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Recommended: Analyze contemporary family

The Modern Family
In September 2009, America was introduced to Modern Family, a mockumentary that centers around three families (“Modern Family”). Like most sitcoms, Modern Family is a show that defines our current era, in particular, the families of our era. Generally, television aims to please their viewers by airing shows that closely reflect their viewers’ lives. As family values change, so does the content of television (Manousos). For example, the American family is glorified in the 1950s show Leave it to Beaver. The mother stays home and takes care of the children while the husband works to provide for his family. Leave it to Beaver personifies the average family in the 1950s and reflects on the conservative ideals of the era. Moreover, Modern Family accurately glorifies families of the current era and succeeds in representing real families rather than representing conservative, predictable families of the past.
Modern Family is centered around three families but each family is related to each other in some way. One family is an unmarried gay couple that has adopted two children. Another family consists of an interracial marriage in which the wife is significantly younger than her husband’s daughter. The third family acts as the average family in the plot, consisting of a husband, a stay-at-home wife, and three kids. Though they have the makings of an average family, there is an undeniable tension between the kids because each of them have completely different personalities (“The Bicycle Thief”). The writers successfully provide viewers with a look into a not only progressive family, but an accepting family. This idea of an accepting family plays a key role in the plot of the show. For example, the family members do not ...

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...pril 2014.
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Fischer, Bryan. “Fischer: ‘Modern Family Is ‘A Little Bit Of Poison’ That Is Slowly Killing Our Culture.” Interview by Kyle Mantyla. Right Wing Watch. 27 March 2014. Web.
“How TV Brought Gay People Into Our Homes.” All Things Considered. NPR. Natl. Public Radio. 12 May 2012. Web. 16 April 2014.
Manousos, Aphrodite. “The Evolution of the Modern American Family on Television.” Yahoo Television. Yahoo, 24 May 2011. Web. 14 April 2014.
“Modern Family.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 14 April 2014.
Poniewozik, James. “All-Time 100 TV Shows.” Time Entertainment. Time Inc., 5 Sept. 2007. Web. 14 April 2014.
Stelter, Brian. “Gay on TV: It’s All in the Family.” NY Times Media and Advertising. NY Times, 8 May 2012. Web. 13 April 2014.

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