Wednesday evening, "Modern Family" ended its 11 year run with an expanded family hug. During its 11 year run, it blazed many trails showing that family can be diverse, have issues and still be a family. The show was one of the first on prime-time TV to have two openly gay characters—Mitchell and Cameron (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, respectively). This provided many dynamics to explore not the least of which was Mitchell’s acceptance by his baby-boomer father Jay (Ed O'Neill).A full year before the Supreme Court's ruling that Gay Marriage was legal, the fifth season's 2 part finale, showcased Mitchell's and Cameron's wedding. Irony abounds in that the episode was filmed at the Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles. (Wikipedia)
Spoiler alert - In the final episode, Cam and Mitchell are moving away and Jay makes the touching comment, "Both my sons are leaving". Acceptance finally!
The sitcom had other moments: In one episode — entitled “A Stereotypical Day” — parents Cam and Mitchell permit their daughter Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmon) to have her transgender friend Tom over for a play-date. Both parents are filled with pride that they have done well in raising an accepting and open-minded child. But that pride quickly diminishes when Lily insults her friend, which they use as a teachable moment. Lily’s playmate Tom was played by 8-year-old transgender actor Jackson Millarker - Nice.
According to Vanity Fair:
Modern Family has been a fixture in the ABC lineup since its 2009 premiere. The show, co-created by Lloyd and Steve Levitan, was routinely one of the highest-rated comedies on television, averaging nearly 12 million viewers per episode from 2010-2015. That run coincided with awards acclaim as well: Modern Family won five straight Emmy Awards for outstanding comedy series over the same period, a success that spilled over into the cast as well. Burrell, O'Neill, Stonestreet, Ferguson, Bowen, and Vergara have all received multiple individual Emmy nominations for the series, with Burrell, Stonestreet, and Bowen each winning two Emmys apiece for their performances. (All told, Modern Family won 22 Emmy Awards during its first 10 seasons.)
Modern Family had the occasional “Femulation” and in all cases, it portrayed the situation without sinking to only comedic stereotypes. Many centered around their over-the-top family Halloween parties. There was a classic scene in 2012 where Jay (likely after a little too much to drink), hits on a party-goer (Rodney To), beautifully cross-dressed. There is also a photo of Cam dressed as Meghan Markle at another event in 2018. Also the Dunphy’s younger son, Luke (Nolan Gould) dressed as a girl in 2012.
The Halloween show was always a must-watch event.
CNN Entertainment summed up the last episode very graciously - "The ABC comedy has, admittedly, been running on fumes a bit the past few seasons, a seemingly inevitable byproduct of hanging around this long. So the writers had some work to do in terms of pulling it all together, offering a finale that was worthy of the show's mix of big, broad laughs and tender, family-oriented heart."
New episodes are gone, however I am sure it will live on for many years in syndication. Thanks for the funny, real and touching moments.
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| Modern Family's - Luke and Cam |
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