Television Modern Family

[utdalltheway]

the latest episode aired this past Wed night.

Pretty good stuff apart from the corny mother-in law bit.
Also think I'm over the two "boys" and their questioning their parenting abilities. Feels like that resurfaces every few weeks.

But, Phil was on his game again and was easily the most memorable part. I think that scene will stick with me for a while.

Spoiler

when he was at the baptismal (sp?) font, standing up as the Godfather for the new baby was very well done

 

[gza the genius]

I think this season has been pretty poor compared to the last couple. They seem to use far more cliches and corny bits to try and get by than they did before which also makes the episodes very predictable.

 

[utdalltheway]

what I said, in a different way.

 

[Member 39557]

They seem to have changed Luke from a dumbass into a streetwise mischief maker. It's yet to reach the heights of season 1, but it's still watchable.

 

[McLovin]

The godfather sequence was brilliant.

 

[RedSky]

I've been enjoying it!

 

[Bross]

Watching through season 1 now. Its great! Phil is by far the best character. Hes like a family version of Michael in The Office.

 

[TheBest]

Stopped watching it midway into the season 3. Has it gotten better?

 

[Snow]

It's the best show out there for the 12-89 demographic. It appeals to all ages well. The writing and cast see to that.
Thought this season started slowly but has gotten better. Lily is a terrible child actress and really ruins what was otherwise an almost perfect cast.

 

[McLovin]

Agreed on Lily.

 

[Scrumpet]

The writers have to take some blame for that. The majority of the lines they give her are just not something a child would ever say. Though from their point of you I guess it's near impossible to get an actress that young to deliver any scripted lines in a natural way.

 

[kps88]

I only enjoy Claire, Phil and the kids. The rest go from mildly entertaining to irritating. I've started fast forwarding bits with Gloria.

 

[jdmufc]

I only enjoy Claire, Phil and the kids. The rest go from mildly entertaining to irritating. I've started fast forwarding bits with Gloria.

are you mental?

 

[MichaelS]

I think I stopped watching this during season 3. Feel the quality gets with worth with every season.

Season 1 was brilliant, Season 2 was good and season 3 was mediocre from what I saw.

 

[ha_rooney]

IMO, Season 3 has been poor in comparison to the others but I still enjoy the show and I hope they renew it for one more season.

 

[Moby]

Season 3 was poor but they have picked it up again this season. Liked most of the episodes so far and they have done well in evolving few of the characters like Luke and Alex. Phil has been brilliant in most of the episodes. Last episode was a bit dull with the Godfather sequence being the only funny part, but overall the season has been good and much better than the last.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Surprised there wasn't a bump for Season 5... 4 episodes in on Sky and I've found them to be highly entertaining so far. The end of the last episode (4) with everyone being "honest" to Cam was great stuff.

But then I find this show to be very consistant and highly entertaining - even when during the so-called "dips" - I'd still call it one of the most consistant comedy/dramas on television.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Surprised there wasn't a bump for Season 5... 4 episodes in on Sky and I've found them to be highly entertaining so far. The end of the last episode (4) with everyone being "honest" to Cam was great stuff.

But then I find this show to be very consistant and highly entertaining - even when during the so-called "dips" - I'd still call it one of the most consistant comedy/dramas on television.

Same. It rarely blows me away. It's very light and good viewing. I recently watched it from the start to the most recent episode, and I don't think there is an episode which is bad. There's always enough jokes, and I think all the characters bar-Lily have their charm. I'm not usually fond of child actors, but Luke is incredible.

 

[ha_rooney]

One of the best shows on TV. I think they've improved it this season, last season was a little disappointing. All the characters are likeable and have their own qualities, Luke & Cam are brilliant.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Started watching this a couple of weeks ago, we're about halfway through season 2 I'd say.

I enjoy it as a sort of bland/inoffensive sweet sitcom, and some of the characters are great. Cam and Gloria are the best for me, Phil makes me laugh but not as much as people on here from what I read. I'm annoyed that Manny and Luke are such poor child actors though (Manny especially, he's dreadful).

It's nice and easy to watch though.

 

[Redlambs]

I don't think they are poor actors. Not when you see the likes of the kids out of Walking dead and Once upon a Time.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I don't think they are poor actors. Not when you see the likes of the kids out of Walking dead and Once upon a Time.

I was probably harsh on Luke, and my mate who is up to date told me he gets better.

Manny is really, really bad though. And I don't see how the comparison with the other shows prove anything?

There are some excellent child actors around, look at the girls (and other child/teen actors) from Louie.

 

[Redlambs]

I was probably harsh on Luke, and my mate who is up to date told me he gets better.

Manny is really, really bad though. And I don't see how the comparison with the other shows prove anything?

I'm not sure what you are expecting from this. What is there to 'prove' exactly? I merely said those were truly poor actors, I agree Manny is wooden but it does fit his character and luke is all over the place like his. Neither annoy me enough to call them poor as it works.

Not like the other two I mentioned.

There are some excellent child actors around, look at the girls (and other child/teen actors) from Louie.

There are indeed.

 

[Scrumpet]

Started watching this a couple of weeks ago, we're about halfway through season 2 I'd say.

I enjoy it as a sort of bland/inoffensive sweet sitcom, and some of the characters are great. Cam and Gloria are the best for me, Phil makes me laugh but not as much as people on here from what I read. I'm annoyed that Manny and Luke are such poor child actors though (Manny especially, he's dreadful).

It's nice and easy to watch though.

Your head is going to explode when Lily starts talking.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I'm not sure what you are expecting from this. What is there to 'prove' exactly? I merely said those were truly poor actors, I agree Manny is wooden but it does fit his character and luke is all over the place like his. Neither annoy me enough to call them poor as it works.

Not like the other two I mentioned.

There are indeed.

I just didn't understand what logical connection there was when you said 'I don't think they're poor, not when you see [other actors]'. Saying there's other poor actors doesn't really show that they're not poor, in my mind.

And fair enough if they don't annoy you, that's fine of course. Manny annoys the shit out of me and I find a lot of his scenes hard to watch.

Your head is going to explode when Lily starts talking.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

No idea what season has recently been broadcast on Sky but it's fecking terrible. This used to be a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and one of the very few TV series that me and the missus both enjoy. Not any more. It's painfully unfunny dross. Amazing the way standards can drop so far over time.

 

[Redlambs]

I just didn't understand what logical connection there was when you said 'I don't think they're poor, not when you see [other actors]'. Saying there's other poor actors doesn't really show that they're not poor, in my mind.

And fair enough if they don't annoy you, that's fine of course. Manny annoys the shit out of me and I find a lot of his scenes hard to watch.

I suppose it comes down to wall of text. It was more of a sort of "poor? Now this is poor" kind of comment.
I've only seen the first few and a half seasons, and you are indeed in for a treat with Lily!

 

[sizzling sausages]

No idea what season has recently been broadcast on Sky but it's fecking terrible. This used to be a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and one of the very few TV series that me and the missus both enjoy. Not any more. It's painfully unfunny dross. Amazing the way standards can drop so far over time.

Same, I really enjoyed the first two or three seasons but it's became worse and worse since then.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Same, I really enjoyed the first two or three seasons but it's became worse and worse since then.

It's almost a rule of comedy. Thou shalt get inexorably worse. Curb Your Enthusiasm was one of my favourite TV series of all time but my God it was poor by it's final season.

Interesting the way the same isn't true of drama. Is it harder to maintain standards in comedy than it is in drama?

 

[sizzling sausages]

It's almost a rule of comedy. Thou shalt get inexorably worse. Curb Your Enthusiasm was one of my favourite TV series of all time but my God it was poor by it's final season.

Interesting the way the same isn't true of drama. Is it harder to maintain standards in comedy than it is in drama?

Aye, How I Met Your Mother is another that I enjoyed at first and eventually grew to hate.

I think it's probably because with comedies, there's only so many times people will laugh at the same joke before it gets boring, i.e. Gloria's weak English, Luke being stupid, Manny being a loser.

 

[Mockney]

It's almost a rule of comedy. Thou shalt get inexorably worse. Curb Your Enthusiasm was one of my favourite TV series of all time but my God it was poor by it's final season.

Interesting the way the same isn't true of drama. Is it harder to maintain standards in comedy than it is in drama?

Of course. It's harder to keep coming up with stories every week than having to maintain a long running plotline. An episodic sitcom in America has to generate about 20 or so plots a season. And then fill those plots with new gags.

Drama does often get worse too though. Only the top, top shows manage to avoid this. But Comedy feels it harder because it's harder to write "filler" comedy. Because that "filler" still needs gags.

 

[Redlambs]

Of course. It's harder to keep coming up with stories every week than having to maintain a long running plotline. An episodic sitcom in America has to generate about 20 or so plots a season. And then fill those plots with new gags.

Drama does often get worse too though. Only the top, top shows manage to avoid this. But Comedy feels it harder because it's harder to write "filler" comedy. Because that "filler" still needs gags.

Indeed and making people laugh and consistently be fresh is hard enough anyway, incredibly hard when those laughs mainly come from character quirks.

 

[Kallech33]

I think a lot of comedies run a lot longer than drama series and that doesn't really help it's quality.
Most "great" drama series run 5 or 6 seasons (the wire, the sopranos, six feet under, breaking bad ect...) and a lot of them are probably very expensive compared to comedy. That a lot of the best drama shows are by HBO certainly also helps.
btw how is the 7th and final season of Mad Men so far? I didn't watch it so far.

That a very good drama show can turn to shit because it ran too long can be seen with Dexter. The first 2 were very good, and the 4th is among some of the best recent drama seasons IMO. After that it became worse with every season and they just tried to milk as much money out of the show as possible.
Prison break is another series which got bad pretty fast.
I never watched it but a lot of people told me that Lost was nonsense in it's later seasons.

A lot of comedies run a lot longer Modern family is now in it's 6th season and who knows how much longer it will run, The Big Bang Theory in it's 8th, HIMYM had 9 seasons...
It's clear that the standard has to drop at some point and the gags will be old.

 

[Mockney]

Indeed and making people laugh and consistently be fresh is hard enough anyway, incredibly hard when those laughs mainly come from character quirks.

Yeah. There's generally an arc in comedy shows where the second or third seasons tend to be the peak, because these character quirks have been learned through the first season, and are now both developed by the writers and appreciated by the audience. After that they become more and more tiresome and cliched every season. Even if they're relatively good, and could've worked in earlier seasons, they're now lazy because they're boring and obvious, and probably derivative of something done better before.

If there's ever been a comedy in the history of TV that's better in it's 6th season than it's 2nd, I've never heard of it.*

*Disclaimer: Simpsons is the exception.

 

[Cina]

Yeah. There's generally an arc in comedy shows where the second or third seasons tend to be the peak, because these character quirks have been learned through the first season, and are now both developed by the writers and appreciated by the audience. After that they become more and more tiresome and cliched every season. Even if they're relatively good, and could've worked in earlier seasons, they're now lazy because they're boring and obvious, and probably derivative of something done better before.

If there's ever been a comedy in the history of TV that's better in it's 6th season than it's 2nd, I've never heard of it.*

*Disclaimer: Simpsons is the exception.

Christ, I genuinely can't think of any either. Mind blown.

 

[Mockney]

There's bound to be some, I'm just asking to be corrected here. But the 2nd or 3rd seasons of most comedies are the best, by a disproportionately high margin. But for perfectly sensible reasons.

 

[Scrumpet]

South Park. Maybe animation is the exception.

 

[Raul Madrid]

There's bound to be some, I'm just asking to be corrected here. But the 2nd or 3rd seasons of most comedies are the best, by a disproportionately high margin. But for perfectly sensible reasons.

Imo Family Guy. I think it got better from season 4 onwards. I cannot remember the exact seasons but South Park also got better as it went on before dropping a bit in late 2010.

 

[Mockney]

South Park. Maybe animation is the exception.

Seems so.

 

[evra]

Christ, I genuinely can't think of any either. Mind blown.

Arguably Seinfeld, Larry David didn't quite come into his own until a couple of years into the show and it got better and better until the point that he left.