Tonight, Modern Family doesn’t quite find its way past the most basic family sitcom plot of all: Parental Insecurities On Parade. Most of the problem is not with the plot but with the way the characters were kept in ...

I realize I'm pretty much the only person who thinks this, but I'd argue Modern Family has quietly been putting together a second season that's even better than its first (well, as quietly as a show with ...

Tonight’s episode is unusually concept-heavy, even for this particular show that has demonstrated a remarkable facility with unifying concepts. But I suppose that’s to be expected when you not only have to create a half-hour of comedy but ...

Last week’s episode of Modern Family was a high point of the series, building to a multi-layered, non-stop third act that was a cornucopia of comic gifts. This week the big set-piece gets deconstructed into three mini versions, each ...

I caught up on last week’s episode, so ably handled for me by Brett Singer (thanks, Brett!), and while my assessment was more forgiving, I saw exactly what Brett was talking about.  The big laughs came on the edges ...

Modern Family is at its best when the writers manage to seamlessly weave together storylines featuring the three families, usually wrapping things up with a heartstring-tugging voiceover, something that could be corny but somehow works. The warm and fuzzy feeling ...

I’m a sucker for classic toastmaster comedy.  There’s something so heartwarming about the fact that the hoariest jokes in the world become hilarious when they are told to -- and about -- a group of people who know each other ...

Update: Commenters have made it clear that there was a kiss in this episode -- but in the background action. I didn't see it, and neither did my husband watching along with me.  The following expression of dismay, therefore, may ...

Now that Modern Family has been officially anointed by the Emmy voters as the best comedy on television, season two has a lot to live up to.  I confess that I was worried coming into tonight’s show that the ...

t's like Modern Family saved up for weeks and weeks to spring every painful, damningly true thing about family life for tonight's season finale.  Even though I have some issues with the group-hug ending -- no way Claire manages ...

This freshman season of Modern Family has been solid and confident for the most part, with some merely ordinary half hours of television sprinkled throughout.  The finale isn't until next week, but it's almost inspiring to see the ...

One of my recurring dreams is driving thirty miles to the airport, undergoing all kinds of rigmarole inside, and then discovering I've forgotten my passport.  Then comes the nightmare part: deciding I have time to drive back home to ...

I wish I were as hot as Claire Dunphy.  Sadly, she's got me beat in that department.  But in the not-wanting-a-dog-because-you-really-want-a-dog area, we're twins.  I had dogs while growing up, lots of dogs, for whose care I was ...

"Benched" is about naked desire ... the kind that everybody can see except the people closest to you.  I think there's a great theme in there somewhere, but this episode stumbled.  Clumsy exposition, inconsistent timing, and a lost opportunity at ...

So my husband is turning 40 this fall. He reminded me of this fact while we were watching "Game Changer." "Is that okay?" I asked, knowing that this milestone might come with mixed emotions. "I'm just saying, if you ...

You get to be a certain age -- or maybe your kids get to be a certain age -- and a scary thing happens.  The sitcoms you used to watch for laughs, you now watch for parenting tips.  Seriously, the day is ...

Phil is a character that has attracted a lot of attention, and initially at least, divided the commenters here.  Some people felt he was too much of a buffoon, too caricatured and inept.  Take him too far in that direction ...

Sometimes the TV speaks the truth, and tonight it nailed a huge part of parenthood: fear.  It's horrible, people.  The world is full of ways for your children to be hurt, and to hurt themselves.  And this week I ...

If you're a sitcom, you do a Valentine's Day episode.  If you're a family sitcom, your Valentine's Day episode revolves around a married couple trying to recapture the romantic spark by throwing a little kink into ...