So far, it’s a great season for new sitcoms cast in the Arrested Development mold. Both Community and Modern Family follow their predecessor’s lead by delivering highly exaggerated worlds in which characters are always ready with snappy quips and plots unfold with architectural precision. The writers don’t pretend their stories are “real,†but instead revel in their own ingenuity as they inflate recognizable life into ridiculous new proportions.
“Recognizable” is the operative word, however. No matter how crazy they get, the most successful “crafted” sitcoms are always rooted in some kind of humanity. Beneath the Bluth family’s obsession with The Cornballer, for instance, there’s a familiar portrait of family dynamics. Behind the elaborate Amadeus parody on 30 Rock, there’s the empathetic story of a woman trying live up to her own image of a perfect life.
Of Community and Modern Family, the latter seems more invested in this type of humanity, which is why I’m guessing it will be my favorite.
I mean, the show is just so refreshingly kindhearted. The characters do ridiculous things—schedule times to punish the children, announce the adoption of a Vietnamese baby with a Lion King-style musical number—but the series doesn’t mock them for it, the way a show like Hung uses every antic situation to underscore what losers its characters are. In Modern Family, which revolves around three small clans who are all related to each other, we see the characters are acting out of affection for each other. They’re loopy because they care.
Meanwhile, Community, which follows an unlikely group of friends at a community college, seems more driven by self-referential wit. Characters discuss how they’re doing things that bring sitcom characters closer together. A scene where two guys make fools of themselves in Spanish class goes on so long so that it’s as much about what the writers can get away with as it is about propelling the story.
But don’t get me wrong: The Spanish class scene is hilarious. And Community has moments of real heart, just like Modern Family makes room for meta-gags.
Based on early impressions, however, I feel like Community will be the series to enjoy, and Modern Family will be the series to love.
What do you think?
7 responses so far ↓
1 ferretrick // Sep 28, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I liked Modern Family (didn’t love it); I disliked Community intensely. That may have a lot to do with the insufferable screen presence of Chevy Chase playing the most obnoxious version of himself.
I don’t love the talk-to-the-camera sticoms. (Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who finds the Office flat and disaffected). There’s something about that narrative device that just takes me right out of the story and makes the exaggerated characters unbelieveable. Its like-Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory seems like at least a plausible character, even if his social ineptitude is beyond the level of anyone I’ve ever personally known. But I bet if BBT used the interview device, Sheldon would come off flat, unfunny, and unbelieveable.
I watch lots of reality TV, and when its real people talk to the camera is fine, and I’ve seen dramatic movies where it works, but somehow I don’t find it really effective for a sitcom. I’ll have to see if Modern Family works well enough to overcome my dislike of the talk to the camera device.
2 rev s // Sep 28, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Hmmm… thanks for the thoughts. You have crystallized for me what it is that I don’t like about Hung and given me a model to apply to my criticism of some of my favorite sitcoms from this year and last [Testees, No Heroics, The Jesters, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Californication, Better Off Ted, Party Down and other TV shows mentioned above plus The Guild and Star-ving from the web]
3 Shelia // Sep 28, 2009 at 3:52 pm
The talking-to-camera device in Modern Family seems almost a mocking of The Office or reality TV a la Kathy Griffin’s D List, doesn’t it? Which is one reason I really like it. I was prepared to not like the show, but found myself entertained after just a few minutes. Good actors, good writers. It fills the void left by Arrested Development.
4 Mark Blankenship // Sep 28, 2009 at 4:19 pm
As for “Modern Family,” I feel I should add that I watched that “Lion King” bit three times.
5 K. // Sep 28, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I liked “Modern Family” more than I expected to and liked “Community” a lot less. I didn’t think Joel McHale was funny at all. But I thought “Modern Family” was really, really funny in points (the Lion King intro, the accidental boyfriend shooting – really anything with the clueless “cool dad”); the only character I didn’t like was the Latina younger wife, because I thought she was such a cliche. But many of the actors, particularly the ones playing the gay couple, have great comedic timing.
One sitcom I hated that apparently did well: Cougar Town. Stop shrieking, Courtney Cox’s character, and have some dignity.
6 Laura // Oct 1, 2009 at 8:43 am
After the second episode, I still really enjoy Modern Family and Cameron’s not-gay dance at the playgroup last night was one of the best things I’ve seen on tv lately. However, I’m kind of disappointed that they have fallen into the end voice-over crap. I think we all get the moral of the story without being bashed over the heads with it. That device bothers me more than the talking to the camera thing.
7 ferretrick // Oct 11, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Ok, this is an old thread now, but I have to say I just watched this week’s Modern Family, and the gay couple in the car arguing about going to Costco, and the city/country mouse, and the snob/regular guy thing? That was me and my boyfriend dead. on. Except it would be Sam’s Club, not Costco in my area, and I loathe that store and always will.
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