Commonly brought up at my dinner table, the popular TV show Modern Family has always been a common conversation topic among my parents. They often connected plot elements from the show to our own family’s experiences, pointing out traits in one another that Phil and Claire possess. This year, I finally decided to see what all the hype was about. I was pleasantly surprised and have added it to my recent obsessions.
For lack of a better explanation: Phil Dunphy is such a dad. He’s a self-proclaimed “cool dad,” constantly cracking puns, avidly investing in personal gadgets, and remaining youthfully cheerful in any and all situations. Bizarre enough, the prior sentence could also be used to describe my own father. The deeper I delve into the seasons, the more I find comfort and joy in knowing that other people’s fathers are just as goofy and forward-looking as my own father. Baba also has the wisdom of Jay, the bossiness of Claire, and the unusual hobbies of Cam. Contrastingly, my mother withholds character traits from almost all parental figures in the series. Equipped with Claire’s high-strung uptightness, Gloria’s prideful self-respect, and Cam’s desire to help everyone, my mother could be her own character on the show. Both Claire and Phil navigate the challenges of raising three VERY different children in Southern California suburbia. Watching Phil and Claire’s confessionals throughout the show, I admire the chaos, confusion, and concern that follow parenthood.
As the oldest daughter AND child in my family of 4, I can also relate to the triumphs and troubles of the children on the show. I especially connect to Haley’s slow burn maturation, Alex’s desire for academic validation, Manny’s romanticized scheming, and Luke’s naive curiosity. Having watched the show before my brother and I reached our teenage years, my parents definitely gained a sneak peek at what’s to come.
Beyond my parents’ affinity for the show, my personal connection to the show is far more specific. The fact that it takes place in Southern California keeps me intrigued, as I can appreciate the niche references that come with growing up in The Valley. Unlike others at the time, Modern Family is a show that represents almost everything new and unconventional. Covering topics of homosexuality, bi-racial relationships, and underwhelming children, Modern Family encapsulates the irony and satire that comes with living in modern suburbia. I too have experienced the stress of taking a family portrait (Season 1, Episode 24) or the bitter-sweet retrospection that follows college move-in day (Season 4, Episode 2).
Aside from bringing me laughter and comfort, Modern Family reminds me of how things are when I visit my extended family in India. The four of us in Southern California formulate enough suburban comedic enjoyment, but with the extension of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, I’m able to live out my own episodes of Modern Family. I respect and relate to the amusing yet authentic messages the show pushes to its audience, and can’t wait to binge the remaining seasons in the weeks to come.