Modern Family just might be the best comedy on television. If you don’t trust us, then you should trust the 5 Emmy Awards the show just won, including best comedy series. Given the topic material of the show, a mockumentary that chronicles the lives of 3 related families, there is a lot of opportunity to apply the science of relationships.
In the Modern Family tree, Jay Pritchett and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett are at the top. What makes their relationship “modern” is that Jay is at least 20 years older than Gloria. Can this type of relationship work? Is Jay too old for her? Click here >>
Speaking of Gloria, there is a funny subplot where Phil Dunphy (the husband of Jay’s daughter, Claire) has a bit of a crush on Gloria. In one episode, Phil even pretends Gloria is his wife in order to impress an old friend/nemesis from college. Clearly, Phil has no chance with Gloria, but do people want what they can’t have?
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Another relationship on the show features Mitchell (Jay’s son) and Cameron, and their adopted daughter, Lily. The nice thing about Modern Family is that it features openly gay men in a committed family relationship; a nice juxtaposition of commonly portrayed gay stereotypes (e.g., Will and Grace). For example, some may assume that homosexual relationships are fundamentally different than heterosexual relationships. Turns out, they aren’t.
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Because the show features the Pritchett extended family, the grandkids play a fairly prominent role. In contrast with some other shows (Married with Children, Family Guy), the kids are portrayed in a fairly positive light and don’t seem to get into any serious trouble (link). In fact, the main source of trouble from the kids is the relationship between the teenage daughter, Haley, and her loser, but somewhat endearing, boyfriend. But we think we can explain that one pretty easily.
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As you can see, this show features a variety of relationships that are characterized by a host of fascinating dynamics that have been addressed by empirical research. We’re sure that as the new season of Modern Family unfolds we’ll have a lot more to say about the show.
Interested in learning more about relationships? Click here for other topics on Science of Relationships. Like us on Facebook to get our articles delivered directly to your NewsFeed.
