"Modern Family" has declined into a sketch show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 02-28-2013, 08:49 PM

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/...s_decline.html

The writers keep repeating the same misunderstandings.

Yong Fang · 03-01-2013, 07:04 AM

Quote from article:

Last year on the Hang Up and Listen podcast, Parks and Recreation showrunner Michael Schur said that a “misunderstanding is the weakest form of storytelling.” “It’s the reason that every episode of Three’s Company is so cheesy,” he added, “because you go, ‘Wait, if you just talk to each other like humans for two seconds, you’ll clear this whole misunderstanding up, and the whole premise will go away.’”

Thank you Mr. Schur!

. I hate the "misunderstandings" plot, which is why I never got into Three's Company. It was cheesy, 1970's tripe, who used the misunderstanding plot to its vertical adsurdity.

I agree Modern Family is no longer a sitcom. But what it has become is not Cheers or The Cosby Show but something more like Saturday Night Live. It’s essentially a sketch show, with each week’s episode broken up into A, B, and C plots (or sketches) in which the same “Who’s on First”-style misunderstandings are not only repeated over and over, but also repeated every week when the recurring plot (or sketch) is brought back.

This is sort of what this show was from the beginning, a sort of three mini sitcoms brought together into one with an A, B, and C story. A lot of times on Modern Family, I will gloss over one of the stories if I do not find it interesting or funny to me.

Eh, not too much of a hit article, and I do not really see a decline in quality or humor in the show. I think if they are losing viewers is that the characters are too rich and that there are only so many stories to tell.

CBA82 · 05-10-2013, 04:43 AM

"I do not really see a decline in quality or humor in the show" -- Did you watch the May 8 episode (set at the rollerskating rink)? Did you laugh even once? It was over-written, relied too much on the crutch of double-entendres, tried too hard to pull at the heartstrings, and was simply not funny. Further, every time Lilly opens her mouth the show becomes unwatchable.

02-28-2013, 08:49 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,158	"Modern Family" has declined into a sketch show http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/...s_decline.html The writers keep repeating the same misunderstandings.

03-01-2013, 07:04 AM	#2
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,073	Quote from article: Last year on the Hang Up and Listen podcast, Parks and Recreation showrunner Michael Schur said that a “misunderstanding is the weakest form of storytelling.” “It’s the reason that every episode of Three’s Company is so cheesy,” he added, “because you go, ‘Wait, if you just talk to each other like humans for two seconds, you’ll clear this whole misunderstanding up, and the whole premise will go away.’” Thank you Mr. Schur! . I hate the "misunderstandings" plot, which is why I never got into Three's Company. It was cheesy, 1970's tripe, who used the misunderstanding plot to its vertical adsurdity. I agree Modern Family is no longer a sitcom. But what it has become is not Cheers or The Cosby Show but something more like Saturday Night Live. It’s essentially a sketch show, with each week’s episode broken up into A, B, and C plots (or sketches) in which the same “Who’s on First”-style misunderstandings are not only repeated over and over, but also repeated every week when the recurring plot (or sketch) is brought back. This is sort of what this show was from the beginning, a sort of three mini sitcoms brought together into one with an A, B, and C story. A lot of times on Modern Family, I will gloss over one of the stories if I do not find it interesting or funny to me. Eh, not too much of a hit article, and I do not really see a decline in quality or humor in the show. I think if they are losing viewers is that the characters are too rich and that there are only so many stories to tell.

05-10-2013, 04:43 AM	#3
CBA82 Discerning Viewer Forum Cub Join Date: Feb 24, 2013 Location: East Coast Posts: 2	"I do not really see a decline in quality or humor in the show" -- Did you watch the May 8 episode (set at the rollerskating rink)? Did you laugh even once? It was over-written, relied too much on the crutch of double-entendres, tried too hard to pull at the heartstrings, and was simply not funny. Further, every time Lilly opens her mouth the show becomes unwatchable.