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Let us Look: At Modern Family

Modern Family, ah Modern Family. What can be said about a show that explores the life of three different families in this fake documentary style comedy? Well a lot can be said. All good though. The good defiantly outweighs the bad on this one. Well that has how all my reviews have been. Good over bad. So I really cannot say anything that I have found bad about this new TV series.

The Good:

It is all really good. I enjoyed the little jokes here and there. It was very natural moving show. Families being, well families. It has a deeper aspect though. All three families are connected. The older man who married the younger woman is the father of a parent in the other two families. It is not called Modern Families it is Modern Family, showing that aspect of how the idea of a modern family has changed over the past fifty years.

This revelation at the end that each of the families are connected gives the show plenty of available storylines in the future of the series. We have the father who is dealing with his son’s sexuality, the nuclear family dealing with children going through changes, and the self confidence needed to be two dads raising an adopted child in our ever changing society.

So in the end Modern Family, has beaten out the other premieres I was excited for. Flash Forward is tonight but due to the Carolina Cover-Up tonight on WUSC 90.5fm at ten to midnight. I will be pre-occupied and will have to give my full analysis sometime in the next few days. Till then check out the radio show!

Let us Look: Community

Community has had a lot of push lately and not just on NBC or The Soup. Adverts for Community has been shown on Comedy Central, Adult Swim, MTV, and a load of other networks. The pilot episode has also been shown on the Facebook fan page, and as downloadable content on the Playstation 3. But with all this push for this new NBC show, is it worth the hype. My answer: Yes.

When I heard that the pilot episode of Community was available on Facebook, I jumped right on it. There were a few problems with the player (not allowing me to watch the ending till a few days later). but the player problems do not change my outlook for the entire program.

The Good:

The plot to me is original. The idea of following a group of students in a community college seems new to me. While other shows have been looking at high school or middle aged people, Community changes that aspect. Now when a college is used as a plot, broadcast television shows hit a wall. It is hard to show a real college life on the small screen. The limited use of sex, drugs, and alcohol can destroy a reality of a college based show. On Community though, we look at a community college where things are drastically different then a state school or university. Community does not need alcohol, drugs, or sex to relate to the plot. Instead it has a great cast of characters each with a reason to go to a community college.

Chevy Chase is back on television. Even though Chevy is not the main actor for the series, he still brings the funny. Lame line, I know. But Chevy’s character is so absurd and strange, it is the right balance next to Joel McHale’s lead.

The Bad:

It was good but not great. The pilot episode was enjoyable, the only problem was that it lacked content. I understand how a series would not want to throw all its material into one episode but much of the pilot episode has been shown on previews. I was hoping for something new that we have not been shown on the adverts. But I have a long lasting hope for this series. I want to see where it goes and how it will end up. I can see where the pilot is only a small start to a series that can become large. Community airs tonight (September 17th) on NBC.

Let us Look: At Glee...

Taking a new approach to the television premiere season this year. Only because many of the new shows (Trauma, Melrose Place, Hank, and Eastwick) just do not interest me. So this year, we will be looking at the shows that I am looking for. The list I made over the summer. Here is a refresher.

But now, here we are again, September. Television premieres ahoy. But as of now only Glee has premiered. Community will be tomorrow (Sept. 17) then Modern Family is the 23th (a Wednesday), and finally Flash Forward on Thursday the 24th. But let us look at Glee.

Now, tonight (Sept. 16th) is the third episode of Glee. And yes it is a good show. But even though it is a good show, it was not a perfect show in my opinion.

The Good:

This show has an amazing cast. Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, and Mathew Morrison each bring a personal quality to their characters. These actors are great, especially Jane and Jayma who have always seemed to make things better. There is great chemistry between each of these actors and actresses. Even the younger characters.

The formula is brilliant as well. Along with the main storyline about a man who wants to relive his high school days by bringing back the glee club, the minor story-lines bring a completely different view of the show. I like the minor story-lines better than the main one. With budding romances and over-baring partners, it keeps the blood flowing, just waiting to see what happens next.

The Bad:

It goes a little overboard with the music… Ok, I know it is a show about a high school glee club. There is going to be singing and dancing and all that. But 70 songs in the first 13 episodes? Really? Do we need that much music in a TV dramedy? Not unless it is an actual musical. Two or three songs per episode is enough. But five? Yeah, it is a little bit much for me.

So pretty simple there.  Glee is an ok show that I will keep watching. Well that or Modern Family since both will be on at the same time. Stay tuned for either tomorrow or Friday when I talk about Community.