Have you ever heard about a American sitcom “Modern Family”? Modern Family is an American television comedy series. The series has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series twice so far. On January 10, 2011, Modern Family was renewed for a third season. I guess this sitcom was named by the complex family relationship. This comedy series is stories about a family. There is a grand-father, Jay Pritchett, who is very rich and he remarried with a spanish woman who is very sexy, gorgeous, young and having a son with ex-husband. Jay has a daughter and a son. Son is Mitchell Pritchett and he is a gay, so he living together with his boyfriend breeding adopted baby born in Vietnam. Daughter’s name is Claire Dunphy. She married with Phil Dunphy so between them, there are three kids Haley, Alex, Luke Dunphy. A glance at them, they look more sane than their Jay’s family or Mitchell’s, but Dunphy’s also very unique family with the teenager kids. This family shows all the recent problem in US, so I think the name, Modern Family, is having satirical wit.

       I heard this sitcom has gained in popularity in US. At first, I felt some cultural differences during watching Modern Family. Korean society is not that frank, actually, very conservative to gays, remarriage, adoption or something like those sensitive issues. I felt uncomfortable with the family relationship of Modern Family. However, after watching the first episode of season one, I got into the drama, so these days, I watch it everyday. Then, what is the attractiveness of this sitcom to make people get into it and get popularity?

       There is no any special situation like doing something crazy in this comedy series. Also they don’t use sound effects like canned laughter. This sitcom’s mood is just very calm and quiet. However, it makes people laugh by their conversation or the interview scene. Modern Family started working on the idea of a family being observed in a mockumentary style show. Thus the fictional characters talk directly into the cameras during many situations. Also the characters talk to each other straightforward and I like it. For example, In the 23rd episode of season 2, the son give a mask of Phantom of Opera to the stepfather, Jay, whose face became ugly by getting a botox injection telling that “This stuff always makes bad-looking men look tight”. This scene made me laugh.

       However, I think the secret of popularity of this sitcom is humanity. Of course, other many sitcoms have something special making people laugh, but Modern Family remind people the human love too. In the 23rd of season 2, Alex Dunphy had to fix the script of her speech which could make people uncomfortable by accepting advice of older sister, Haly, and she gave the changed speech to audiences. And for not to be late for the speech of daughter, the father and mother rolled down from downhill. Through this scene, I could feel the humanity and at the same time, it made me burst to the laughter. If Haley and Alex were not family, Haley wouldn’t mind her sister’s business. Alex and Haley always have some conflicts each other, but at last, they made a moving result. Modern Family always make the last very moving and beautiful. I think this is the attraction of Modern Family.

       Is there any relationship closer than family? Although, even they were born in other family, they are gays or nerd, they are “family” so they accept and understand their differences. However complex and many conflicts they have, I could feel that family is always warm and lovely home place through “Modern Family”.