Season Review: When I first saw a teaser for Modern Family a few years ago I thought it looked slightly humorous but would most likely be forgettable. Boy, was I wrong. Modern Family is not only one of the best comedies on TV, it is one of the best shows. 
Modern Family tells the story of the patriarch Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) and his eccentric family. Jay is married to the much younger, fiery Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and step-father to her son Manny. He takes this opportunity to raise the pre-teen Manny by learning from his mistakes with his previous children. Claire (Julie Bowen) is neurotic and a little up-tight so it’s probably good that she married Phil (Ty Burrell) to help her balance her out. Jay’s youngest, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) have just adopted a daughter and are still trying to figure out this parenting thing.
Modern Family features the most hilarious collection of characters since Arrested Development. Express Christmas and Election Day are two of the most hilarious episodes of TV I saw this year.
While Modern Family is hilarious, what makes it a truly great show is how it handles the dramatic moments. All of the characters, including the children, are fully developed and show real heart. It’s heart has never been more evident than it is in the third season. Episodes like Leap Day and Baby on Board display the full power of this sitcom, winding seamlessly from comedy to dramatic family moments.
Three seasons in and Modern Family is still going strong. I think this might be my favorite season of the show yet.
5 out of 5 Stars
Video & Audio Quality: Most sitcoms on TV are not known for being particularly demo-worthy material, and while you may not be blown away by Modern Family, you would be hard pressed to have any gripes with it. The third season is presented cleanly and features really amazing textures. Things like Cam’s clown makeup and Gloria’s dresses are rich with color as the rest of the characters feature a more neutral palette.
The sound for sitcoms tends to be very front-heavy and Modern Family is no different. Modern Family typically features side-conversations, characters talking under their breath and voiceovers, all of which are presented cleanly and with good separation. A lot of times shows that feature as much fast-paced dialogue as Modern Family tend to have muddy sound mixes, but not this show. I was very impressed by the video and audio presentation.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Special Features:
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Deleted Scenes: There are a handful of deleted and extended scenes on each disc in the set. In total there are about 20 minutes of extra scenes, most of which are pretty entertaining.
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Behind-the-Scenes Series: The set has 7 different featurettes about the making of a specific episode or scene. It makes the process of making the show seem fun, but unfortunately watching them isn’t quite as entertaining.
2 out of 5 Stars
Overall: For any fan of the show this is a must-buy. If you aren’t already a fan of the show you should buy this set anyway because you’ll quickly learn what you’re missing.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
