THE SHOT — A poster on a NYC subway advertising Modern Family, ABC’s new family comedy marking Ed O’Neill’s big return to TV, and which pairs cross-cultural parenting and gay dads all together now. Except as blogger Craig notes, “I think this is what Jay Leno meant when he told Ryan Phillippe to give him his best gay face.” Yup, it is! But it’s also how a show like this (premiering tomorrow night) has to work: with stereotypes.
There’s the grouchy white dad, the Colombian mom (and child), and yes, the gay dads, raising a baby together. And you can bet your ass that every lowest common denominator punchline (Mexicans ride donkeys!; the gays wear mud masks!) will make its way into the script.
At the very least, producers aren’t making any one group out to be any more or less stereotypically offensive, so we’ve got that going for us. Oh, and Diana Ross:
alan brickman
Give it a chance…and don’t be so bitchy….
alan brickman
after all there are no cliches on this site…right???
Cole
Well, they did break the gay stereotype of making the gays physically fabulous. The couple on this show seem very average debunking the stereotype that all gays are physically blessed and wear D&G.
Puck
Fail!I give it 13 episodes with pick up for next year
DeAnimator
@Cole: Because it’s the dumbest stereotype of them all that only ignorant, self involved gay male jerks care about.
RJ
Most of the Queerty users are stereotypes.
Ian
Really, I find it is BREAKING the stereotype that ALL gays look like Will & Jack/Abercrombie & Fitch Chelsea Gym Bunny Zombies. MORE gays look like the guys in this show throughout the US than the ones who spend their lives in the gym from the urban cities, so from that perspective this presentation is refreshing.
HiredGoons
Christ I hate sitcoms.
Keiren
This entire site is a stereotype.
Swellster
But I do wear mud masks? Does that make me a stereotype? How can I be a stereotype if I am just being me?
GimmeABreak
It is nice to see a gay couple portrayed as parents. Guess craphead Rupert Everett will be protesting the show seeing how he hates gay parents and finds them self indulgent.
Rodrigo
Ugh in the show, the ” mexican” mom (Sofia vergara) said she was from Colombia, so I think, you , the writer, is the one being stereotypical by assuming that if you are an immigrant with an accent you are automatically Mexican.
Btw, I love the gay couple!! Props to them resembling real people you would see walking down the street!
cheapshot
tv studio productions….they have to do this crap…its the boneheads who go to the modern tea parties that love this shit…no real investment in actuality, of course, that would be non sensical with the kind of public we have.
Dennis
it’s a sitcom, not Shakespeare for f*ck’s sake…stereotypes, mediocre writing and hit-or-miss humor are all part of the experience.
Looks like it could be better than lots of the other crap the networks are pushing…
dvlaries
And do without Victims Unit and Chris Meloni…? Try harder, ABC.
DL
i’ve seen the pilot, it’s actually quite funny. also everyone gets skewered so there’s that.
Rod
Jan stated that it’s about time sitcoms show gay as they really not the gym bunny types. Why I agree with that statement I disagree with him saying that the two guys on the show are the adv. gay male in America. I don’t know where he lives but most gay are not hate to say it queeny, most are just adv. guys who are just like the adv. American male. You never see gays as just the adv. male always, like Jack on Will and Grace a little on the flighty side never really just the normal male, even Will sometimes went over the edge with the gay stero type. Why not just have two guys who are gay but no different then any other American male. Of course that would not be funny.
justin
God, what bunch of cynical Mary’s. Give it a fucking chance before you shit all over it.
You people aren’t positive about anything. Just bitchy bitter queens. Oh, that’s not a stereotype, is it?
Latebrosus
Y’all, FYI: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell (the red-head) IS gay.
http://www.afterelton.com/people/2009/9/jessetylergusonericstonestreet
fredo777
God, I love this show so much. My favorite characters are Phil + Manny, though.