This fall, family sitcoms are a dime a dozen. Welcome to the Family and The Goldbergs premiere this fall, but few predict they will be as successful as Modern Family. After this week’s Emmy Awards, Modern Family walked away with one of the biggest awards of the night — Outstanding Comedy Series. Modern Family received twelve Emmy nominations this year, and has won Outstanding Comedy Award three years in a row. Gail Mancuso also won best director for her work on the show. Modern Family is a force to be reckoned with, and this was evident during the season 5 premiere on Wednesday, September 25. Two separate episodes aired during the season premiere: “Suddenly, Last Summer,” and “First Days.”
“Suddenly, Last Summer” picks up at the start of the summer. Manny, son of Gloria and Jay, is preparing for his trip to Colombia to visit Gloria’s family. Mitch and Cam are overjoyed by the new gay marriage laws passed in California. However, they face a major problem—who proposes to who? The episode is hectic as always, for the whole family plots to create the perfect proposal for Mitch and Cam. Their plans are foiled when the couple spontaneously proposes to each other at the same time. Claire and Phil Dunphy—parents of Haley, Alex and Luke—are stressed by the chaos that is created from all three kids being home. Phil attempts to reschedule the kids’ plans in order to create a kid-free week of summer. Little does he know, Claire is trying to create a Phil-free week for herself as well.
“Suddenly Last Summer” was the perfect start to season five. It had the perfect mix of humor and romance without overdoing it. Although the ending was abrupt, it was an effective segway into the second episode of Wednesday’s premiere, “First Days.”
It is now September, and “First Days” explores the Dunphys, Pritchetts, and Tucker-Pritchett’s start to the new school year. Luke and Manny are starting their first day of high school, and Claire is starting her first day of work. Claire starts a new job at her father Jay’s closet company. She struggles to fit in at the office, and she learns that being the boss’ daughter has its disadvantages. Cam is called in to substitute in Alex Dunphy’s AP History class, a subject he knows nothing about. Using the only topic he excels in, theatre, Cam dresses up as George Washington in order to teach his students. Alex ends up teaching the class and Cam is fortunate to land a gig as the high school gym teacher. Gloria and Phil spend the day worried Manny and Luke are “too cool” for them now. Their worries are cured when Phil catches Luke using his high school “tips” at the end of the school day.
The premiere did not disappoint, as it provided the perfect combination of hilarity and tender moments. Since both episodes felt a little rushed, a one hour episode would have been ideal. Despite the abruptness, the episodes “Suddenly Last Summer” and “First Days” were a promising start for season five. As for the rest of the season, a highly anticipated event will be Mitch and Cam’s wedding. The amusement will most certainly continue, as Cam, Alex, Luke, and Manny all battle high school together. Modern Family grabbed the top spot in Wednesday’s TV ratings, and judging from the premiere, it looks like the reign will continue.
