Pilot (Modern Family)
"Pilot" | |
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Modern Family episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Jason Winer |
Written by | |
Cinematography by | David Hennings |
Editing by | Ryan Case |
Production code | 1ARG79 |
Original air date | September 23, 2009 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Pilot"
In the episode, Jay's family tries to function despite the age difference between himself and his second wife, Gloria. Claire and Phil try to punish their son and watch over their elder daughter and her new boyfriend. Mitchell tries to hide the fact that he and his partner Cameron have adopted a daughter in Vietnam from his family until Cameron invites Mitchell's family without consulting him (which is revealed to be the other two families).
Reviews for the pilot episode compared Modern Family to shows such as
Plot
The series begins at the home of Phil and Claire Dunphy and their three children: Haley, Alex, and Luke. Claire tells Haley that her skirt is too short, but Phil allows her to wear it. In side interviews, Phil calls himself a "cool dad", while Claire wants to prevent her children from making the same mistakes she did when she was growing up. Alex complains that Luke shot her with the toy gun Phil bought him. Claire forces Phil to follow through on his deal with Luke: if Luke shoots someone, Phil will have to shoot him.
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett and her husband, Jay, are watching Gloria's son Manny play soccer. An overenthusiastic Gloria shouts encouragement to her son and argues with another parent. Gloria and Jay are then interviewed, where Gloria discusses the differences between their backgrounds; she comes from a small village in
The scene shifts to Mitchell and Cameron, a
Back at the Dunphy residence, Haley has invited Dylan, a senior boy from her high school, over. Claire instructs Phil to "scare him", but Phil hurts his back in the process, and Dylan is forced to carry Phil to the couch. Haley brings her boyfriend upstairs and grows annoyed when Claire constantly checks on them. Haley goes downstairs to complain to Phil, who is preparing to shoot Luke against his will. Phil though, accidentally shoots Luke, Dylan, and then himself.
After the soccer game, Jay is mistaken for a mall walker so he decides to buy some 'hip' new clothes. Meanwhile, Manny reads a poem to the sixteen-year-old and is crushed when she says she has a boyfriend.
The last scene is at Mitchell and Cameron's house where Lily is going to be introduced to the rest of the family and is revealed for the first time that all the characters are related; Jay is Mitchell & Claire's father. Before Lily is introduced, Jay, who is unsure if Mitchell and Cameron are ready for fatherhood, suggests that if they are bored, they should get a dog. Cameron enters, holding Lily aloft before the family while "Circle of Life" from The Lion King plays. Eventually, the whole family accepts the adoption and welcomes Lily as part of their family.
Production
Conception
While working in the office Lloyd and Levitan were telling stories about their family and they thought that could be a show idea, and started working with the concept of families being observed in a
Casting
Casting for Modern Family was very difficult (except for Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Initially Ed O'Neill had lost the part to Craig T. Nelson (who would later go on to play Zeek Braverman on Parenthood on NBC) although he was eventually cast after Nelson turned down the part due to money problems.[14] Eric Stonestreet who was unknown at the time had to fight for the role of Cameron. It was also difficult for Julie Bowen as she was pregnant with twins during filming and had to cover her pregnant belly with clothes, pillows, laundry baskets etc. while Ty Burrell had to test for the role of Phil Dunphy three times. Initially Jesse Tyler Ferguson had auditioned for the role of Cameron before Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan thought he would be better suited for the role of Mitchell.[15]
Filming
The episode was filmed in
Reception
Ratings
The episode premiered on ABC in the United States on September 23, 2009. The show was watched live by 12.61 million viewers, placing it as the most viewed show of the night and the series. It also acquired a
Reviews
The pilot episode received universal acclaim, with some reviewers highlighting it as one of the best new comedies of 2009. Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode an 8.8 saying it was "Great" and "The premiere episode does a fantastic job of introducing us to these family units, and it was fun to see how they would be connected to each other in the realm of the series. The smaller issues aside - the mildly unclear format, some forced clichés - the pilot episode of Modern Family is a must see comedy".[23] Variety wrote "Easily the new season's best comedy pilot, Modern Family deftly serves up laughs on multiple levels, from understated one-liners to deft sight-gags."[5] Mary McNamara of the
Awards and nominations
The episode received multiple award nominations. The episode's director Jason Winer won
References
- ^ Winer, Jason (23 September 2009). "Pilot". Modern Family. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Modern Family". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Modern Family". Amazon. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ a b Lowry, Brian (2009-09-20). "Modern Family Review - TV Show Reviews - Analysis of Modern Family The TV Series". Variety. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Frost, Vicky (2009-10-15). "Does Sky1's Modern Family remind you anything". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "Modern Family Season 1: Christopher Lloyd Interview". MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ "'Modern Family' a freshman hit for ABC - Entertainment - Television - TODAYshow.com". Today.msnbc.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- ^ "Modern Family: Co-creator Steve Levitan weighs in". NJ.com. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
- The Wrap. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^ Robert Seidman (October 8, 2009). ""ABC gives full season pickups to "Modern Family", "Cougar Town," and "The Middle""". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009.
- ^ Isis Abrams. "ABC Picks Up Cougar Town, Modern Family and The Middle". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "ABC bringing back 'Modern Family,' 'Cougar Town' - The Live Feed | THR". Thrfeed.com. 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ "Craig T. Nelson Turned Down 'Modern Family' for Money, 'Lone Star' Alum Lands 'Hawaii Five-0' Role and More". Tvsquad.com. 2011-01-27. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Jesse Tyler Ferguson talks 'Modern Family', improvising on set and audition for the role | Daily Actor - The Actors Online Entertainment Resource". Daily Actor. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^ a b "Brown grad Julie Bowen stars in 'Modern Family' on ABC | projo.com | The Providence Journal TV |". projo.com. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^ Levin, Gary (2009-09-01). "It's all in the 'Modern Family': Comedy that's not so 'snarky'". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Savage, Lesley (2010-01-21). "'Modern Family' recap: Seeds of change | EW.com". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^ "Home Videos 4 Modern Family - ABC". Abc.go.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2009-09-24). "Wednesday broadcast finals: Modern Family down a tenth, Cougar Town up a tenth with adults 18-49". TV by the numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Shepherd, Robert (2009-08-26). "Sky 1 acquires US comedy Modern Family". Broadcast Now. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "Modern Family gathers 444,000 for Sky 1". Broadcast Now. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Robert Canning (2009-09-22). "Modern Family: "Pilot" Review". IGN.com. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- LA Times. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "The Modern Family reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (2009-10-08). "ABC orders full seasons of Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ "Modern Family on ABC : Modern Family Win!". Modern Family ABC. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- ^ "wga awards". Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- ^ "2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.