Modern Family is one of the most successful TV shows EVER. When it premiered in 2009 the concept of a “modern family” with a same-sex couple was not something that was widely represented on TV screens, let alone on prime time network television. Disney recently noted that with ABC Television Group, between 2014-2015 they logged over 250 LGBT-inclusive hours of television programming.
The thing was that when the show premiered, most people were not talking about “that gay couple” in the show but about how funny the show was and most importantly, how anyone could relate to this family. People began to see themselves in these characters; “modern” became “normal”. One of the show’s most beloved quotes came from Cameron as he discussed his relationship with his partner, Mitchell.
Instantly people saw this same-sex couple had a relationship anyone could relate to and broke stereotypes.
Adding to that was the fact that in the pilot episode, Cameron and Mitchell adopted a baby girl, Lily, from Vietnam. Instantly met with his family’s concerns when Mitchell entertains the idea,the entire family is changed once they meet Lily including Mitchell’s uptight father Jay.
The Atlantic posted an article in 2015 citing “A 2012 Hollywood Reporter poll found that 27 percent of likely voters said that depictions of gay characters on TV made them more pro-gay marriage, and there are news accounts of people crediting their newfound sympathy toward gay people to Modern Family.”
The season six finale of Modern Family was a big two-parter leading up to Cameron and Mitchell finally getting married. The season, in fact the entire series, was all leading up to this point, discussing the politics of the situation, and merely the overall concept of acceptance.
The episode was widely received and even garnished magazine covers.
The series itself has received an ungodly number of awards and currently has an 89% overall rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sample of awards Modern Family has garnished:
– 21 Prime-time Emmy Award wins and 67 total nominations
– 1 Golden Globe Award and 10 total nominations
– 2 Screen Actor’s Guild Awards and 14 total nominations
– 3 Television Critic Awards and 7 total nominations
– 5 Writers Guild of America Awards and 13 total nominations
– 4 AFI Awards
– 2 Director’s Guild Awards
The success of Modern Family continues to grow, as its eighth season will premiere this fall on ABC.