# Modern Family: Good Show, Great Sofia! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738 "2010-04-02T15:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/21 "2010-04-03T03:12:34Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I also sort of think of Modern Family as Al Bundy hitting the lottery or something, mellowing out, and bagging a crazy hot wife. It’s somehow vaguely satisfying. Playing into this I was a little bit disappointed when Shelly Long appeared playing his ex wife instead of Katey Sagal. How awesome would that have been? Ok. A teensy bit lame, but awesome, too! [QUOTE=muldoonthief] I don’t get that - Luke is a goofy 10 year old, Haley is a standard not too bright 17 year old who spends all her time texting, Alex is smart, but not above what you’d expect for a 14 year old. Yeah, she’s full of cutting remarks for her older sister, but that’s what you’d expect from a younger sibling who’s more intelligent, but less attractive. Only Manny seems “adult”, but that’s his whole schtick. [/QUOTE] It’s nitpicking at best! I am laughing so much that I can’t really complain. And, I probably only notice it because I think Luke is spot on as a kid would act and not as an adult thinks a funny kid should act. But, some of the snappy comebacks Haley and Alex have for each other take me out of the show and I don’t like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/22 "2010-04-03T10:42:02Z")
I think it’s a great show – the Phil character was over the top in early episodes, but they’ve pitched him at just the right level now, and he’s frequently the best thing on the show now. (“It’s OK honey, I don’t feel things anymore.”) Both Vergara and Biwen are absurdly hot. Bowen is one of those women – Melissa George is another – who sorta don’t look as good looking as they actually are. Yes, this seems an impossibility, but it’s true. She looks merely pretty, and then you see a certain angle and it’s like the sun coming over a hill. Bowen, like e.g. Tina Fey, is also playing the role of a character who’s not as sexy as she is, and she’s a good enough actor that you start to believe it. Vergara does not labor under that disadvantage. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/23 "2010-04-03T11:12:43Z")
you mean “looking hot without having D cups hanging out” but yeah i know what you mean. nothing wrong with boobies though. +1 for sophia. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/24 "2010-04-03T12:17:21Z")
Vergara doesn’t do it for me but that is mainly how she is portrayed on the show. I _really_ don’t like big chunky jewellery + loads of makeup types and I have difficulty seeing beyond that. I’d have to see her in something else. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/25 "2010-04-03T12:18:40Z")
But yeah, the show is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/26 "2010-04-03T14:53:34Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I had never heard of Julie Bowen until Modern Family, but I agree with you 110%. Bowen was part of the Great Hot Chick Purge on Boston Legal in the early years. They got rid of Julie Bowen, Rhona Mitra and Lake Bell and replaced them with Candace Bergen. Ugh. I was a loyal viewer up until that point, and then just gave up on the show completely. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > I’ve had a crush on her since _Ed_, a show from about 7 years ago that I was apparently the only viewer for. Ed was too cutesy for me at the time, but in hindsight it turns out that since it aired I’ve become a big fan of much of the cast, so _now_ I would totally watch it. Oh well, such is life. Same holds true for Reunion, which apparently included Amanda Righetti and Alexa Davalos. Sure wish I knew who either of them were back when it was on the air. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/27 "2010-04-03T15:14:22Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Okay, so I indulged in knee-jerk hyperbole there. I’ll put it in realistic terms – > > On first catching sight of Vergara, I immediately checked IMDB to figure out who she is. > > Claire, on the other hand, could never spur me to action, and wouldn’tmake me pause in channel surfing. Claire is obtainable. Vergara is LITERALLY an SI Swimsuit model. I like both. Bowen first drew my attention in Happy Gilmore. She looks better today than she did then. She also plays Jack Shepherd’s ex-wife on Lost. > [@Cliffy](#): > > I think it’s a great show – the Phil character was over the top in early episodes, but they’ve pitched him at just the right level now, and he’s frequently the best thing on the show now. (“It’s OK honey, I don’t feel things anymore.”) > > Both Vergara and Biwen are absurdly hot. Bowen is one of those women – Melissa George is another – who sorta don’t look as good looking as they actually are. Yes, this seems an impossibility, but it’s true. She looks merely pretty, and then you see a certain angle and it’s like the sun coming over a hill. Bowen, like e.g. Tina Fey, is also playing the role of a character who’s not as sexy as she is, and she’s a good enough actor that you start to believe it. Vergara does not labor under that disadvantage. > > –Cliffy Bowen = Sneaky hot. > [@amanset](#): > > Vergara doesn’t do it for me but that is mainly how she is portrayed on the show. I _really_ don’t like big chunky jewellery + loads of makeup types and I have difficulty seeing beyond that. I’d have to see her in something else. She plays the trophy wife perfectly though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/28 "2010-04-03T18:04:13Z")
Julie Bowen, playing Clair, and Sarah Hyland (who is 20 yay!), playing Haley, are both quite a bit hotter. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/29 "2010-04-03T18:48:36Z")
Those of you bothered by the clichés of the characters, do you suppose the show is smart enough that the clichés are actually winking at the camera? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/30 "2010-04-03T19:00:37Z")
I really like this show, and even I find Sofia crazy hot, and I’m straight. She’s been on at least a couple of short-lived sitcoms in the past. I also love CougarTown- I find it rings pretty true for someone in my demographic. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/31 "2010-04-03T22:47:40Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Julie Bowen, playing Clair, and Sarah Hyland (who is 20 yay!), playing Haley, are both quite a bit hotter. According to imdb she’s 19, but same difference. I never would have guessed she was that old. Out of curiosity I checked the age of the actress who plays the younger sister, who is 11. I would never have guessed an 8 year age difference between them in a million years. I thought they were 16 and 13. 19 and 11? That’s just nuts. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/32 "2010-04-03T23:56:52Z")
The girl playing Haley looks so much like Mila Kunis, it is scary! As for the characters being cliches, I don’t buy it. Cliche’ seems to imply some lack of reality and depth. I know lots of people JUST like every one of them (except maybe Phil). At worst, they are archetypes. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/33 "2010-04-04T07:15:36Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Same holds true for Reunion, which apparently included Amanda Righetti and Alexa Davalos. Whoever did the make-up on that show was either the best or the worst member of that profession to ever live, because they managed to make the three stunningly attractive female leads look perfectly average. Even a ridiculous mohawk on That 80’s Show couldn’t make Chyler Leigh unattractive, but Reunion managed it. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/34 "2010-04-04T15:29:05Z")
I think that’s what it is I like about the show. I DO know someone like almost every character on the show. I think the gay couple is somewhat stereotypical, but I think that may be the point. Aren’t they all stereotypes who sometimes slightly defy them, but only enough to keep us all comfortable? Claire reminds me of my oldest dearest friend so much it’s scary. Not just looks. Everything. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/35 "2010-04-04T15:45:05Z")
> [@pricciar](#): > > What is offensive with the gay characters? I agree that they are hard core cliches. But, that’s the nature of some comedy. What about those two characters would bring about protests of any kind? I am honestly curious. Not trying to argue. Yeah, I don’t see it either. I’m struggling to think of any other sitcom that so prominently featured a stable gay _couple_. Phil and Cam are both portrayed as decent but not perfect people, just like the rest of the family. Cam is in many ways a stereotypical “flamboyant” gay man, but he’s also shown to have more traditionally “masculine” interests like sports – and he doesn’t just like watching hot guys run around on TV, he’s a former college football player. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/36 "2010-04-04T19:43:22Z")
I thought the gay couple was a nice change from the stereotypical gay guys. Sure, they have some traits in common with the stereotype but so do the gay people I have met in person. They’re great characters. The way Cam acts is hilarious and the interactions between Mitch and his father are a big part of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/37 "2010-04-04T22:03:48Z")
Not to mention that the gay guys _call_ each other on acting stereotypically gay. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/38 "2010-04-04T22:26:20Z")
I agree; I think Mitchell is more fussy and precise as a function of being uptight than as a stereotypical gay thing. Such as when Cameron puts the mural in Lily’s room or wants to be faaaabulous at playgroup, and Mitchell is impatient with it. (BTW, “I just stole another baby’s intellectual property” is one of my all time favorite sitcom lines.) And then there’s Cam’s football and clown pursuits, which are just interesting aspects of his personality, not about him being a queen. And as someone else said, it’s mostly about them being a couple, just like other couples, whatever chromosome pairs are involved. (And for the record, here’s another pretty much straight female who finds Sofia hawt, as well as funny and talented.) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738/39 "2010-04-04T22:39:36Z")
A few months back, I saw the two actors who play Mitchell and Cam appear together on a daytime talk-show, (maybe the Bonnie Hunt Show?) and they discussed Modern Family and talked about their roles on the show—I was a bit surprised when it was mentioned that one of them was gay in real life, while one was straight and had never played a gay character before or even been around many gay men before he took the role… Both actors seemed like cool guys, and they acted like they had become pretty good friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-family-good-show-great-sofia/534738.md?page=1)