We’re not a big TV-watching family. We have a 26-inch TV in the family room and one rarely watched TV in the basement, and that seems excessive to us. But for a few months now, in addition to watching Glee, my husband, daughter and I have been enjoying two family shows, Parenthood and Modern Family. The writing for both shows is outstanding, a rarity for prime-time TV. They both depict extended families who not only share their daily lives, they also, for the most part, really like each other. It’s refreshing to tune in each week to watch parents who struggle with the same issues we all struggle with, and get support from their adult siblings and parents.
Modern Family takes the stereotypes of the trophy wife and the gay couple and manages to use them to great advantage in a way that shows us all that our modern families do come in many configurations, and they all, no matter who lives in them, love, cry, laugh and get angry with each other, and still manage to remain strong. Parenthood is so well written I feel as though I can be watching and listening to my friends. Particularly compelling are the stories around 10-year-old Max who has Aspergers. Today we all know families who deal with special needs children and the show provides a gentle lesson in compassion and understanding for anyone who has ever been judgmental of another parent’s handling of a difficult child.
In all both shows make TV watching a pleasure. My family isn’t likely to change how big our TV screen is, but finally there’s something worth watching on it. Does anyone else have opinions about these two shows? I’d love to hear from you.
