The Odd Case of "Modern Family"

It's premiere week!...sorta. I think there was a time on TV when all of the new shows would start during the exact same week. It made things kinda cool, cause you knew every night the new shows were starting up. That had to have helped the ratings. Now? It's confusing as shit.

Most of NBC's stuff started a few weeks ago. Some of ABC's stuff is staggered. I don't watch CBS so I have no idea what they're doing. 



But these days this week is about as good as it gets, and it's going to be very interesting to see how the ratings play out. After all of the months of making the pilots and scheduling and hyping, it just takes 30 minutes to kill you off.

The first red flag of the season came last week, actually, when "The Mob Doctor" predictably shit the bed. If you're deeply invested in how that whole thing is going to play out in season 1, you're probably in for a big disappointment. My guess is that sleeping with the fishes is going to be involved.



Last night, it was the CBS comedy "Partners", written by the guys who did "Will & Grace". They've been trying to sell that same show for the last 10 years, and CBS finally bit. And now it bit the dust. Well, not yet. But the ratings last night went 3.6 for "How I Met Your Mother", 2.4 for "Partners", 3.7 for "Two Broke Girls", and a 3.1 for "Mike and Molly".


That means people were actively turning the channel away from CBS when "Partners" came on, and then turning back to CBS the moment it ended. Not good.


And tonight? It's Fox's turn. We'll see how Mindy Kaling's show does along with "Ben and Kate". And we'll also see how the NBC's shows - "Go On" and "The New Normal" - which were given early releases, hold up against the premieres on the other networks.  Should be very interesting, if you're into this sorta thing.



What about "Suburgatory", some of you (my parents) are asking? Well, that's where things get complicated. For a lot of reasons I won't bore you with, it doesn't premiere until October 17th. The main issue is the Presidential debates. ABC is only able to air a couple weeks of new shows on Wednesdays until the debates hit, and then everything goes away for a bit. They decided to hold it until after the debates so it could have a bunch of new episodes in a row. Though I am weary of a late starting date, I am a HUGE fan of having multiple new shows in a row.



It was on at 8:30 last year, 9:30 this year, after "Modern Family". And if you watch the Emmy's, that show did quite well. I think it even won Best Drama, Best Variety Show, and Best Show with Al Bundy, it was that ridiculous.

What makes Modern Family's success that much more amazing is the way in which it gets made.  I don't know of another situation like it and I'd just like to point it out cause it's weird.


The show was created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (not Doc from "Back to the Future", a different Christopher Loyd). They wrote together on "Wings" and "Frasier" and other stuff. They are the co-showrunners of "Modern Family".


But here's the thing: now the two of them hate each other's guts.

They refuse to talk to each other. And yet, they are running the most acclaimed comedy on TV together. How does it work? Levitan takes the odd episodes, Lloyd takes the evens.

So when it's an odd episode, Levitan is in charge of all aspects - the writing, editing, etc., and Lloyd has no veto power. Meanwhile, I guess the writers are in the middle of all this like the God Damn Parent Trap. That has to be weird. Some writers probably love one showrunner over the other, it's confusing whose ass you have to kiss!


Supposedly, the feud between the two guys is over creative differences about the show. They got so mad about their opposing visions that they cannot even work together. So my question is this:  does anyone notice a difference?


Anyone?


Can you tell a Levitan from a Lloyd episode of Modern Family?


Because to them, the difference between the evens and odds is so gigantic that they can't even be in the same room! That's how wildly different the show is to them...and no one in America can tell.

More ratings updates to come later this week...