Cheers to Modern Family for exploring a new kind of sibling revelry.
Want more Cheers & Jeers? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!
With the myriad dynamics among the members of the Pritchett-Dunphy clan, one type of relationship hadn't yet been explored: the brotherly bond — or lack thereof. That changed with the introduction of
Wiseguy and
Breaking Bad veteran Jonathan Banks (who knew he could be so funny?) as Donnie Pritchett, Jay's younger sib. At Gloria's urging, Jay asked him a more sincere question than "How you doin', you dumb sonofabitch?" and found out he has prostate cancer. It could've crossed over into Very Special Episode territory but
Modern Family kept it grounded in painful reality without losing the funny. (The disease's upside? Donnie's unseen wife, Irene, "lost 20 pounds from the stress.")Also counterbalancing this more serious subplot: the laugh-out-loud middle-school musical Cameron directed, which made
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark look like
Sweeney Todd ("years from now, these kids will still be talking about how I Sondheim-ized them," Cam boasted). Not to mention the minivan that Phil unwittingly turned into an ad that seemed to offer wife and daughter's services as, um, escorts. Unlike Claire, we could be — and were — satisfied.Did you love last night's
Modern Family as much as Franklin Middle School's kids love "THE F WORD"?
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!