We Need To Talk About 'Modern Family'

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

Okay we need to discuss the state of one of the most watched sitcoms of the last 6 years, Modern Family. The series recently started their seventh season and things are unfortunately not going well. The ratings this season are down about 2 million viewers from last season. This week's viewership was 7.88 million. Last year this week there were 9.71 million viewers. The crucial 18-49 demographic that advertisers base their buying decisions on is falling hard too. This week that demographic is 2.7. Modern Family was earning 3.6-4.0 ratings in that category in the last two years. One could say overall viewership of TV is going down but Modern Family is now almost even with The Middle in viewership. The Middle had 7.12 viewers watching this week. The Middle, in seasons past, would have 4 million less viewers than Modern Family (typically 7M vs 11M). Even more troublesome is that Modern Family started the same year as The Middle so one can't even say that The Middle has an advantage because it's not as old. For a show that saw steady viewership between 11million and 14 million in its 3rd season, this is sad. I will say that I think the Middle has really benefited from reruns in the last year, cuz I see a lot of new people getting into the show.

 

So what's going on? Well I was watching a season 2 rerun on tv the other day and was laughing my head off, the writing was so creative.  And that made me think, wow I barely laugh during new Modern Family episodes. The writing is just not like it used to be. And the acting is getting bad! Rico's, who plays Manny,  acting is CRINGWORTHY. I feel like Sofia Vergaras acting has gotten bad as well. The characters are starting to look like awkward actors. Probably due to poor directing, as well. This show has been my favorite in the last 4 years and it's so sad to see it going down this path. 

 

Do do you guys have input?

 

 

 

 

 

[Red 89,137]

It happens with every show, it starts to get boring after 6 or 7 seasons. I wouldn't lose too much sleep because of it if I were you.

[Nicole 1,809]

Sometimes shows just go for too long. I love Modern Family, I don't really keep up with it - I've watched 1-4 and will buy the rest on DVD at some point, but sometimes storylines/characters are just saturated and it just needs to end gracefully. Writers/producers who ride off the success of TV shows to keep it running as long as possible is one of the most common mistakes in the entertainment industry.

[ryhanna 3,507]

Most popular sitcoms wind up experiencing a decline of this sort. Maintaining quality over several seasons is difficult. 

When it gets to this point, I'd prefer to see a show just end than continue to struggle when it's run it's course. 

[Ambrosia 3,775]

A seven season run is great for any show!  It always was a bit formulaic and after all this time, the novelty has worn off.

I think the guy who plays "Luke" is pretty bad really.  He never was that good, just cuter as a kid.  It seems like he's literally reading his lines (of which there are few) like a bored student in English class reading "Call of the Wild" aloud or something. 

[Bat 6,162]

I'm beginning to get irritated with this show. The acting is getting worse every season.

Last fun episodes were some in season 4 and maybe one season 5.