Sofia Vergara, who plays Gloria in Modern Family, with 50 Cent (AP Photo)
Yes and no. Maybe.
However, Modern Family, the newest comedy show to hit the primetime TV on ABC brings a good laugh to gay couples at home. This show that brings veteran actor Ed O’Neill back to boob tube is about a family dubbed "modern" because of its satirically dysfunctional appeal and characters such as parents that split up; husband marrying a younger Latina wife; a mother that’s not over the separation; adolescent kids griping about parental control; and a son-in-law that could be thick in the head trying to be a cool father.
Yet the question is about the inclusion of a gay couple, which one of them is part of the “modern” family, whether the new show is stereotyping gay men in our society. The gay couple played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet actually are not the physically typical gay men portrayed in most TV shows that are drop dead gorgeous, coming out of a perfume or denim jeans print ads. This couple is one of the "common" gay couples in the world: one being overly healthy and one with facial hair. The gay couple adopted an Asian baby and now is struggling to pass parenthood.
One blogger calls the series stereotyping the gay couples with baby adoption, neatness, argyle cashmere shirts, flamboyant dance moves, snootiness, Meryl Streep and Costco virginity among many others. Getback.Com says "Although on the surface Mitchell and Cameron seem like cliches, they also have an understated, genuine quality in their relationship that keeps them from being gay caricatures."
Is that stereotyping?
Perhaps it’s the creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd’s (“Frasier,” “Just Shoot Me,” and “Back to You”) objective in the first place as they can’t put all the different gay stereotyped characters in the show.
The best thing here is that the show finally has brought back gay characters on mainstream TV after the demise of Will and Grace and Queer As Folk.
Modern Family is utterly and cleverly funny. Some call it a “Mockumentary” that involves interviews with the characters that add up to its intelligent comedy. It is unique and a real delight every Wednesday night on ABC.
For reviews read on Pajba.Com.
Comments
If the depiction of this gay couple makes mainstream America see that gays can be just as "normal" than the rest of the world, then kudos to the depiction. I would argue that this depiction of gays is actually atypical of what we regularly see: hypermasculine, hypergorgeous, hyperfit men. Hardly the norm, and yet we are bombarded with those images.
Bottomline, we are everywhere and not ALL of us make a show of our existence.
Cheers!
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