Okay, I admit, ties are quite a crummy cop-out. But honestly, I couldn't decide. 20 plus years of proven hilarity against 3 great seasons of laugh out loud fun. And so, dear readers, there is a tie. But it is the only one.
Modern Family
ABC
This wonderful sitcom is about a family; three families, but one family in reality. This family is headed by Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) and his second (and some would say trophy) wife Gloria. Jay is a very successful (with a capital S) businessman and he and his first wife grew apart (the first wife played with total hilarity by Shellie Long in a few episodes). He now has married the incredibly beautiful and much younger Gloria ( Sofia Vergara). She brings to this family a son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) who believes he is Don Juan reincarnated. Manny is about 11.
From this previous marriage Jay had two children. First there was Claire. Claire is brought to life by Julie Bowen. Claire is one of those characters that doesn't jump to the front of the minds of fans, but she is one of the nuts and bolts that holds this show together. Her husband and children wouldn't be nearly as great if it weren't for her. Julie plays Claire flawlessly. Claire is married to Phil Dunphey. Phil is a realtor and the guy that thinks he is "the cool Dad." He gets why his daughter wants to spend a weekend away to see a concert. Hey when he was 18, he was a "Hall-raiser"...he spent the whole summer following Hall and Oates around the country. By the way, Phil and Claire have 3 children: Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter), and Luke (Nolan Gould). These three are all nuggets of gold in their own right. I could go on and on about what each brings to this wonderful, goofy family.
Finally, Jay also had a son. Mitchell (played incredibly by Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Camron (played remarkably by Eric Stonestreet). And my hats go off to the producers and creators for casting Eric - a heavy set guy playing a gay. But of course, the creators of this show are the one and only sit-com icons Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. They seem to know what they're doing. They've only created hit after hit.....
By the way Mitchell and Cameron have adopted a baby girl in the first season and have named her Lily. Naturally since she's Vietnamese, Phil wonders if she'll even be able to pronounce Lily. But then, you have to know Phil...
So let me just say, that although there is great writing in this show, it really wouldn't work without this cast. I can't believe any other group of people could make this work. Okay, Manny is sometimes weak, but he'll get there. I had forgotten how really good Ed O'Neill is. And the others! I often sit and try and decide who my favorite character is, and I just can't. They are all so perfect and wonderful. (Okay, put a gun to my head and I'd say Phil).
Modern Family is a show that is guaranteed to have you throw your head back and laugh out loud at least three times and episode. But then so does...
The Simpsons FOX
There is a reason this show has been on the air longer than any prime time show in history. It is just plain funny. Maybe the funniest half hour on TV and it has been for well over 20 years. Besides just the Simpson family there have been so many great characters added in this show over the years that are wonderful. Some have even become as well known as the Simpsons themselves. Ned Flanders the religious neighbor, Crusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, Moe, Mr. Burns, the Comic Book Guy (who just wanders around exclaiming "this is the worst episode ever"), the Reverend, and on and on and on. And we love each and every one.
Homer will always be my favorite. He is simple. He is motivated by simple things. Mostly food. Once there was a reference to the Burger Supreme Court, and he couldn't get past drooling about the word 'Burger'. Some of my favorite quotes were uttered by Homer. Such as "Rock Stars - is there anything they don't know?"
When watching the Simpsons one must always keep an eye on what is going on in the background. There are always hilarious signs, or names of places that shouldn't be missed. The DVDs should be had for that reason alone.
Another thing I love so much about the Simpsons is that if they need to suddenly fly to England, no big deal. The writers can dream up anything they want. It's "only" animation after all. The sky's the limit.
The Simpsons will be a part of American Culture from now until the end of American Culture. And what I have discovered over the years is that the only people who don't love and adore the Simpsons are the folks who've never watched them.
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