Pilot (Modern Family)

Last updated
"Pilot"
Modern Family episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Jason Winer
Written by
Cinematography byDavid Hennings
Editing byRyan Case
Production code1ARG79
Original air dateSeptember 23, 2009 (2009-09-23)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
—		Next →
"The Bicycle Thief"
Modern Family season 1
List of episodes

"Pilot" [1] [2] [3] is the first episode of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family . Written by series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, it premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 23, 2009. The episode introduces viewers to three sets of people who make up a single family. The episode is shot in a mockumentary style, with a cameraman following the characters around their everyday lives and interviewing them at various intervals. It cuts between the experiences of the three separate units before they all come together at the end of the episode.

Contents

In the episode, Jay's family tries to function despite the age difference between himself and his second wife, Gloria. Claire and Phil try to punish their son and watch over their elder daughter and her new boyfriend. Mitchell tries to hide the fact that he and his partner Cameron have adopted a daughter in Vietnam from his family until Cameron invites Mitchell's family without consulting him (which is revealed to be the other two families). Reviews for the pilot episode compared Modern Family to shows such as Married... with Children (which starred Ed O'Neill), Frasier (which the creators of Modern Family worked on), Malcolm in the Middle and, most strongly, Arrested Development . [4] [5] In the United Kingdom, reviewers saw similarities between Modern Family and Outnumbered . [6] The episode has received multiple nominations and has won Episodic Comedy at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2009 and also a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

The series begins at the home of Phil and Claire Dunphy and their three children: Haley, Alex, and Luke. Claire tells Haley that her skirt is too short, but Phil allows her to wear it. In side interviews, Phil calls himself a "cool dad", while Claire wants to prevent her children from making the same mistakes she did when she was growing up. Alex complains that Luke shot her with the toy gun Phil bought him. Claire forces Phil to follow through on his deal with Luke: if Luke shoots someone, Phil will have to shoot him.

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett and her husband, Jay, are watching Gloria's son Manny play soccer. An overenthusiastic Gloria shouts encouragement to her son and argues with another parent. Gloria and Jay are then interviewed, where Gloria discusses the differences between their backgrounds; she comes from a small village in Colombia that is "number one for murders", while he comes from the city and owns a big business. Back on the pitch, Manny misses a goal when he spots a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl riding by on a bicycle. Gloria speaks to the father of one of the other players, who assumes that Jay is her dad.

The scene shifts to Mitchell and Cameron, a gay couple who are on a plane returning from Vietnam after having adopted a baby, Lily. The other passengers admire Lily, with one man commenting, "You and your wife must be thrilled". When Cameron walks on board and sits down beside Mitchell, an uneasy silence develops. In their interview, Mitchell and Cameron say that they have been together for five years. Back on the plane, Mitchell threatens to make a speech and does so when a woman says "look at that baby with those cream puffs", which he believes is a reference to him and Cameron. In fact, she is referring to the cream puffs Lily is eating. Cameron apologizes by offering to pay for headsets for all the passengers.

Back at the Dunphy residence, Haley has invited Dylan, a senior boy from her high school, over. Claire instructs Phil to "scare him", but Phil hurts his back in the process, and Dylan is forced to carry Phil to the couch. Haley brings her boyfriend upstairs and grows annoyed when Claire constantly checks on them. Haley goes downstairs to complain to Phil, who is preparing to shoot Luke against his will. Phil though, accidentally shoots Luke, Dylan, and then himself.

After the soccer game, Jay is mistaken for a mall walker so he decides to buy some 'hip' new clothes. Meanwhile, Manny reads a poem to the sixteen-year-old and is crushed when she says she has a boyfriend.

The last scene is at Mitchell and Cameron's house where Lily is going to be introduced to the rest of the family and is revealed for the first time that all the characters are related; Jay is Mitchell & Claire's father. Before Lily is introduced, Jay, who is unsure if Mitchell and Cameron are ready for fatherhood, suggests that if they are bored, they should get a dog. Cameron enters, holding Lily aloft before the family while "Circle of Life" from The Lion King plays. Eventually, the whole family accepts the adoption and welcomes Lily as part of their family.

Production

Conception

While working in the office Lloyd and Levitan were telling stories about their family and they thought that could be a show idea, and started working with the concept of families being observed in a mockumentary style show. They then later decided it would be a show about three families and their experiences. [7] The show was originally called My American Family. [8] Originally, the camera crew would be run by a fictitious Dutch filmmaker named Geert Floortje who had lived with Jay's family as a teenage exchange student and developed a crush on Claire (while Mitchell had a crush on him), but decided against it. [9] The creators pitched it to three of the four major networks (they did not pitch it to Fox due to problems Lloyd had with the network with previous shows). CBS, not ready to use the single-camera style of filming, nor ready to make another large commitment, did not accept the series. NBC, already having two shows of similar style (mockumentary), The Office and Parks and Recreation , decided against accepting the series until the success of the other two series decreased. ABC accepted the series. [10] The series was given a full season pickup on October 8, 2009. [11] [12] On January 12, 2010, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that Modern Family had been renewed for a second season. [13]

Casting

Casting for Modern Family was very difficult (except for Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Initially Ed O'Neill had lost the part to Craig T. Nelson (who would later go on to play Zeek Braverman on Parenthood on NBC) although he was eventually cast after Nelson turned down the part due to money problems. [14] Eric Stonestreet who was unknown at the time had to fight for the role of Cameron. It was also difficult for Julie Bowen as she was pregnant with twins during filming and had to cover her pregnant belly with clothes, pillows, laundry baskets etc. while Ty Burrell had to test for the role of Phil Dunphy three times. Initially Jesse Tyler Ferguson had auditioned for the role of Cameron before Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan thought he would be better suited for the role of Mitchell. [15]

Filming

The episode was filmed in Los Angeles in the United States and is set in a nameless suburban neighborhood. [4] It was written and produced by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, who had worked together on Frasier. When Julie Bowen, who plays Claire Dunphy, read the script, she "desperately wanted to do it" but was pregnant with twins. [16] Bowen "auditioned, begged and pleaded", eventually convincing the show makers to film around her stomach. [16] In the pilot, shot when Bowen was 8½ months pregnant, [17] Bowen hides her stomach with laundry. [18] When Phil was dancing to the High School Musical song it was very difficult for the child actors not to laugh with everyone laughing when they had finished filming the scene. [19]

Reception

Ratings

The episode premiered on ABC in the United States on September 23, 2009. The show was watched live by 12.61 million viewers, placing it as the most viewed show of the night and the series. It also acquired a Nielsen rating of 4.2/11 in the 18-49 age bracket. [20] The show began broadcasting in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on 15 October 2009. [21] The pilot was watched by 444,000 viewers across two airings, with 348,000 watching the show in the 8pm time slot. [22]

Reviews

The pilot episode received universal acclaim, with some reviewers highlighting it as one of the best new comedies of 2009. Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode an 8.8 saying it was "Great" and "The premiere episode does a fantastic job of introducing us to these family units, and it was fun to see how they would be connected to each other in the realm of the series. The smaller issues aside - the mildly unclear format, some forced clichés - the pilot episode of Modern Family is a must see comedy". [23] Variety wrote "Easily the new season's best comedy pilot, Modern Family deftly serves up laughs on multiple levels, from understated one-liners to deft sight-gags." [5] Mary McNamara of the LA Times commented "Just when we were thinking it couldn't be done, ABC's Modern Family has single-handedly brought the family comedy back from the dead...Modern Family is sharp, timely and fresh, complicated enough to be interesting but with a soft, sweet center". [24] The New York Times' Gina Bellafante called the series "the best new half-hour of funny television in a season rife with half-hours of funny television". [4] She also felt it was a replacement for Arrested Development , the "last great family comedy" which ended in 2006. The success of the pilot led to the series holding a rating of 86/100 on Metacritic from 25 reviews. [25] ABC ordered a full 22-episode season of the show. [26]

Awards and nominations

The episode received multiple award nominations. The episode's director Jason Winer won Directors Guild of America award for Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series. [27] The episode also won for Episodic Comedy at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2009 tying with Robert Carlock for his work on a 30 Rock episode: "Apollo, Apollo". [28] The episode was also nominated for numerous Primetime Emmy Awards winning Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, but lost Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series to Glee . [29]

Related Research Articles

Modern Family is an American sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for ABC. It aired for eleven seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse family set-ups living in suburban Los Angeles, who are interrelated through their patriarch, Jay Pritchett.

"The Incident" is the fourth episode of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family. It premiered on ABC in the United States on October 14, 2009. The episode was written by co-creator and executive producer of Modern Family, Steven Levitan and directed by series main director, Jason Winer.

Run for Your Wife (<i>Modern Family</i>) 6th episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Run for Your Wife" is the sixth episode of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family. It premiered on ABC in the United States on October 28, 2009. The episode was written by Brad Walsh & Paul Corrigan and directed by Jason Winer.

<i>Modern Family</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the television comedy series Modern Family aired on ABC from September 23, 2009, to May 19, 2010. The season was produced by Lloyd-Levitan Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with series creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan serving as executive producers. The series was picked up on April 29, 2009, and finished production in August 2009.

"Up All Night" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family and the eleventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on ABC in the United States on January 6, 2010. The episode was written by co-creator Christopher Lloyd and directed by Michael Spiller. The episode features the first appearance of Javier, Manny's biological father and Gloria's first husband, portrayed by Benjamin Bratt.

"Fifteen Percent" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family, and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ABC on January 20, 2010. The episode was written by co-creator Steven Levitan and directed by Jason Winer.

"Airport 2010" is the twenty-second episode of the American television sitcom series Modern Family and the twenty-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 5, 2010, on ABC. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel & Dan O'Shannon and directed by Jason Winer.

Hawaii (<i>Modern Family</i>) 23rd episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Hawaii" is the twenty-third episode of Modern Family on the first season and the twenty-third episode of the series overall. It originally premiered on May 12, 2010, on ABC. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by series co-creator Steven Levitan.

"Earthquake" is the third episode of the second season of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) American sitcom, Modern Family and the 27th episode overall. The episode originally aired October 6, 2010. It was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by Michael Spiller. It guest starred Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman and Vic Polizos as a plumber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Old Wagon</span> 1st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The Old Wagon" is the second season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 25th episode overall. It was aired on September 22, 2010. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and was directed by Michael Spiller. The episode is also Wrubel's first credit as co-executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangers on a Treadmill</span> 4th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Strangers on a Treadmill" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American sitcom, Modern Family and the 28th episode of the series overall. The episode originally aired on October 13, 2010 on American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zuker and directed by Scott Ellis.

Unplugged (<i>Modern Family</i>) 5th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Unplugged" is the fifth episode of the second season of the ABC sitcom, Modern Family, and the 29th episode of the series overall. The episode originally aired October 20, 2010. It was written by series co-creator Steven Levitan and directed by Michael Spiller.

"Chirp" is the seventh episode of the second season of Modern Family and the 31st episode overall. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on November 3, 2010. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by season two's main director, Michael Spiller.

"Mother Tucker" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the 33rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on November 24, 2010 on ABC. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and was directed by Michael Spiller.

Caught in the Act (<i>Modern Family</i>) 13th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Caught in the Act" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American television comedy series, Modern Family and the 37th overall episode of the series. Co-creator Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman wrote the episode and Michael Spiller directed it. The episode originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on January 19, 2011. It featured guest star Rachael Harris as restaurant owner, Amelia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boys' Night</span> 18th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Boys' Night" is the 18th episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family's second season and the 42nd episode overall. It was originally aired on March 23, 2011. The episode was written by series co-creator Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, and was directed by Chris Koch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Someone to Watch Over Lily</span> 20th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Someone to Watch Over Lily" is the 20th episode of the American comedy television series Modern Family's second season, and the 44th episode overall. It was originally aired on April 20, 2011. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and directed by Michael Spiller.

Mothers Day (<i>Modern Family</i>) 21st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Mother's Day" is the 21st episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family's second season and the 45th episode overall of the series. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 4, 2011. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon & Ilana Wernick and was directed by Michael Spiller.

"Baby on Board" is the 24th episode of the third season, as well as the season finale of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 72nd episode overall. It aired on May 23, 2012. The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham and directed by Steven Levitan. The episode features guest actors Reid Ewing and Terri Hoyos. It was viewed by 10.07 million people in its original US broadcast.

References

  1. ↑ Winer, Jason (23 September 2009). "Pilot". Modern Family. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Modern Family". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Modern Family". Amazon. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Bellafante, Ginia (2009-10-22). "Television Review - 'Modern Family' - Dispatches from the Home Front in an ABC sitcom with Ed O'Neill". New York Times . Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  5. 1 2 Lowry, Brian (2009-09-20). "Modern Family Review - TV Show Reviews - Analysis of Modern Family The TV Series". Variety . Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  6. ↑ Frost, Vicky (2009-10-15). "Does Sky1's Modern Family remind you anything". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  7. ↑ "Modern Family Season 1: Christopher Lloyd Interview". MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  8. ↑ "'Modern Family' a freshman hit for ABC - Entertainment - Television - TODAYshow.com". Today.msnbc.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  9. ↑ "Modern Family: Co-creator Steve Levitan weighs in". NJ.com. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  10. ↑ Pond, Steve (15 July 2010). "It's a 'Modern Family' Affair at the Emmys". The Wrap . Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  11. ↑ Robert Seidman (October 8, 2009). ""ABC gives full season pickups to "Modern Family", "Cougar Town," and "The Middle""". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009.
  12. ↑ Isis Abrams. "ABC Picks Up Cougar Town, Modern Family and The Middle". TVGuide.com.
  13. ↑ "ABC bringing back 'Modern Family,' 'Cougar Town' - The Live Feed | THR". Thrfeed.com. 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
  14. ↑ "Craig T. Nelson Turned Down 'Modern Family' for Money, 'Lone Star' Alum Lands 'Hawaii Five-0' Role and More". Tvsquad.com. 2011-01-27. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  15. ↑ "Jesse Tyler Ferguson talks 'Modern Family', improvising on set and audition for the role | Daily Actor - The Actors Online Entertainment Resource". Daily Actor. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  16. 1 2 "Brown grad Julie Bowen stars in 'Modern Family' on ABC | projo.com | The Providence Journal TV |". projo.com. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  17. ↑ Levin, Gary (2009-09-01). "It's all in the 'Modern Family': Comedy that's not so 'snarky'". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  18. ↑ Savage, Lesley (2010-01-21). "'Modern Family' recap: Seeds of change | EW.com". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  19. ↑ "Home Videos 4 Modern Family - ABC". Abc.go.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  20. ↑ Seidman, Robert (2009-09-24). "Wednesday broadcast finals: Modern Family down a tenth, Cougar Town up a tenth with adults 18-49". TV by the numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  21. ↑ Shepherd, Robert (2009-08-26). "Sky 1 acquires US comedy Modern Family". Broadcast Now. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  22. ↑ "Modern Family gathers 444,000 for Sky 1". Broadcast Now. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  23. ↑ Robert Canning (2009-09-22). "Modern Family: "Pilot" Review". IGN.com. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  24. ↑ McNamara, Mary (2009-09-23). "Modern Family". LA Times . Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  25. ↑ "The Modern Family reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic . Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  26. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (2009-10-08). "ABC orders full seasons of Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  27. ↑ "Modern Family on ABC : Modern Family Win!". Modern Family ABC. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  28. ↑ "wga awards". Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  29. ↑ "2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.