ABC's contemporary reworking of the classic American family sitcom presents an extended clan that's nothing if not diverse. Patriarch Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) is on his second marriage, this time to a younger woman, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), who has an adolescent son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez). Jay's grown daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), is a suburban stay-at-home mom playing parent to her three kids and husband, Phil (Ty Burrell); and Jay's son, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), is a self-conscious, anxiety-ridden gay man with a flamboyant partner, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), and an increasingly demanding adopted baby. The episodes deal with familiar situations (this season opens with a vacation at a western dude ranch and goes through celebrations of Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as an unconventional Christmas), and routinely end with a heartwarming reflection on family life. But the Pritchetts' everyday challenges are as up-to-date as they are timeless, and the writing continually finds new comic twists on well-worn themes. Both a popular hit and a critical favorite, Modern Family won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series twice and earned 14 nominations for this top-rated third season. Compiling 24 episodes from 2011–12, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Modern Family: The Complete Third Season
Fox, 3 discs, 515 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98, Blu-ray: $59.99 Volume 27, Issue 6
Modern Family: The Complete Third Season
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