Modern Family

As much as we hate the joke we're about to make, we had "Great Expectations" for this week's episode of Modern Family.  The highly anticipated episode guest starred both Elizabeth Banks and Edward Norton.

So how could an episode with these two heavy weights be so mediocre?  Well for starters, Edward Norton's role as Izzy LaFontaine of Spandau Ballet was hilarious in concept.  Come on, Claire brought in the bassist of a band Phil's never heard of to play for their anniversary?  Hilarious set up, but just didn't produce enough laughs.

Elizabeth Banks as Sal was at least a little funnier, but didn't give us the crazy adventure we were hoping for.  Perhaps she needed more time than just one-third of a half hour sitcom.

The saving grace of this episode was grandpa Jay.  He had all the kids over for a P-Jay party at his house and he spent the whole time trying to keep Haly on lockdown.  Seeing him thwart her attempts at escape were hilarious.

We've said it before, but a mediocre episode of Modern Family was still easily better than any other comedy being offered, so we'll take it.  Here are just some of the Modern Family quotes from the episode:

Haley: This is kind of an important party.
Jay: The last thing you to do is insult someone when they invite you.
Haley: Exactly.
[Jay walks out]
Haley: OMG. That was so easy.
Alex: You really don't understand what just happened, do you? | permalink

Phil: I never liked Spandau Ballet. Our entire marriage, I never once mentioned Spandau Ballet. Am I even pronouncing that right? | permalink

Gloria [about Haley]: When I was her age I loved my grandfather, but I still wanted to be with boys.
Jay: I know, so did Claire.. and Mitchell. | permalink

Sal [about Lily]: Show me some pictures of Yoko... cause she's asian and she broke up our group. | permalink

Just when we thought Modern Family couldn't get any more hilarious...

The best new sitcom in years has announced that Fred Willard will guest star on a future episode. The actor - a veteran of movies such as Best in Show and For Your Consideration - will play Phil's father.

Said Ty Burrell (Phil), who campaigned for this casting addition earlier in the year:

“Fred is not just a pioneer for this type of comedy, but somebody who has really set the tone for how it can be done, so it was just a total honor [to work with him]. He really established, even going back to Spinal Tap, some of the funniest stuff out of the medium.”

Willard joins a long list of impressive Modern Family guest stars, including: Shelley Long, Edward Norton, Benjamin Bratt, Chazz Palmenteri and Minnie Driver.

While it's difficult to choose the funniest Modern Family cast member, we'd go with Ty Burrell through the sitcom's first few episodes.

Everything Phil says and does cracks us up.

Asked by E! News about upcoming guest star Benjamin Bratt's role as as Manny's father, Javier, Burrell said:

"Javier is playing irresponsible, and they all have their tête-à-tête about it, but you don't leave thinking anybody is a bad guy. We start to actually like Javier a little bit, and I think he'll probably be recurring."

More Benjamin Bratt? That works for us.

So does more Modern Family. It returns, after a week off, tomorrow night!

After starring in the critically acclaimed, albeit poorly rated, The Riches for a season, Minnie Driver is returning to television.

The actress will guest star on a January episode of Modern Family; aka The Funniest Show in the History of Television... or close to it, at least.

Driver will portray a former friend that reconnects with Julie Bowen's Claire.

Next week, Elizabeth Banks appears on the sitcom as a woman from Mitchell and Cam's hilarious past.

After last week's somewhat disappointing episode, we were glad to see Modern Family was on point again this week.  Our major criticism of last week's episode was that the families' storylines were not intertwined.

This week, all three families gathered together for Manny's fencing tournament.  When Claire and Mitchell saw their father's pride in Manny, it brought up hidden feelings in both of them.

It caused Claire and Phil to look at each of their kids, and in particular, Luke to find out what they could excel in.  Meanwhile, Mitchell was reminded of his figure skating career with Claire that was cut short.  You can find out what the two siblings did in our "En Garde" recap.

Overall the best moments were with the family coming together and we loved it.  We've heard criticism from around the web that the voiceovers and shared themes are cheesy.  To those people we say find another show because we're pretty sure Modern Family is sitcom heaven to us.

Here's some of our favorite Modern Family quotes from the episode:

Claire: Luke already is the best at something. Being my son ... That sounded a lot less lame in my head. | permalink

Mitchell: You had your own moments. You had cheerleading, and high school plays, and making out with the quarterback...
Claire: Oh come on, you made out with him, too.
Mitchell: Yeah, but we had to keep it a secret. | permalink

Jay: When I first heard Manny wanted to fence I was like sure, uncoordinated kid, lethal weapon, how could this go wrong?
Gloria: What do you think now?
Jay: I'm proud of our little Zorro | permalink

Mitchell: Just the emerald city at the end of my yellow brick road
Cameron: Wow you did it
Mitchell: What?
Cameron: You made figure skating sound even gayer. | permalink

We didn't think it was possible for Modern Family to get any better.

But the ABC sitcom continues to prove us wrong each week, and will do so again on November 18.

One of our favorite actresses, Elizabeth Banks, guest stars on that date's episode, playing an old friend of Mitchell and Cameron's named Sal.

“We haven’t seen Sal in a while because we’ve been so busy with the baby,” Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell) told theTVaddict.com, “We decide to go out for a night of drinking together and she just kind of crumbles into this heaping mess of drunken nausea.”

We can see that, Jesse...

ABC definitely played the last two Modern Family episodes out of order.  Last night, the kids began their first day of school, just one week after Luke and Manny got into a fight.. at school.  Owell, we'll blame the network, not this amazing show.

While last night's episode, "Run For Your Wife" was entertaining, it definitely lacked our favorite part of the Modern Family formula: the families interacting!  Each family had their own distinct plotlines and the only interaction was Mitchell calling Claire for a little advice.

Don't worry, the episode still had more laughs than any other sitcom on television, it just couldn't compete with previous episode.  Still, check out some of the great Modern Family quotes from the episode:

Manny: How's my hair?
Jay: Hold on, what are you wearing there? That looks like an old Christmas tree skirt
Manny: It's a traditional Colombian pioncho, I want my new classmates to know I'm proud of my heritage
Gloria: I think you look very handsome, lindo!
Jay: Oh really? Am I driving him to school or is he gonna ride his burro? | permalink

Claire: Phil, let it go, I'm faster than you
Phil: If only there was some way we could settle this once and for all, but how?
Claire: You seriously want to race me? I ran a half-marathon last year
Phil: Okay, I'm half scared
Claire: Okay, we do need to do this. I'll go change | permalink

Gloria: The poncho by itself is fine. The poncho plus the flute plus the stupid dance? My son will die a virgin | permalink

He isn't exactly known for his comedic timing, but that may soon change now that Chazz Palminteri has lined up a role on Modern Family.

The movie actor, who often plays a mobster, will square off against Jay on the golf course in a winter episode that involves Mitchell, Cameron and a major gay understanding.

Benjamin Bratt has also agreed to a guest-starring role on the hilarious sitcom.

Catch up on your favorite Modern Family quotes now!

Normally every episode of Modern Family starts off with three different plotlines that seem to merge into one at the end.  Don't get us wrong, we normally love that formula.

However, on last night's episode the show jumped right into the whole family getting together much earlier, and we felt the show really shined.  The strength of this show is the characters and their bizarre situation.  Sticking them all in Jay's house to watch a football game was perfect.

If you want to catch up on the individual events of the episode, read our recap of "Coal Digger," but in short, the episode revolved around Claire and Gloria fighting while the rest of the family tried to watch the game.

Now for some of our favorite Modern Family quotes from the episode:

Mitchell: Come on, you love scrap-booking.
Cameron: Did I Mitchell? Did I? [Leaves room]
Mitchell: No, stop. Don't do the double question to prove a point thing. I hate it when people do that.
Cameron [holds Lily outside the door]: Do you Mitchell? Do you?
Mitchell: Stop Lily | permalink

Jay: I don't like watching football with people that don't care about the game, they talk
Manny: You talk during my football games
Jay: For one thing it's called soccer and your team scored two goals all season, I'm not risking much | permalink

Haley: Can I have forty dollars for lunch?
Claire: Forty dollars?
Haley: I also need a book for school.
Claire: A book?
Haley: I want a dress.
Claire: Do you have any idea what a bad liar you are?
Alex: I'd be more worried that she couldn't come up with a single book title | permalink

Last night on Modern Family, Shelly Long guest starred as Claire and Mitchell's mother, Dede.   Jay's ex-wife made her first trip to see the family after the incident at the wedding.

Meanwhile, Haley was busy trying to convince her parents to let her go to an overnight concert with Dylan, while Manny had his first slumber party. 

Find out how all three of these stories came together in our recap of "The Incident."

Now for some of our favorite Modern Family quotes from the episode:

Claire [on her mother]: You know how growing up we all have that voice inside our head that tells us we're not good enough? Well, mine was outside my head driving me to school | permalink

Jay: What's up!
Mitchell: Uh, well you know, uh, moms in town.
Jay: Your mom?
Mitchell: No, no your mom. She's back from the grave. Yes, yes my mom, dad.
Jay: My mom would be less scary | permalink

Gloria: I'm taking a shower, would you like to join me?
Jay: Honey, you know there's a gun in the footlocker in the garage, if I ever say no, I want you to use it on me | permalink

Claire: My mom started drinking these cocktails called "horny Colombians" with some of Gloria's uncles, whom apparently the drink was named after
Phil: Oh come, they were funny
Claire: They kept grabbing my butt
Phil: Somebody is full of herself. It's a Colombian wedding tradition.. they said | permalink