Sunday Emmanuel

@sundayemmanuel · 09 Jan 2022

Follow Following

What to watch after modern family

Modern Family" was ratings and critical hit right from its 1st season. The show was praised for its nuanced approach to a plethora of challenges faced by nuclear, blended, and same-sex families, ranging from raising an adopted child from another country to keeping the romantic spark alive between partners. The creators of the show, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, chose to follow a mockumentary style for the show that ably blends genuinely touching moments with laugh-out-loud situations.  
After "Modern Family" finally wrapped up in 2020, fans wondered if another show could possibly take its place. Fortunately, there are a variety of options both new and old for those who want to watch other shows built along similar lines. Check out any of the following shows to scratch that "Modern Family" itch.

Arrested Development
Few sitcoms have ever managed to reach the heights of cult stardom like "Arrested Development." The show follows the lives of the Bluth household, a wealthy clan that finds their lives in tatters after the family patriarch, a real estate developer, is arrested on charges of corruption and jailed in the show's first episode.

The Goldbergs
Even as many sitcoms like "Modern Family" explore present times, a few continue to traverse the past in the tradition of "The Wonder Years." In that category falls "The Goldbergs," which premiered in 2013 and was produced by Adam F. Goldberg, Seth Gordon, and Doug Robinson. The show is based on Goldberg's childhood memories and family life back in the 1980s and is complete with a childhood version of himself.

Schitt's Creek
Created by and starring father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, "Schitt's Creek" opens with the formerly wealthy Rose family in a heap of trouble. Following an attempt by their business manager to embezzle funds from the family business, the Rose family loses its fortune and is forced to relocate to Schitt's Creek, a small town they once purchased as a joke based on its name.

Frasier
Before Christopher Lloyd partnered up with Steven Levitan to create "Modern Family," he had years of experience working as head writer and showrunner for "Frasier," another sitcom that revolved around humorous misunderstandings between family members that are resolved, often in a touching manner, by the end of the episode.  

The Good Place
One thing that separates the sitcoms of today from the sitcoms of the past is a willingness to deal honestly with important issues in a comedic manner. "Modern Family" did it all the time with topics of adoption, homophobia, death, and loss. "The Good Place" continued that tradition from 2016 to 2020 by exploring the nature of right and wrong and questioning what it really means to be a good person.
#whattowatch