When television schedules were announced last year, I marked Wednesdays on my calendar are a good family block with two new shows, Parenthood at 8:00 and Modern Family at 9:00. Both were similar in that they both focused on an extended family which made for easy comparisons. Unfortunately Parenthood got yanked from the schedule and when it popped up it was at the unfamily friendly timeslot of 10:00 on Tuesdays (where it returns tonight). But despite the separation, they were still the best two new network programs and so I thought I would do an old school toss up to see which family show was in fact better.
90’s Sitcom RefugeeModern Family: Al Bundy
Parenthood: Coach
Winner: Modern Family
Created By
Modern Family: Christopher Lloyd who may or may not be Doc Brown
Parenthood: The guys who brought us Arrested Development and Friday Night Lights
Winner: Parenthood
Younger Brothers Is…
Modern Family: ADHD
Parenthood: Autistic
Winner: Modern Family
Mom from Boston Legal
Modern Family: Carol Vessey
Parenthood: Monica Potter
Winner: Modern Family
Mr. MomModern Family: Cameron Tucker
Parenthood: Joel Graham
Winner: Modern Family
Costume of Choice
Modern Family: Clown
Parenthood: Pirate
Winner: Parenthood
Temptresses
Modern Family: Phil’s ex-girlfriend Judy Greer
Parenthood: Joel’s PTA buddy
Winner: Parenthood
Dude from The Class
Modern Family: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Parenthood: Jason Ritter
Winner: Modern Family
![Modern Family: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002JVWQT6&tag=scootemcgavis-20)
Absentee DadModern Family: Manny’s father
Parenthood: Crosby
Winner: Parenthood
Underaged Daughter Who, Thank Chris Hansen, Is Over 18 in Real Life
Modern Family: Haley
Parenthood: Haddie
Winner: Modern Family
Ethnic Diversity
Modern Family: Al Bundy married a Latina
Parenthood: Cosby hooked up with a black chick
Winner: Modern Family
Guest Stars
Modern Family: Edward Norton, Elizabeth Banks
Parenthood: Dr. Harold Abbott, Lyla Garrity
Winner: Parenthood
Theme Song
Modern Family: Bob Dylan’s Forever Young
Parenthood: an instrumental
Winner: Parenthood
There you have it, Modern Family squeaks out a victory 7-6. Parenthood airs Tuesdays at 10:00 starting tonight. You can stream episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes. Modern Family airs Wednesdays starting next week at 9:00. You can stream episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.
I can't think of a single thing that MF does better than 'Parenthood' except make me cringe from one unwatchable scene after another.
ReplyDeleteI have watched both and absolutely hate Modern Family with an all consuming rage. It's like they put all the attention seeking whiny brats they could find put them in one family and said "this is good TV" when it most clearly is not.
ReplyDeleteParenthood is awesome because it really feels like a real family that could be living a block away from you. It feels like people you could have as friends. Not to mention it actually points to real family issues like what it is like to have a child that is autistic or with aspergers. Modern Family posts two gay people who you can tell would never be a couple in real life as one of their biggest things and honestly as someone who has gay friends who have kids THEY DON'T act like that. There is nothing about Modern Family that isn't a ugly characterization that tries to force people that have nothing in common together over and over.
Parenthood by contrast is like being a quiet friend who sits in one of their living rooms and just happens to see everything that goes on good and bad. It makes you feel for the characters more because you see yourselves and your friends and their families in the family represented.