What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms
An oral history, with the full participation of cast and crew, of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.
Since premiering in 2009, the groundbreaking television sitcom Modern Family has garnered tens of millions of devoted fans, earning 75 Emmy nominations and 22 Emmy Awards, including five in a row for Outstanding Comedy Series (one of only two sitcoms to ever achieve that feat). Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it. With funny, heartfelt and relatable stories about family, Modern Family has gained a worldwide following of hundreds of millions of viewers in countries as diverse as England, Israel, The Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.
As much as people love the show, few know the stories behind it. How did a kernel of an idea by Emmy-winning writers Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd morph into a television juggernaut? Where did they find the cast? How did they come up with story ideas and film favorite episodes? What went on behind the scenes? Up until now, there have been individual stories and interviews about the show, but nothing comprehensive that captures the complete story of the series.
Marc Freeman's Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms is the only major book ever written that explores this show as told by those who created it. More than seventy people, including the entire cast, crew, and creators, detail the full history of this iconic sitcom. The cast recalls their memories of the trials and tribulations of casting. They share their impressions from the first table read through the last light turning out. Writers, directors, and performers walk readers through storylines, production and favorite episodes. Guest stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Josh Gad, Adam Devine, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane recall their appearances on the show while others recount their experiences working with Kevin Hart, Barbara Streisand, Ed Norton and more. Readers get to go behind the scenes and experience the show like never before, including personal photos. They’ll also discover the never-told fallout and divorce of the two showrunners, making the show two separate series blended into one. Even people unfamiliar with the show will gain deep insight into what it takes to put a series on television.
Typically, oral histories come out as retrospectives, based entirely on recall. This one will have the benefit of having the ending occur in real-time. From script development to final season (the 11th season will be the show's last) readers will get a glimpse of the cast’s relationships with each other and the emotions attached to saying goodbye to the best and longest-running workplace many of them expect to ever experience. Much like the series itself, this book shares a story of family, of conflict and collaboration, that went into this timeless, groundbreaking series.
Since premiering in 2009, the groundbreaking television sitcom Modern Family has garnered tens of millions of devoted fans, earning 75 Emmy nominations and 22 Emmy Awards, including five in a row for Outstanding Comedy Series (one of only two sitcoms to ever achieve that feat). Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it. With funny, heartfelt and relatable stories about family, Modern Family has gained a worldwide following of hundreds of millions of viewers in countries as diverse as England, Israel, The Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.
As much as people love the show, few know the stories behind it. How did a kernel of an idea by Emmy-winning writers Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd morph into a television juggernaut? Where did they find the cast? How did they come up with story ideas and film favorite episodes? What went on behind the scenes? Up until now, there have been individual stories and interviews about the show, but nothing comprehensive that captures the complete story of the series.
Marc Freeman's Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms is the only major book ever written that explores this show as told by those who created it. More than seventy people, including the entire cast, crew, and creators, detail the full history of this iconic sitcom. The cast recalls their memories of the trials and tribulations of casting. They share their impressions from the first table read through the last light turning out. Writers, directors, and performers walk readers through storylines, production and favorite episodes. Guest stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Josh Gad, Adam Devine, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane recall their appearances on the show while others recount their experiences working with Kevin Hart, Barbara Streisand, Ed Norton and more. Readers get to go behind the scenes and experience the show like never before, including personal photos. They’ll also discover the never-told fallout and divorce of the two showrunners, making the show two separate series blended into one. Even people unfamiliar with the show will gain deep insight into what it takes to put a series on television.
Typically, oral histories come out as retrospectives, based entirely on recall. This one will have the benefit of having the ending occur in real-time. From script development to final season (the 11th season will be the show's last) readers will get a glimpse of the cast’s relationships with each other and the emotions attached to saying goodbye to the best and longest-running workplace many of them expect to ever experience. Much like the series itself, this book shares a story of family, of conflict and collaboration, that went into this timeless, groundbreaking series.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2020
88 people are currently reading
2108 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
April 30, 2020
Over a decade ago, I began watching Modern Family. It became a quick favorite and I watched it every week. When the last episode aired a few weeks ago, I was definitely sad. How could I keep up with all my favorite characters? Then I saw this book... and it was available via NetGalley, so I requested it, got lucky, and here I am today... excited to own a copy and be able to read it whenever I want.
Titled "Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms," this book written by Marc Freeman is a very in-depth look at how the show came together and became such a hit. We learn all the fun facts about where the stories came from, how the actors were selected, what shenanigans occurred on set, and how everyone felt at the end. It was quite comical and sad, and I definitely recommend the book to fans.
My only constructive feedback would be that the organization of the content could've been stronger. It hopped around a bit, and it often repeated itself to the point I stopped to ensure I hadn't accidentally picked up the wrong spot when I began to read again. I think it might've been stronger if there were sections in the book such that chapters were divided by actor and category. I would've enjoyed picking up a chapter about each actor and their story on the show, perhaps a few random chapters about the writers and the audience feedback. Instead, I thought often... this is getting too long and not as easy to read as I'd like.
That said, it's still very good and I would definitely tell others to buy it and treasure it. I learned so much about who else might've played a character, which actors suffered through awful personal issues, and how people reacted to the show in ways I wouldn't have expected. The writers are truly a great crowd, and I appreciate the honesty in this book. I'm sure they left out a few confidential things, but there were some surprises where I thought... "wow, so and so can be a jerk, but they can also be so kind!"
I will revisit this book, and it made me consider watching the show from the beginning again. I also recalled stories and guest stars I'd forgotten, so for those reasons alone, this is a book to get in your reading queue. Thanks for the opportunity!
Titled "Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms," this book written by Marc Freeman is a very in-depth look at how the show came together and became such a hit. We learn all the fun facts about where the stories came from, how the actors were selected, what shenanigans occurred on set, and how everyone felt at the end. It was quite comical and sad, and I definitely recommend the book to fans.
My only constructive feedback would be that the organization of the content could've been stronger. It hopped around a bit, and it often repeated itself to the point I stopped to ensure I hadn't accidentally picked up the wrong spot when I began to read again. I think it might've been stronger if there were sections in the book such that chapters were divided by actor and category. I would've enjoyed picking up a chapter about each actor and their story on the show, perhaps a few random chapters about the writers and the audience feedback. Instead, I thought often... this is getting too long and not as easy to read as I'd like.
That said, it's still very good and I would definitely tell others to buy it and treasure it. I learned so much about who else might've played a character, which actors suffered through awful personal issues, and how people reacted to the show in ways I wouldn't have expected. The writers are truly a great crowd, and I appreciate the honesty in this book. I'm sure they left out a few confidential things, but there were some surprises where I thought... "wow, so and so can be a jerk, but they can also be so kind!"
I will revisit this book, and it made me consider watching the show from the beginning again. I also recalled stories and guest stars I'd forgotten, so for those reasons alone, this is a book to get in your reading queue. Thanks for the opportunity!
April 9, 2020
Even though it's been years since I've watched a Modern Family episode, I enjoyed this book so much it has motivated me to binge watch the entire series. It reminded me how much I loved those early seasons and made me question why I stopped watching in the first place.
This book is similar in style to the Live From New York book about Saturday Night Live. For the most part the bulk of the material in this book is directly from the mouths of the cast members and crew. I personally love this format and even though the book clocks in at 500+ pages it doesn't feel like such a long and heavy read as a typical nonfiction book. The book covers how the show got it's start, the casting process, and goes into detail about specific episodes among other things. My guess is this will be the most definitive book about the show ever written and should satisfy both die hard and casual fans of Modern Family.
If you are expecting to get a lot of gossip and dirt about the show, you might be disappointed as for the most part the cast and crew truly did like each other and got along pretty well. The only drama was between the two co-creators and once they decided to each take on half of the episodes that greatly reduced the number of interactions and therefore arguments between them. Frequent guest star Shelly Long is discussed a bit by the people who worked with her but it was done in a respectful way. I don't think the lack of mudslinging and juicy gossip make this a less interesting read. To be quite honest it is refreshing to know that this group of coworkers really did consider themselves a family and continue to hang out with each other away from the show. It says a lot about who they are as people.
If you are fan of the show and/or like learning about the ins and outs of how a tv show is made, you will most likely enjoy reading this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book is similar in style to the Live From New York book about Saturday Night Live. For the most part the bulk of the material in this book is directly from the mouths of the cast members and crew. I personally love this format and even though the book clocks in at 500+ pages it doesn't feel like such a long and heavy read as a typical nonfiction book. The book covers how the show got it's start, the casting process, and goes into detail about specific episodes among other things. My guess is this will be the most definitive book about the show ever written and should satisfy both die hard and casual fans of Modern Family.
If you are expecting to get a lot of gossip and dirt about the show, you might be disappointed as for the most part the cast and crew truly did like each other and got along pretty well. The only drama was between the two co-creators and once they decided to each take on half of the episodes that greatly reduced the number of interactions and therefore arguments between them. Frequent guest star Shelly Long is discussed a bit by the people who worked with her but it was done in a respectful way. I don't think the lack of mudslinging and juicy gossip make this a less interesting read. To be quite honest it is refreshing to know that this group of coworkers really did consider themselves a family and continue to hang out with each other away from the show. It says a lot about who they are as people.
If you are fan of the show and/or like learning about the ins and outs of how a tv show is made, you will most likely enjoy reading this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
January 10, 2025
If you're a mega fan of the show, you might enjoy this book. And if you're interested in Hollywood productions, you might also be interested in this book.
I was most fascinated by the business discussions in the book. How the writers got the studios involved, how they figured out actor payments, how they had to adjust to certain guild/union rules, things like that.
The book also goes in depth on the fracturing that happens between the showrunners: Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Interestingly, for a book that has interviews from the cast and crew and is so intimately invovled with the subjects its about...its very critical of the fallout and shows how crazy behind the scenes became from a writing perspective. I am absolutely amazed the show is as cohesive as it is with how disfunctional the showrunners were.
Sometimes the book went into too much detail about topics that just weren't that interesting, such as the actor's personal lives, or how episodes affected them, and I felt that a good chuck, maybe 100-150 pages could have been cut down.
The book also introduces someone with their first and last name, and then every other time just about refers to them exclusively by their last name, unless someone's quote name drops a first name, and it became especially hard to keep track of some of the crew (especially the writers and producers).
I very much disagree with the worldview the show and its writers espouse, but reading their thought process and reasoning was very fascinating.
Overall, if you love the show Modern Family and have rewatched it a bunch, you might enjoy this book. If you've watched the show only once and don't care as much for the industry stuff, it might be worth skipping. But I enjoyed it for the most part. 7 out of 10.
I was most fascinated by the business discussions in the book. How the writers got the studios involved, how they figured out actor payments, how they had to adjust to certain guild/union rules, things like that.
The book also goes in depth on the fracturing that happens between the showrunners: Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Interestingly, for a book that has interviews from the cast and crew and is so intimately invovled with the subjects its about...its very critical of the fallout and shows how crazy behind the scenes became from a writing perspective. I am absolutely amazed the show is as cohesive as it is with how disfunctional the showrunners were.
Sometimes the book went into too much detail about topics that just weren't that interesting, such as the actor's personal lives, or how episodes affected them, and I felt that a good chuck, maybe 100-150 pages could have been cut down.
The book also introduces someone with their first and last name, and then every other time just about refers to them exclusively by their last name, unless someone's quote name drops a first name, and it became especially hard to keep track of some of the crew (especially the writers and producers).
I very much disagree with the worldview the show and its writers espouse, but reading their thought process and reasoning was very fascinating.
Overall, if you love the show Modern Family and have rewatched it a bunch, you might enjoy this book. If you've watched the show only once and don't care as much for the industry stuff, it might be worth skipping. But I enjoyed it for the most part. 7 out of 10.
October 4, 2020
Oral histories are fun little snapshots on how these shows were made. Behind the scenes readings and cast rememberings.
February 27, 2025
Great read except for 1 statement. “Modern Family airs in over 200 countries”. Do me a favor and google how many countries there are in the world
June 28, 2020
An absolutely outstanding and heartwarming account of one of the finest television shows in history. I loved hearing how the writers and actors experienced making the show. Ordinarily, I don’t like to peek behind the curtain because it takes some of the magic away but this book managed to make it seem more magical.
April 4, 2020
Modern Family by Marc Freeman is an excellent book that is everything and anything that has to do with the amazing show, Modern Family.
I have been a fan of this show since it debuted over a decade ago. I remember when the pilot debuted. I watched it and thought, man this is going to be an awesome show. It was funny, witty, fresh, awkward, heartwarming, and best of all, it made me want to come back for more. One would think that after so many years a show would lose its luster, but Modern Family just improves with age. I can watch reruns and still laugh out loud as if I am watching the plot for the first time. This show is truly special.
This book goes over so much: the creation, the inspiration for the characters, the casting, the development of the relationships. It also incorporates dialogue and discussions with the cast and crew on their thoughts, feelings, and memories of a once in a lifetime TV event. This book is with full approval and cooperation of the full cast, so the oral history, memories, and feelings are real and from the actual members themselves.
This is an excellent compilation of the “life and times” of Modern Family and is a treasure and must have for any fan.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.
I have been a fan of this show since it debuted over a decade ago. I remember when the pilot debuted. I watched it and thought, man this is going to be an awesome show. It was funny, witty, fresh, awkward, heartwarming, and best of all, it made me want to come back for more. One would think that after so many years a show would lose its luster, but Modern Family just improves with age. I can watch reruns and still laugh out loud as if I am watching the plot for the first time. This show is truly special.
This book goes over so much: the creation, the inspiration for the characters, the casting, the development of the relationships. It also incorporates dialogue and discussions with the cast and crew on their thoughts, feelings, and memories of a once in a lifetime TV event. This book is with full approval and cooperation of the full cast, so the oral history, memories, and feelings are real and from the actual members themselves.
This is an excellent compilation of the “life and times” of Modern Family and is a treasure and must have for any fan.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.
April 29, 2020
For 10 years I watched this show and I slowly became part of these families. This book arrived after I saw the last episode and has been a saving grace for the withdrawals. It is full of back stories on episodes and let’s you in on even more why the characters are the way they are. I can only hope the writers will strongly consider a spin-off because the world needs more Modern Families!
February 1, 2023
I have a backlog of a few reviews I need to get done, and I just finished this one, so why does this get to skip the line? There's a reason books like this rate as highly as they do. Five stars for an oral history about a television show, four stars for a literary classic - how does any of that make sense?
I would guess that you don't read a book like this unless you love the television show it is about. And, my god, I love Modern Family. I am not a big TV watcher. I'd like to watch more than I do, there are a ton of well-regarded shows that I just haven't gotten around to. Breaking Bad? Never watched it. The Wire? Watched two seasons and loved it, but still haven't gotten around to finishing it. There are three shows I rotate every single night as I try to go to sleep:
1. Friends
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. Modern Family
As I've gotten into my 40s and now with a child on the way, Modern Family has become my favorite show ever. It's such a positive show, almost always ending on an uplifting note with a voice-over accompanying scenes of happiness. When I was younger, maybe I would have preferred more edge. Now, however, I soak that positivity up like a sponge.
The writing and storylines are generally excellent, and the acting is some of the best comedic acting you'll ever see. In particular, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen never fail to make me laugh, no matter how many times I've watched a particular episode or scene. After 11 seasons, you form very real attachments to the characters. No matter how many times I watch it through, I never fail to cry at certain episodes and I can never make it through the finale without openly weeping.
This book gave me a very similar feeling. I teared up towards the end because I felt like I was saying goodbye to the characters again, but this time you realize you are also saying goodbye to the actors and to the writers and to all of the people that worked so hard to bring me joy for so long.
Marc Freeman does a fantastic job of letting the interviewees tell the story and doesn't get in the way. That's not to say that the occasional context he provides as well is not valuable. You get the impression that these individuals and this show meant as much to him as they do to the reader.
Good art changes us. I think that sitcoms oftentimes get left out of the 'art' conversation, but that's incredibly unfair. I truly believe the show has made me a better, more empathetic person. I've always wanted my own family, but this show makes that feeling enormous. I want to be Phil Dunphy with my kids. My wife is already a Claire. I want to grow my family and everyone come over to my house and use my pool when I'm older, like Jay. I want to laugh and cry with all of them. It's all I really want, really.
This isn't meant to be a review of the show, but it was inevitable. If you love the show, this book will be a five star book for you, too. I can almost guarantee it.
I would guess that you don't read a book like this unless you love the television show it is about. And, my god, I love Modern Family. I am not a big TV watcher. I'd like to watch more than I do, there are a ton of well-regarded shows that I just haven't gotten around to. Breaking Bad? Never watched it. The Wire? Watched two seasons and loved it, but still haven't gotten around to finishing it. There are three shows I rotate every single night as I try to go to sleep:
1. Friends
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. Modern Family
As I've gotten into my 40s and now with a child on the way, Modern Family has become my favorite show ever. It's such a positive show, almost always ending on an uplifting note with a voice-over accompanying scenes of happiness. When I was younger, maybe I would have preferred more edge. Now, however, I soak that positivity up like a sponge.
The writing and storylines are generally excellent, and the acting is some of the best comedic acting you'll ever see. In particular, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen never fail to make me laugh, no matter how many times I've watched a particular episode or scene. After 11 seasons, you form very real attachments to the characters. No matter how many times I watch it through, I never fail to cry at certain episodes and I can never make it through the finale without openly weeping.
This book gave me a very similar feeling. I teared up towards the end because I felt like I was saying goodbye to the characters again, but this time you realize you are also saying goodbye to the actors and to the writers and to all of the people that worked so hard to bring me joy for so long.
Marc Freeman does a fantastic job of letting the interviewees tell the story and doesn't get in the way. That's not to say that the occasional context he provides as well is not valuable. You get the impression that these individuals and this show meant as much to him as they do to the reader.
Good art changes us. I think that sitcoms oftentimes get left out of the 'art' conversation, but that's incredibly unfair. I truly believe the show has made me a better, more empathetic person. I've always wanted my own family, but this show makes that feeling enormous. I want to be Phil Dunphy with my kids. My wife is already a Claire. I want to grow my family and everyone come over to my house and use my pool when I'm older, like Jay. I want to laugh and cry with all of them. It's all I really want, really.
This isn't meant to be a review of the show, but it was inevitable. If you love the show, this book will be a five star book for you, too. I can almost guarantee it.
January 28, 2022
I am obsessed with these “oral histories.” I love this format as a way of recapping a show’s history- The Saturday Live one and the Office one were both incredibly informative and addictive to read, and my girl Taylor Jenkins Reid very cleverly used this style to tell the fictitious history of “Daisy Jane and the Six.”
I recently re-watched Modern Family from start to finish and fell in love with the series all over again and just happened to see this book on the shelf at my library- perfect timing. The SNL and Office books told their histories season by season and allowed the cast and creative teams of each of those seasons to speak. That format worked well for both of those shows as they had major (SNL) or minor (Office) cast and creative changes each season.
Perhaps because MF ended with the exact same cast that they started with they choose a different format, and I didn’t love it. For this book chapters have different theme, such as guest stars (loved this) or “destination episodes” (didn’t love this) I like the “situation” part of sitcoms, so often when the show goes to Austria, etc these are my least favorite episodes, so entire chapters dedicated to these events didn’t thrill me. I also could have done without all the lengthy details about how some of the actors almost didn’t get the roles- there is little suspense in reading about how Ty Burell had to do 3 call backs- he’s on the cover of the book!
None the less, I did love the book. It’s filled with great personal stories about a show I love. My favorite part of all of these books is when the writers talk about how they create their bits. Almost everything in MF has some little piece of reality to it- in that it really happened to someone in the cast or crew.
Just as you might suspect, all the cast love one another and it’s a tie for who they love most- either Ed O’Neil or Ty Burrell. Both are spoken about with true reverence by everyone in the book. It is mentioned many times how much Ed worked patiently with the kid (at the time) actors to help them with their craft.
In sad news, co-creators and show runners Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd ending up hating each other and had to be divided into two separate creative teams that worked apart from each other with a messenger go between. The show was written and created that way for almost its entire run. This not only bummed me out, but surprised me that such a funny and clever show could be consistently produced in this fashion.
I recently re-watched Modern Family from start to finish and fell in love with the series all over again and just happened to see this book on the shelf at my library- perfect timing. The SNL and Office books told their histories season by season and allowed the cast and creative teams of each of those seasons to speak. That format worked well for both of those shows as they had major (SNL) or minor (Office) cast and creative changes each season.
Perhaps because MF ended with the exact same cast that they started with they choose a different format, and I didn’t love it. For this book chapters have different theme, such as guest stars (loved this) or “destination episodes” (didn’t love this) I like the “situation” part of sitcoms, so often when the show goes to Austria, etc these are my least favorite episodes, so entire chapters dedicated to these events didn’t thrill me. I also could have done without all the lengthy details about how some of the actors almost didn’t get the roles- there is little suspense in reading about how Ty Burell had to do 3 call backs- he’s on the cover of the book!
None the less, I did love the book. It’s filled with great personal stories about a show I love. My favorite part of all of these books is when the writers talk about how they create their bits. Almost everything in MF has some little piece of reality to it- in that it really happened to someone in the cast or crew.
Just as you might suspect, all the cast love one another and it’s a tie for who they love most- either Ed O’Neil or Ty Burrell. Both are spoken about with true reverence by everyone in the book. It is mentioned many times how much Ed worked patiently with the kid (at the time) actors to help them with their craft.
In sad news, co-creators and show runners Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd ending up hating each other and had to be divided into two separate creative teams that worked apart from each other with a messenger go between. The show was written and created that way for almost its entire run. This not only bummed me out, but surprised me that such a funny and clever show could be consistently produced in this fashion.
May 28, 2020
I received an ARC of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It is a fantastic book. It is a comprehensive look at the characters, the actors, and work behind the scenes by writers, producers, crew, etc. Marc Freeman has written what he calls an oral history of the show in a format resembling an interview.
Readers learn how Modern Family developed from the camera technique, story lines, casting, and relationships on set and in the show itself. It is so interesting to learn the origin of some recurring comedy bits, as well as how the family relationships developed. Freeman has also shared the meaningful relationships between the actors and crew which really lets the reader understand the emotional highlights that complement the comedy of the show. Readers learn how the members of the show really did become a family. The show also blazed a trail in dealing with often taboo family dynamics, all while providing entertainment. It is no wonder the show lasted 11 years and won many awards. This book also deserves praise for sharing it all with us in a pleasurable and very informative reading experience.
Readers learn how Modern Family developed from the camera technique, story lines, casting, and relationships on set and in the show itself. It is so interesting to learn the origin of some recurring comedy bits, as well as how the family relationships developed. Freeman has also shared the meaningful relationships between the actors and crew which really lets the reader understand the emotional highlights that complement the comedy of the show. Readers learn how the members of the show really did become a family. The show also blazed a trail in dealing with often taboo family dynamics, all while providing entertainment. It is no wonder the show lasted 11 years and won many awards. This book also deserves praise for sharing it all with us in a pleasurable and very informative reading experience.
May 14, 2020
For fans of the TV show, this book is a fun and interesting peek behind the scenes. As it is an oral history, the format doesn’t follow a traditional narrative structure, but rather quotes from cast and crew are organized around a theme with additional relevant information. I enjoyed reading directly from the sources on both sides of the camera as to how they perceived the direction the show took over the years. I also learned new information about the dynamics between the show runners. As a viewer only, I would’ve never known there was dissent behind the scenes.
I was sad to see the series end it’s run this past spring because it is one of the few shows both my husband and I can agree on, but I’m thankful for the years of laughs it brought us. For what it’s worth, I will note that although the book reads fairly quickly, it is lengthy at over 500 pages.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Goodreads giveaway
I was sad to see the series end it’s run this past spring because it is one of the few shows both my husband and I can agree on, but I’m thankful for the years of laughs it brought us. For what it’s worth, I will note that although the book reads fairly quickly, it is lengthy at over 500 pages.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Goodreads giveaway
June 1, 2020
Like many others out there I am a huge Modern Family fan - it broke my heart when I heard the news the show was ending. For a long time now the show was a constant and reliable friend and now it's all over....
Or is it?
Thanks to Marc Freeman, our friends are back in this well written and uniquely presented in a kind of interview fashion with cast, crew, and everybody else involved in creating this terrific show gifting us with little known stories about the behind the scenes goings-on that had never been told .before.
I am very glad that I read this book because it inspired me to go back and binge the show from the beginning!
.
Or is it?
Thanks to Marc Freeman, our friends are back in this well written and uniquely presented in a kind of interview fashion with cast, crew, and everybody else involved in creating this terrific show gifting us with little known stories about the behind the scenes goings-on that had never been told .before.
I am very glad that I read this book because it inspired me to go back and binge the show from the beginning!
.
May 9, 2020
Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms by Marc Freeman is an excellent inside look at the show told in a wonderfully personal manner.
Books about television shows (or movies, or music acts) can easily get bogged down in either superfluous praise (no matter how deserved) or petty gossip. This book manages to do neither, the praise is generally between people involved in the show and the gossip is largely the good natured (or at least the "we got through it") variety.
The form of the book is a little different than most such books, I think I've experienced a couple other books in the past couple years that gave me the same feeling. Namely, it is largely quotes from interviews and such with a small amount of contextualizing moving the narrative ahead. For me, this is kinda like sitting around with these people, at different times, and them each remembering something about the time or incident or comment the other just made. I like this informal style. Yes, just like spending a lot of time with friends they sometimes repeat something, but each repetition is relevant to whatever topic is at hand, so it is okay. That makes the book a little less formal but also a lot more personal. Much like the show itself.
The review copy I have doesn't have the photo inserts, but from images I saw of those photos, I can't imagine them doing anything but add to the strengths of the book.
For the record, I am a casual fan of the show. I missed a lot of episodes, but caught most of them. I didn't especially make time for it but when I had time it was one of the things I enjoyed. So while I probably wasn't as tuned in to many of the stories in the book as a big fan would have been, I think even familiar stories will seem new since you will be hearing each from multiple perspectives. And for me as a casual fan, this was a great way to first hear them.
Highly recommended for both diehard and casual fans, as well as those who simply enjoy television history and show production.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Goodreads First Reads.
Books about television shows (or movies, or music acts) can easily get bogged down in either superfluous praise (no matter how deserved) or petty gossip. This book manages to do neither, the praise is generally between people involved in the show and the gossip is largely the good natured (or at least the "we got through it") variety.
The form of the book is a little different than most such books, I think I've experienced a couple other books in the past couple years that gave me the same feeling. Namely, it is largely quotes from interviews and such with a small amount of contextualizing moving the narrative ahead. For me, this is kinda like sitting around with these people, at different times, and them each remembering something about the time or incident or comment the other just made. I like this informal style. Yes, just like spending a lot of time with friends they sometimes repeat something, but each repetition is relevant to whatever topic is at hand, so it is okay. That makes the book a little less formal but also a lot more personal. Much like the show itself.
The review copy I have doesn't have the photo inserts, but from images I saw of those photos, I can't imagine them doing anything but add to the strengths of the book.
For the record, I am a casual fan of the show. I missed a lot of episodes, but caught most of them. I didn't especially make time for it but when I had time it was one of the things I enjoyed. So while I probably wasn't as tuned in to many of the stories in the book as a big fan would have been, I think even familiar stories will seem new since you will be hearing each from multiple perspectives. And for me as a casual fan, this was a great way to first hear them.
Highly recommended for both diehard and casual fans, as well as those who simply enjoy television history and show production.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Goodreads First Reads.
July 18, 2020
I'm such a huge fan of the show but was not all that excited to read this book. I think I was afraid of finding something out that would disappoint me. But I was SO wrong. This book was so interesting to me as I learned what was going into the writing, directing and acting of one of my favorite shows of all time. It had me laughing (a lot!) and also crying. Reading this made the show and cast even more endearing. I can't wait to watch all 11 seasons again....with new insight! Loved it!
January 12, 2022
A very great read for any fans of the show! The book does justice to the series! Only negative point would be that the book is very long! But the longer it is, the more cool stuff we get to know about the show so thats not a real critic in fact! 😅
July 23, 2020
i love this show so much and finishing this book was like watching the finale all over again i'm sad
February 10, 2025
Very enjoyable, though the audiobook has quite a few technical goofs, including voices overlapping due to sloppy editing (Chapter 14, I think), as well as awkwardly long pauses between sentences and overly loud chapter or section intros that nearly blew my eardrums out several times. Either read the physical book or be very careful when listening to the audiobook.
September 8, 2023
I loved this book. It was jammed packed with information and fun tidbits.
Parts I Liked:
I laughed at the dig towards Full House. Jeff Morton had said kids were a big part of Modern Family, and then after there was a little blurb that said “Not sitcom children, though, as in strikingly articulate, precocious stereotypes defined by brainless, repetitive catchphrases like "You got it, dude." I never realized some people did not find enjoyment in little Michelle’s catch phrase!
I liked the background on where the characters names came from. For example, the daughters of the Dumphy family came from Steven Levitan’s daughters Hannah and Alexa. In fact, a lot of the characters names came from the crew of Modern Family’s personal lives.
I will say I do agree with Christopher Lloyd’s opinion on the naming of the female Dumphy children. It would have annoyed me too that the co-creator of the show I am working on named two of the characters after his children without running it by the other co-creator. As well as the fact that he did not acknowledge it for many, many years.
During the section where they were discussing how they wanted the intro to be, there came a point where there was one possibility that the Dumphy family would be the focal point. This ended up getting scrapped because all three families are supposed to be equal. I find it ironic that the cover of this book gives more picture space to the Dumphy family than the other two families. Another thing I am happy that never got past the initial suggestion was Sarah Hyland wanting her character to be pregnant and get her own picture frame in the intro. I think three families was perfect for the show, although at times there would be multiple episodes in a row without having a story based on a certain character. Trying to fit storylines for four families consistently would make the show less interesting to me.
I liked the interesting tidbit that originally the man behind the camera was suppose to be a Dutch filmmaker. “When he was a kid, Geert Floortje had been a foreign exchange student from Holland who came to America and lived with the Pritchett family for a semester. After a year, he moved back to Holland and became a filmmaker. But he always stayed in touch with what he referred to as "my American family." That family eventually branched out to form new families. He thought that would make a cool documentary.”
Another intriguing fact I found out was that Sofia Vegara had a part to play on this show from the very beginning, although she had to wait three years before finally getting paid for it!
I thought it showed Ed O’Neill’s true character that he was willing to take less than what he normally receives for a salary because he believed this was going to be a hit show.
When I read that Julie Bowen’s had actually put Modern Family as #2 on her list, beneath another show she was hoping to be in, I felt her devastation. After all, if the show she put as #1 wanted her, she would be legally obligated to do that show. Luckily it worked out in her favor because she had the right person on her side who was able to get her out of the contract.
I felt sad for young Ty Burrell reading how strapped for cash he was, knowing how scary it is to be low on money. He had hired a taxi, not knowing he was going to pass the studio test. However, from that point going forward it was going to be two hours until they got to CBS for his reading. He asked the taxi driver to wait, potentially requiring his help to drive him there. I mean, can you imagine asking a taxi driver to wait 2 hours for you? 2 hours of a taxi driver not working, sitting around for one fare is a big loss.
I would never have believed that Ty Burrell ever could have blown his auditions, and that he almost did not get cast because of it. 232 other actors were brought in because ABC absolutely did not want him. Burrell had to wait twelve weeks to hear he secured the part! Twelve weeks of not auditioning for other roles because he so desperately wanted this part. Burrell effortlessly acts, so to believe that he was not always at his best is shocking.
I love the actors that played Mitch and Cam. Jesse Furgeson and Eric Stonestreet look like everyday people, not models out of a magazine. In fact, Jeff Greenberg and his husband Lars were one of the prototypes for Mitchell and Cam.
I laughed out loud reading one blunder Ty Burrell made. At the time, the Modern Family crew was airing on ABC, so Burrell made the assumption they were filming at ABC too. (Well, he was wrong.) He ended up renting an apartment within walking distance. Burrell came into work bragging he could walk to work, but was later informed he had an hour-plus commute for filming at Fox, leading to the early end of his lease.
Another interesting fact I learned was about Julie Bowen. She was very very pregnant when they shot the pilot. 7 months in fact. Bowen told how her face looked pregnant. She said it looked like she got lip injections because they were so puffy, and that her boobs were ginormous, and that caused the internet sharks to start writing she got plastic surgery. Well, I learned they had a simple fix for hiding Bowen’s pregnant belly. “The Baby Blocker”, aka Nolan Gould! His head and shoulders was at the perfect height to stand in front of Bowen’s belly, thus hiding it. He would have this added responsibility for the entire pilot and and all the photo shoots. When not using Gould, the camera operators would use different angles to hide her belly, while they would also give Bowen props to hold in front of her like laundry, pillows, etc.
Something that I really appreciated about the show was that they kept it hidden that these three families were intermingled. I remember watching the first episode, and was confused on what these families had to do with each other. I just thought that each family was independent and not related to the others. So you can imagine my shock when I got to the end of the pilot episode. On that note, I cannot believe that ABC wanted to take that surprise from the watchers and instead promote it before the show aired. Like what? What could they positively have gained from that??
I liked that this book had pictures. They were informative and also entertaining, showing behind the scenes moments. I appreciated that there was a chart breaking down each family— a picture giving a general idea of what they wanted everyone to look like, and a written description. (Thankfully they changed the idea for Mitchell’s character!)
Christopher Lloyd does not sound like a great person to work with. He was quoted as saying “I’m too old and rich for this shit”, and “I don’t know what else to do, I don’t have hobbies”. He sounds like an extremely cynical and uninteresting man to me. You are probably a millionaire, yet you cannot think of a single hobby to pick up? How does a person have no interests?
It is also shocking how shocking how badly Lloyd and Levitan did not get along. Like it came to the point that they had to split the work to keep the disagreements under control. One week one co-creator would have the writers room, while the other supervised the onstage episode, and then they would swap every week. The next year, they exchange odd episodes for even and even for odd. That way, each got the opportunity to do season premieres and season finales every other year.
I found it unsettling to read how much the Hiller twins hated being on the Modern Family set. I feel like their mother should have pulled them off the set if they were truley so miserable. It is one thing to put a child who can speak for themselves into acting, but to put infants? Infants who do not understand why they do not know any of the people around them, infants who do not understand why there are bright lights on them, and big scary cameras in their faces. I was glad to read Modern Family did not ask back the twins for a third season.
I enjoyed the chapter on how schooling worked for the minors. For instance I learned that Nolan graduated high school at 13(!!!) and is a MENSA member. It was sad to read all the milestones the kids learned later in life than they should have. Like how Ariel only learned how to ride a bike and swim because she needed to do that for a scene. It also was sad to me the teenagers on the show would learn certain things because they needed to do it for a scene, rather than doing it at their own pace. Ariel and Rico got their permit because they needed to drive in a scene. Rico rode a roller coaster because he needed to do it for a scene. I love that Ariel decided she wanted to try a real high school, thus getting all the experiences that come with that. Also, that Aubrey was thinking she wanted to try a real high school too.
I found it interesting that Sarah Hyland was rooting for the Haley-Andy storyline too. Adam (Andy) ended up going to work on a different show so that storyline could not work out.
My favorite part of the book? Reading Ty Burrell was moving to Utah with his family. He no longer needs to hustle to survive, and can choose when he wants to work. I love that for Ty because he worked so hard for this show.
More Sections I Liked
I reading enjoyed on Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.
Things I learned
1. There were two set of twins that played baby Lilly. The first set had a growth spurt and were recast, and the second set had regular tempur tantrums and a disdain for the Modern Family set
2. The rules on how long minors can work on a production set
3. Baby Aubrey constantly played with Sofías breasts
I really enjoyed learning about Ed O’Neills Book of Acting
(some tidbits)
1. Rule 1: Is There Any Reason This Scene Can’t Be In A Car?
Sitting scenes are a major excitement for actors, plus in Ed’s case, he would be in shorts and flip flops with his coffee below the frame
2. Rule 8: When You’ve Shot A Scene For A While And The Director Says’ “Let’s Go Again,” Always Ask, “Where From?”
When there would be a reset, if Ed had done the same scene over and over he would go too low in volume or too big on the take, indirectly telling video village they have enough takes
(Side note: what is it with the producers wanting to do more takes then what they need? Like wanting Sara Hyland to do another take of the same scene which meant walking back up a hill, on a very bad day when she was in pain
3. Rule 9: If There’s Food In The Scene, Always Be Finishing Your Last Bite
Ed would just be pretending putting food in his mouth
Behind the scenes info that in the scene where:
1. Claire and Ed are on the roller rink, only Julie had skates on because Ed did not want to wear them. Ed would be noticeably taller if he had them on
2. In season 3’s “Egg Drop,” Claire slipping on the eggs Luke was dropping was not scripted
3. In season 2’s “Earthquake” Nolan actually ran into the wall. There was a tiny foam pad on the wall to lessen the blow
4. In season 1’s “Travels with Scout” Nolan actually ran through twenty screen doors
One thing I really enjoy is that in this series a lot of the plot lines came from the cast and crew pitching the ideas, it was not all made up. To me it makes the scenes even funnier.
Pitches from real life moments:
1. Lloyd getting rid of their families old Land Cruiser filled with memories
2. Lloyd coming home sometimes and finding some random person waiting in their kitchen that his wife had brought home to talk about some idea
3. Leviton’s son going through an awakward phase with taking pictures with weird smiles
4. Zuker’s wife dressing up for the EMT’s
5. Richman accruing tickets on his dads car causing his dad to be arrested
6. Plonsker’s girlfriend selling her worn shoes
7. Richmond spilling wine on the rug at his friends place and then covering it, and then later winning an Emmy for that episode and his friend finding out fifteen years later
I learned sooo much about Sarah Hyland which I loved because she was my favorite actress on the show!
1. Hyland has been acting since she was four
2. When Hyland was a teen going through puberty, she actually had to go to theatre because when your face is breaking out they do not want your face super close up in a film or on TV
3. Hyland had also graduated high school in New York, carrying a nearly 4.0 GPA
4. When Hyland started the show she was actually eighteen, but since she looked so young she got to play the part of a sixteen year old
5. The reason the character of Haley was always leaning on something (was because it was painful to stand up on her own)
6. Hyland’s battle with fighting her failing kidneys: (a 20 on a pain scale of 1-10, shaking, running very cold)
7. How getting a kidney transplant affected Hyland’s body, giving her a KUPA, thus making her insecure people were going to body shame her
8. How Hyland had to juggle dialysis and filming
9. The reason Hyland was in some episodes less was to give her time to heal
10. Finding out Hyland had to push a car in neutral while in heels, while when she was off scene she would use crutches, later finding herself crying in the bathroom
11. Hyland had a chest port she could not get wet
12. After Hyland’s second kidney surgery, she went back to work after about a month of recovery, instead of the recommended recovery of three months
13. How Hyland wore a waist trainer everyday the rest of the season until she could get surgery to fix her protruding stomach
General Things I Learned:
1. Sofia struggled with English jargon and would often just throw random words in her lines
2. Rico Rodriguez had to go to diction lessons because he was actually very hard to understand
3. Modern Family won the Emmy Best Tv Comedy five times in a row!
4. Modern Family was the most successful sitcom coming out of the gate
5. Ed O’Neill was not as cuddly with Stella off screen as on screen. She was a working dog, she was not the cuddly type
6. How to spot a fake car driving scene: flat looking cars, poorly lit backgrounds, and cars disappearing and reappearing
7. The Modern Family crew only agreed to do the episode in Disneyland if they would not be censored
8. It was originally pitched Mitch and Cam would adopt an African American child
9. Shelley (Dede) was suppose to be in Mitch and Cam’s wedding episode, but she said she was not available for some mysterious reason
10. The Modern Family crew had a bad reputation with keeping women writers
11. The cast and crew did not like working with Shelley, she struggled to get her lines down
12. How the different families shot on different days so everyone did not have to work five days a week
13. Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen performed most of their own stunts
14. The behind the scenes info on how the cameraman performed the “Texas Switch” when Haley had to hit Phil with her car
My Cons:
At times I struggled to understand what was being said by whichever person was speaking. It was spoken in a way that was hard to comprehend so sometimes I did not know what was being said.
I do at times think the people speaking in the book were weirdly sexualizing certain people.. like when they posted the picture of Sarah Hyland dressed as a tooth fairy from season 4’s “Career Day” with the caption “Sarah Hyland as the tooth fairy we all wish we had as kids”. What? What does that even mean? Another instance was Eric Stonestreet saying he related and understood with baby Aubrey playing with Sofías breasts.. again very weird to me.
Parts I Liked:
I laughed at the dig towards Full House. Jeff Morton had said kids were a big part of Modern Family, and then after there was a little blurb that said “Not sitcom children, though, as in strikingly articulate, precocious stereotypes defined by brainless, repetitive catchphrases like "You got it, dude." I never realized some people did not find enjoyment in little Michelle’s catch phrase!
I liked the background on where the characters names came from. For example, the daughters of the Dumphy family came from Steven Levitan’s daughters Hannah and Alexa. In fact, a lot of the characters names came from the crew of Modern Family’s personal lives.
I will say I do agree with Christopher Lloyd’s opinion on the naming of the female Dumphy children. It would have annoyed me too that the co-creator of the show I am working on named two of the characters after his children without running it by the other co-creator. As well as the fact that he did not acknowledge it for many, many years.
During the section where they were discussing how they wanted the intro to be, there came a point where there was one possibility that the Dumphy family would be the focal point. This ended up getting scrapped because all three families are supposed to be equal. I find it ironic that the cover of this book gives more picture space to the Dumphy family than the other two families. Another thing I am happy that never got past the initial suggestion was Sarah Hyland wanting her character to be pregnant and get her own picture frame in the intro. I think three families was perfect for the show, although at times there would be multiple episodes in a row without having a story based on a certain character. Trying to fit storylines for four families consistently would make the show less interesting to me.
I liked the interesting tidbit that originally the man behind the camera was suppose to be a Dutch filmmaker. “When he was a kid, Geert Floortje had been a foreign exchange student from Holland who came to America and lived with the Pritchett family for a semester. After a year, he moved back to Holland and became a filmmaker. But he always stayed in touch with what he referred to as "my American family." That family eventually branched out to form new families. He thought that would make a cool documentary.”
Another intriguing fact I found out was that Sofia Vegara had a part to play on this show from the very beginning, although she had to wait three years before finally getting paid for it!
I thought it showed Ed O’Neill’s true character that he was willing to take less than what he normally receives for a salary because he believed this was going to be a hit show.
When I read that Julie Bowen’s had actually put Modern Family as #2 on her list, beneath another show she was hoping to be in, I felt her devastation. After all, if the show she put as #1 wanted her, she would be legally obligated to do that show. Luckily it worked out in her favor because she had the right person on her side who was able to get her out of the contract.
I felt sad for young Ty Burrell reading how strapped for cash he was, knowing how scary it is to be low on money. He had hired a taxi, not knowing he was going to pass the studio test. However, from that point going forward it was going to be two hours until they got to CBS for his reading. He asked the taxi driver to wait, potentially requiring his help to drive him there. I mean, can you imagine asking a taxi driver to wait 2 hours for you? 2 hours of a taxi driver not working, sitting around for one fare is a big loss.
I would never have believed that Ty Burrell ever could have blown his auditions, and that he almost did not get cast because of it. 232 other actors were brought in because ABC absolutely did not want him. Burrell had to wait twelve weeks to hear he secured the part! Twelve weeks of not auditioning for other roles because he so desperately wanted this part. Burrell effortlessly acts, so to believe that he was not always at his best is shocking.
I love the actors that played Mitch and Cam. Jesse Furgeson and Eric Stonestreet look like everyday people, not models out of a magazine. In fact, Jeff Greenberg and his husband Lars were one of the prototypes for Mitchell and Cam.
I laughed out loud reading one blunder Ty Burrell made. At the time, the Modern Family crew was airing on ABC, so Burrell made the assumption they were filming at ABC too. (Well, he was wrong.) He ended up renting an apartment within walking distance. Burrell came into work bragging he could walk to work, but was later informed he had an hour-plus commute for filming at Fox, leading to the early end of his lease.
Another interesting fact I learned was about Julie Bowen. She was very very pregnant when they shot the pilot. 7 months in fact. Bowen told how her face looked pregnant. She said it looked like she got lip injections because they were so puffy, and that her boobs were ginormous, and that caused the internet sharks to start writing she got plastic surgery. Well, I learned they had a simple fix for hiding Bowen’s pregnant belly. “The Baby Blocker”, aka Nolan Gould! His head and shoulders was at the perfect height to stand in front of Bowen’s belly, thus hiding it. He would have this added responsibility for the entire pilot and and all the photo shoots. When not using Gould, the camera operators would use different angles to hide her belly, while they would also give Bowen props to hold in front of her like laundry, pillows, etc.
Something that I really appreciated about the show was that they kept it hidden that these three families were intermingled. I remember watching the first episode, and was confused on what these families had to do with each other. I just thought that each family was independent and not related to the others. So you can imagine my shock when I got to the end of the pilot episode. On that note, I cannot believe that ABC wanted to take that surprise from the watchers and instead promote it before the show aired. Like what? What could they positively have gained from that??
I liked that this book had pictures. They were informative and also entertaining, showing behind the scenes moments. I appreciated that there was a chart breaking down each family— a picture giving a general idea of what they wanted everyone to look like, and a written description. (Thankfully they changed the idea for Mitchell’s character!)
Christopher Lloyd does not sound like a great person to work with. He was quoted as saying “I’m too old and rich for this shit”, and “I don’t know what else to do, I don’t have hobbies”. He sounds like an extremely cynical and uninteresting man to me. You are probably a millionaire, yet you cannot think of a single hobby to pick up? How does a person have no interests?
It is also shocking how shocking how badly Lloyd and Levitan did not get along. Like it came to the point that they had to split the work to keep the disagreements under control. One week one co-creator would have the writers room, while the other supervised the onstage episode, and then they would swap every week. The next year, they exchange odd episodes for even and even for odd. That way, each got the opportunity to do season premieres and season finales every other year.
I found it unsettling to read how much the Hiller twins hated being on the Modern Family set. I feel like their mother should have pulled them off the set if they were truley so miserable. It is one thing to put a child who can speak for themselves into acting, but to put infants? Infants who do not understand why they do not know any of the people around them, infants who do not understand why there are bright lights on them, and big scary cameras in their faces. I was glad to read Modern Family did not ask back the twins for a third season.
I enjoyed the chapter on how schooling worked for the minors. For instance I learned that Nolan graduated high school at 13(!!!) and is a MENSA member. It was sad to read all the milestones the kids learned later in life than they should have. Like how Ariel only learned how to ride a bike and swim because she needed to do that for a scene. It also was sad to me the teenagers on the show would learn certain things because they needed to do it for a scene, rather than doing it at their own pace. Ariel and Rico got their permit because they needed to drive in a scene. Rico rode a roller coaster because he needed to do it for a scene. I love that Ariel decided she wanted to try a real high school, thus getting all the experiences that come with that. Also, that Aubrey was thinking she wanted to try a real high school too.
I found it interesting that Sarah Hyland was rooting for the Haley-Andy storyline too. Adam (Andy) ended up going to work on a different show so that storyline could not work out.
My favorite part of the book? Reading Ty Burrell was moving to Utah with his family. He no longer needs to hustle to survive, and can choose when he wants to work. I love that for Ty because he worked so hard for this show.
More Sections I Liked
I reading enjoyed on Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.
Things I learned
1. There were two set of twins that played baby Lilly. The first set had a growth spurt and were recast, and the second set had regular tempur tantrums and a disdain for the Modern Family set
2. The rules on how long minors can work on a production set
3. Baby Aubrey constantly played with Sofías breasts
I really enjoyed learning about Ed O’Neills Book of Acting
(some tidbits)
1. Rule 1: Is There Any Reason This Scene Can’t Be In A Car?
Sitting scenes are a major excitement for actors, plus in Ed’s case, he would be in shorts and flip flops with his coffee below the frame
2. Rule 8: When You’ve Shot A Scene For A While And The Director Says’ “Let’s Go Again,” Always Ask, “Where From?”
When there would be a reset, if Ed had done the same scene over and over he would go too low in volume or too big on the take, indirectly telling video village they have enough takes
(Side note: what is it with the producers wanting to do more takes then what they need? Like wanting Sara Hyland to do another take of the same scene which meant walking back up a hill, on a very bad day when she was in pain
3. Rule 9: If There’s Food In The Scene, Always Be Finishing Your Last Bite
Ed would just be pretending putting food in his mouth
Behind the scenes info that in the scene where:
1. Claire and Ed are on the roller rink, only Julie had skates on because Ed did not want to wear them. Ed would be noticeably taller if he had them on
2. In season 3’s “Egg Drop,” Claire slipping on the eggs Luke was dropping was not scripted
3. In season 2’s “Earthquake” Nolan actually ran into the wall. There was a tiny foam pad on the wall to lessen the blow
4. In season 1’s “Travels with Scout” Nolan actually ran through twenty screen doors
One thing I really enjoy is that in this series a lot of the plot lines came from the cast and crew pitching the ideas, it was not all made up. To me it makes the scenes even funnier.
Pitches from real life moments:
1. Lloyd getting rid of their families old Land Cruiser filled with memories
2. Lloyd coming home sometimes and finding some random person waiting in their kitchen that his wife had brought home to talk about some idea
3. Leviton’s son going through an awakward phase with taking pictures with weird smiles
4. Zuker’s wife dressing up for the EMT’s
5. Richman accruing tickets on his dads car causing his dad to be arrested
6. Plonsker’s girlfriend selling her worn shoes
7. Richmond spilling wine on the rug at his friends place and then covering it, and then later winning an Emmy for that episode and his friend finding out fifteen years later
I learned sooo much about Sarah Hyland which I loved because she was my favorite actress on the show!
1. Hyland has been acting since she was four
2. When Hyland was a teen going through puberty, she actually had to go to theatre because when your face is breaking out they do not want your face super close up in a film or on TV
3. Hyland had also graduated high school in New York, carrying a nearly 4.0 GPA
4. When Hyland started the show she was actually eighteen, but since she looked so young she got to play the part of a sixteen year old
5. The reason the character of Haley was always leaning on something (was because it was painful to stand up on her own)
6. Hyland’s battle with fighting her failing kidneys: (a 20 on a pain scale of 1-10, shaking, running very cold)
7. How getting a kidney transplant affected Hyland’s body, giving her a KUPA, thus making her insecure people were going to body shame her
8. How Hyland had to juggle dialysis and filming
9. The reason Hyland was in some episodes less was to give her time to heal
10. Finding out Hyland had to push a car in neutral while in heels, while when she was off scene she would use crutches, later finding herself crying in the bathroom
11. Hyland had a chest port she could not get wet
12. After Hyland’s second kidney surgery, she went back to work after about a month of recovery, instead of the recommended recovery of three months
13. How Hyland wore a waist trainer everyday the rest of the season until she could get surgery to fix her protruding stomach
General Things I Learned:
1. Sofia struggled with English jargon and would often just throw random words in her lines
2. Rico Rodriguez had to go to diction lessons because he was actually very hard to understand
3. Modern Family won the Emmy Best Tv Comedy five times in a row!
4. Modern Family was the most successful sitcom coming out of the gate
5. Ed O’Neill was not as cuddly with Stella off screen as on screen. She was a working dog, she was not the cuddly type
6. How to spot a fake car driving scene: flat looking cars, poorly lit backgrounds, and cars disappearing and reappearing
7. The Modern Family crew only agreed to do the episode in Disneyland if they would not be censored
8. It was originally pitched Mitch and Cam would adopt an African American child
9. Shelley (Dede) was suppose to be in Mitch and Cam’s wedding episode, but she said she was not available for some mysterious reason
10. The Modern Family crew had a bad reputation with keeping women writers
11. The cast and crew did not like working with Shelley, she struggled to get her lines down
12. How the different families shot on different days so everyone did not have to work five days a week
13. Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen performed most of their own stunts
14. The behind the scenes info on how the cameraman performed the “Texas Switch” when Haley had to hit Phil with her car
My Cons:
At times I struggled to understand what was being said by whichever person was speaking. It was spoken in a way that was hard to comprehend so sometimes I did not know what was being said.
I do at times think the people speaking in the book were weirdly sexualizing certain people.. like when they posted the picture of Sarah Hyland dressed as a tooth fairy from season 4’s “Career Day” with the caption “Sarah Hyland as the tooth fairy we all wish we had as kids”. What? What does that even mean? Another instance was Eric Stonestreet saying he related and understood with baby Aubrey playing with Sofías breasts.. again very weird to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2020
This is a great read for anyone that was a fan of this groundbreaking show. I watched it faithfully for a few years and then stopped due to not having the time to watch as much tv. I came back to it in the last season and enjoyed it just as much as I did in the first. The writing has always been excellent and the author of this book provides fans with a lot of unknown facts about what went on behind the scenes. And unlike some other books about beloved series, this one is loaded with quotes and insight from the stars of the show!
July 2, 2020
For anyone that enjoyed Modern Family, this book is a treat! Great insights on the behind-the-scenes dynamics (Lloyd & Levitan and wish we drilled in on why women writers rarely stuck), the actors (everyone's 1st impression of Vergara, O'Neil's coaching), story directions and so much more.
I appreciated how "be Marc" let the words from the Modern Fam cast and crew be the heart of the book. While his own observations were welcome, the book took on greater credibility when it was the show members sharing the real history.
While I got it on loan from NetGalley, I think this is a fantastic gift for fans of the hit show.
I appreciated how "be Marc" let the words from the Modern Fam cast and crew be the heart of the book. While his own observations were welcome, the book took on greater credibility when it was the show members sharing the real history.
While I got it on loan from NetGalley, I think this is a fantastic gift for fans of the hit show.
July 16, 2020
I received a free ALC from MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
If you asked me about my favourite thing to watch on tv I'd probably say comedies and if you asked me to make a list of my favourite comedies I'd definitely list Modern Family. I love the feel good feeling you get when you're watching it and I never tire of re-watching old episodes, it always feels like coming home to characters I've learned to love and consider family.
So you bet I jumped at the opportunity of listening to the audiobook and immersing myself once again in this story and its background. I've been re-watching the series alongside my listening experience and I highly recommend that combo, it allowed me to spot so many things in the episodes that I had missed the first few time I had watched it before.
I enjoyed getting all the inside knowledge about the show and hearing the perspective of the different actors, how their characters came to be and how they made them their own, by the end of it I realized how no one else could have been more perfect than them.
Earlier this year I listened to another audiobook about one of my favourite tv series (I'm talking about "I'll Be There For You" by Kelsey Miller, about Friends) and I've been on the hunt for something similar ever since. I've definitely found a companion book in this one: getting to hear the creators' perspective, the actors' perspective and the voices of everyone who worked on the show was amazing.
This book also didn't shy away from some of the harder topics, like how every female writer minus one were only kept for one season and the difficult relationship between the creators.
You definitely need to read this (or listen to it) if you're a fan of the show.
If you asked me about my favourite thing to watch on tv I'd probably say comedies and if you asked me to make a list of my favourite comedies I'd definitely list Modern Family. I love the feel good feeling you get when you're watching it and I never tire of re-watching old episodes, it always feels like coming home to characters I've learned to love and consider family.
So you bet I jumped at the opportunity of listening to the audiobook and immersing myself once again in this story and its background. I've been re-watching the series alongside my listening experience and I highly recommend that combo, it allowed me to spot so many things in the episodes that I had missed the first few time I had watched it before.
I enjoyed getting all the inside knowledge about the show and hearing the perspective of the different actors, how their characters came to be and how they made them their own, by the end of it I realized how no one else could have been more perfect than them.
Earlier this year I listened to another audiobook about one of my favourite tv series (I'm talking about "I'll Be There For You" by Kelsey Miller, about Friends) and I've been on the hunt for something similar ever since. I've definitely found a companion book in this one: getting to hear the creators' perspective, the actors' perspective and the voices of everyone who worked on the show was amazing.
This book also didn't shy away from some of the harder topics, like how every female writer minus one were only kept for one season and the difficult relationship between the creators.
You definitely need to read this (or listen to it) if you're a fan of the show.
July 24, 2023
A great, deep-dive into this amazing series. Definitely a book for super fans of the show, may be too in depth for casual viewers. All in all, a great retrospective.
February 22, 2022
This is probably one of the best oral histories I’ve read so far, and for a show that I really love too. I’m a huge fan of Modern Family and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
March 2, 2020
Description
An oral history, with the full participation of cast and crew, of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.
Since premiering in 2009, the groundbreaking television sitcom Modern Family has garnered tens of millions of devoted fans, earning 75 Emmy nominations and 22 Emmy Awards, including five in a row for Outstanding Comedy Series (one of only two sitcoms to ever achieve that feat). Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it. With funny, heartfelt and relatable stories about family, Modern Family has gained a worldwide following of hundreds of millions of viewers in countries as diverse as England, Israel, The Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.
As much as people love the show, few know the stories behind it. How did a kernel of an idea by Emmy-winning writers Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd morph into a television juggernaut? Where did they find the cast? How did they come up with story ideas and film favorite episodes? What went on behind the scenes? Up until now, there have been individual stories and interviews about the show, but nothing comprehensive that captures the complete story of the series.
Marc Freeman's Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms is the only major book ever written that explores this show as told by those who created it. More than seventy people, including the entire cast, crew, and creators, detail the full history of this iconic sitcom. The cast recalls their memories of the trials and tribulations of casting. They share their impressions from the first table read through the last light turning out. Writers, directors, and performers walk readers through storylines, production and favorite episodes. Guest stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Josh Gad, Adam Devine, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane recall their appearances on the show while others recount their experiences working with Kevin Hart, Barbara Streisand, Ed Norton and more. Readers get to go behind the scenes and experience the show like never before, including personal photos. They’ll also discover the never-told fallout and divorce of the two showrunners, making the show two separate series blended into one. Even people unfamiliar with the show will gain deep insight into what it takes to put a series on television.
Typically, oral histories come out as retrospectives, based entirely on recall. This one will have the benefit of having the ending occur in real-time. From script development to final season (the 11th season will be the show's last) readers will get a glimpse of the cast’s relationships with each other and the emotions attached to saying goodbye to the best and longest-running workplace many of them expect to ever experience. Much like the series itself, this book shares a story of family, of conflict and collaboration, that went into this timeless, groundbreaking series.
My Review
Modern Family is a full account of the sitcom by the same name. It is well documented, easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable. It was great to read about the and get some feedback not normally available.
This is the perfect book for anyone that likes Modern Family.
I highly recommend this book!!
An oral history, with the full participation of cast and crew, of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.
Since premiering in 2009, the groundbreaking television sitcom Modern Family has garnered tens of millions of devoted fans, earning 75 Emmy nominations and 22 Emmy Awards, including five in a row for Outstanding Comedy Series (one of only two sitcoms to ever achieve that feat). Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it. With funny, heartfelt and relatable stories about family, Modern Family has gained a worldwide following of hundreds of millions of viewers in countries as diverse as England, Israel, The Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.
As much as people love the show, few know the stories behind it. How did a kernel of an idea by Emmy-winning writers Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd morph into a television juggernaut? Where did they find the cast? How did they come up with story ideas and film favorite episodes? What went on behind the scenes? Up until now, there have been individual stories and interviews about the show, but nothing comprehensive that captures the complete story of the series.
Marc Freeman's Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms is the only major book ever written that explores this show as told by those who created it. More than seventy people, including the entire cast, crew, and creators, detail the full history of this iconic sitcom. The cast recalls their memories of the trials and tribulations of casting. They share their impressions from the first table read through the last light turning out. Writers, directors, and performers walk readers through storylines, production and favorite episodes. Guest stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Josh Gad, Adam Devine, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane recall their appearances on the show while others recount their experiences working with Kevin Hart, Barbara Streisand, Ed Norton and more. Readers get to go behind the scenes and experience the show like never before, including personal photos. They’ll also discover the never-told fallout and divorce of the two showrunners, making the show two separate series blended into one. Even people unfamiliar with the show will gain deep insight into what it takes to put a series on television.
Typically, oral histories come out as retrospectives, based entirely on recall. This one will have the benefit of having the ending occur in real-time. From script development to final season (the 11th season will be the show's last) readers will get a glimpse of the cast’s relationships with each other and the emotions attached to saying goodbye to the best and longest-running workplace many of them expect to ever experience. Much like the series itself, this book shares a story of family, of conflict and collaboration, that went into this timeless, groundbreaking series.
My Review
Modern Family is a full account of the sitcom by the same name. It is well documented, easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable. It was great to read about the and get some feedback not normally available.
This is the perfect book for anyone that likes Modern Family.
I highly recommend this book!!
June 9, 2020
What can I say about this? It's hard to do a review....I loved seeing behimd the scenes. I love the formatting that was used. You get a lot of input from certain aspects of the show from the cast and crew. It's a huge book but I found myself really huge chunks of it with no time at all seeming to have passed.
I admit fully that I wasn't a Modern Family viewer until Season 5 I believe. I just remember my husband and I hearing them winning all these Emmys all the time and along "Can it really be that great? Maybe we should try it out cuz people rave about it" and we ended up just loving it!
I think fans of the show will appreciate this read.
I admit fully that I wasn't a Modern Family viewer until Season 5 I believe. I just remember my husband and I hearing them winning all these Emmys all the time and along "Can it really be that great? Maybe we should try it out cuz people rave about it" and we ended up just loving it!
I think fans of the show will appreciate this read.
May 19, 2020
I remember the first time I saw Modern Family. It was 2012 and I was on an overnight flight to Germany. Nearly everyone in my general vicinity was asleep... and I couldn’t stop laughing, or better said cracking up. I rarely laugh out loud while watching T.V. and I was still snickering long after it had ended. My fellow travelers were not at all amused by the sounds coming from my seat.
If this story even sounds a tiny bit relatable then you WILL enjoy 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐬. Although quite lengthy, its told in short interview snippets from nearly everyone’s POV, so it’s a rather quick read and brings back memories of favorite episodes with an added insider peek at what it was like to create it and how everything came together.
Overall this was a fun read. Fellow Modern Family fans who need just a little more MF in their life will certainly enjoy it! Thanks NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Marc Freeman for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
If this story even sounds a tiny bit relatable then you WILL enjoy 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐬. Although quite lengthy, its told in short interview snippets from nearly everyone’s POV, so it’s a rather quick read and brings back memories of favorite episodes with an added insider peek at what it was like to create it and how everything came together.
Overall this was a fun read. Fellow Modern Family fans who need just a little more MF in their life will certainly enjoy it! Thanks NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Marc Freeman for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
April 24, 2020
Excellent look at Modern Family from the inside
I admit I am not a huge fan of Modern Family but I have watched every episode. I also like books that go behind the scenes of shows I watch. So I thought that this book would be a good fit for me. I just hoped that it would be neither be an adulation nor a character assassination. And it was neither of these. It is a great book that I could not put down. One of the strengths of the books is the variety and number of people who were interviewed in it, including the co-creators, the cast, writers, producers, some guest stars, and some higher-ups at ABC. I also liked that the book showed a couple of original and revised scripts for certain scenes and showed how characters were developed. All-in-all, I loved the book.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I admit I am not a huge fan of Modern Family but I have watched every episode. I also like books that go behind the scenes of shows I watch. So I thought that this book would be a good fit for me. I just hoped that it would be neither be an adulation nor a character assassination. And it was neither of these. It is a great book that I could not put down. One of the strengths of the books is the variety and number of people who were interviewed in it, including the co-creators, the cast, writers, producers, some guest stars, and some higher-ups at ABC. I also liked that the book showed a couple of original and revised scripts for certain scenes and showed how characters were developed. All-in-all, I loved the book.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
February 29, 2020
Absolutely delightful! I remember watching this show when I was a kid, my family watched it pretty regularly when I was in high school. I stopped watching it in college but still kept up on random episodes here and there. Halfway through reading this, I actually started watching season 11 (why are none of the other seasons available on any streaming devices??? I don’t want to pay whatever to watch it on HBO when I *know* the full series used to be on Hulu at one point!) and laughed out loud a lot. I wanted to watch the pilot initially but it’s not streaming and I didn’t want to hunt for it.
Anyway, I love books like these, and am fascinated by the behind the scenes and production aspects, so this was a really great read. I particularly appreciated the chapter on women writers for the show (there should have been A LOT more of them imo...) and the explanation of the dynamics of the writers room.
Reading this book was like a nice walk down memory lane, considering that the show premiered when I was about 14 and I’m now 25 — must be the same for all the kid actors too! I loved all of Sarah, Ariel, and Nolan’s set stories. This was super well done, and well crafted! I can’t wait to watch more of season 11, I have 2 episodes left of what’s available/been aired so far, and I will definitely watch the series finale. End of an era for sure!
Anyway, I love books like these, and am fascinated by the behind the scenes and production aspects, so this was a really great read. I particularly appreciated the chapter on women writers for the show (there should have been A LOT more of them imo...) and the explanation of the dynamics of the writers room.
Reading this book was like a nice walk down memory lane, considering that the show premiered when I was about 14 and I’m now 25 — must be the same for all the kid actors too! I loved all of Sarah, Ariel, and Nolan’s set stories. This was super well done, and well crafted! I can’t wait to watch more of season 11, I have 2 episodes left of what’s available/been aired so far, and I will definitely watch the series finale. End of an era for sure!
May 4, 2020
This book is written very differently than what you would expect. A lot of it are just short comments from cast & crew members about various topics or episodes rather than a chronological order of the story of the show. There are a wealth of interesting tidbits that are very interesting. I was disappointed to see that in this entire mammoth book of 505 pages, there are no pictures. Unless you count the 3 small ones on page 491. It's a good book, but I found it a bit disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews