Until now, fans of the hit sitcom “Modern Family” were fobbed off with three seasons on Disney+. But now the hit series with Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Sarah Hyland and Co. is completely on Disney+! Also new today: “American Crime Story”.
A far-flung family clan and its sometimes curious, sometimes sophisticated, sometimes everyday escapades, all about love, jealousy, parenting and tons of misunderstandings: The mockumentary-style comedy series “Modern Family” is not only one of the most successful sitcoms of the recent past, but in the eyes of the FILMSTARTS editors also one of the best in TV history.
So far, only a fraction of the hit series with Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sarah Hyland and many other comedy talents could be seen on Disney+: Only the first three seasons were available on the streaming service. But that changes today: From now on, all eleven seasons of “Modern Family” are available on Disney+.
From the company’s point of view, this is only logical: “Modern Family” ran in the USA on ABC, which belongs to the Disney empire, while the format was produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The production company has since been taken over by Disney, renamed 20th Television, and is responsible for several current series that run here on Disney+. So completing “Modern Family” was only a matter of time.
THIS IS “MODERN FAMILY “
Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) leads a happy life with his much younger and spirited wife Gloria (Sofía Vergara). Even the occasional misunderstandings with Jay’s daughter Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) and her obtuse husband Phil (Ty Burrell) don’t shake that. Or the bickering with Jay’s son Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), who have very different ideas about romance.
And even the younger generation of this clan causes turmoil but cannot disturb the family idyll, be it Manny (Rico Rodriguez), Gloria’s son from a previous relationship, or the Dunphy trio Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter) and Luke (Nolan Gould). Only one thing is more certain than that the branches of this family tree cannot be separated: Wherever they appear, small disasters of situation comedy and fireworks of dialogue wit are inevitable – which is why “Modern Family” landed in the FILMSTARTS ranking of the top ten best sitcoms of all time!
In the USA, “Modern Family” was a long-lasting ratings guarantor and press favourite – and that in a TV era in which sitcoms were hardly popular. In Germany, meanwhile, “Modern Family” had problems gaining a foothold – probably not least because the series was initially broadcast in linear special-interest programming. On Netflix, however, a considerable fan base gradually emerged. Among the secrets of the series’ success are its immense gag density and the balance with which the characters are written:
On the one hand, they are all easy-to-understand archetypes who act in a pointed way and therefore manoeuvre themselves into shrill situations. At the same time, they are so nuanced that their actions remain believable and varied. This develops such a disarming charm that “Modern Family” got away with unmistakably pointing out in an episode set in Disneyland that the Disney characters there are embodied by humans. This despite the fact that Disney always doggedly tries to maintain so-called “character integrity!”
ALSO NEW TODAY: CRIME, NUDE PHOTOS AND TIME TRAVEL
In addition to the previously missing seasons of “Modern Family,” two seasons of a multi-award winning drama series also go online today: You can now watch the first two seasons of “American Crime Story,” the crime drama from “American Horror Story” creator Ryan Murphy, on Disney+. Season 1 revolves around the criminal case against O.J. Simpson, Season 2 around the murder case of Gianni Versace. Both seasons won an Emmy for best miniseries.
The cast of the first season includes such top-class actors as Cuba Gooding Jr. and John Travolta; in season two, Penélope Cruz and Ricky Martin are among the actors. The new youth series “Nudes: Exposed Online” is also criminal. The format is about three teenagers whose lives are turned upside down by revenge porn.
Today’s releases on Disney+ also include the comedy series “Making History”. In it, three people from different centuries form a close friendship – thanks to time travel! The series was created by “Family Guy” writer Julius Sharpe and produced by “The LEGO Movie” directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller.
In addition, Disney+ is filling a gap in its Disney portfolio and, after much pleading from fans, is putting online the third and fourth seasons of the lively, sometimes surprisingly dark fantasy cartoon series “Star Against the Forces of Evil”.
