The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 23, 2015 2 By Jacqui Wiens TV Media I n a cutthroat world where ratings reign supreme, ev- eryone is trying to find some- thing special to make their show stand out and with- stand the dreaded early can- cellations. In the packed com- edy world, many show-run- ners have been moving away from a more standard family setting towards the work- place. But in 2009, producers Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan picked up some old sitcom ideas, spun them to- gether with their own experi- ences and created the spec- tacular series we know as "Modern Family." The show centers around three very different house- holds who, together, form a large, close-knit family. Now in its sixth season, the mocku- mentary has depicted several significant milestones in each of the families' lives while con- sistently receiving glowing praise from critics and fans alike. Tune in to a new episode of "Modern Family" airing Wednesday, Jan. 28, on ABC. The first family unit depict- ed in "Modern Family" is that of Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill, "Married with Children") and his much-younger second wife Gloria, portrayed by Sofía Vergara ("Four Brothers," 2005). Gloria has an adoles- cent son, Manny (Rico Rodri- guez, "The Muppets," 2011), from her first marriage and Jay has two adult children, Claire (Julie Bowen, "Boston Legal") and Mitchell (Jesse Ty- ler Ferguson, "The Class"). In season 4, Gloria reveals that she is pregnant and, despite trying to stop her contractions, eventually welcomes another boy into the family. Claire, Jay's eldest, is actual- ly a year older than her step- mother. Along with her hus- band, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell, "Dawn of the Dead," 2004), Claire has three children. The oldest of her siblings and cous- ins, Haley is played by Sarah Hyland ("Scary Movie 5," 2013) and is a typical wild child. Alex (Ariel Winter, "Phin- eas and Ferb") is the middle, nerdy daughter, and Luke (No- lan Gould, "Friends with Bene- fits," 2011) is an energetic, if not-so-smart young boy. The last member of the Pritchett clan is Mitchell and his longtime boyfriend (now husband) Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet,"The Island," 2005). In the pilot episode, Cameron and Mitchell finalize the adoption of Lily, an infant from Vietnam. In the first two seasons, Lily was portrayed by twins Ella and Jaden Hiller be- fore being recast for season 3. She is now depicted by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who is older and lends more to the show with a speaking role, un- like her predecessors. While Lily is perhaps the most obvious example of the passage of time, she is far from the only character who has grown up over the years. Only introduced in season 4, Jay and Gloria's son, Fulgencio Jo- seph, was recast in season 5 and is now played by the young Pierce Wallace. Gloria's mother, Pilar (the late Eliza- beth Peña, "Jacob's Ladder," 1990), visited soon after Joe's birth and insisted in having a hand in the naming of her grandson. Fulgencio was the name of Pilar's late husband and Gloria's father, but despite (eventually) agreeing to use the name, Jay insists they will call Joe by his middle name. Wild child Haley was in her second year of high school at the onset of "Modern Family" and struggled with her studies amidst trying to improve her peer relations. Despite con- fessing to being afraid of fail- ing in college, Haley did even- tually set off for higher educa- tion in season 4, with much embarrassing help from Claire and Phil. Unfortunately, Ha- ley's foray into college only lasted a short time before she ran afoul of the authorities and got kicked out of school. By season 5, she had enrolled in community college, study- ing photography and business while also running a blog. Most recently, Haley celebrat- ed her 21st birthday surround- ed, as usual, by her large and loving family. While Alex has arguably aged less obviously than her siblings, she is now undertak- ing the arduous task of choosing and applying to a university. As she is the most intelligent child in her family, Alex often helps keep the family from acting too imma- ture. She's the polar opposite of her sister Haley, and her dedication to her studies typi- cally makes her the butt of a lot of jokes. Thick-as-thieves Luke and his step-uncle Manny were both around 10 during the first season of "Modern Fami- ly." Manny grew up with an ir- responsible father, Javier Del- gado (Benjamin Bratt, "Miss Congeniality," 2000), giving him a slightly skewed per- spective on life. Manny has al- ways acted older than his age, often writing poetry and claiming BB guns were too mature a toy for him to use. Luke, on the other hand, takes after his goofy father in many respects. A bright and cheerful boy, Luke is a bit of an air head and finds himself getting into hilarious shenanigans and precarious situations. With many milestones be- hind them, the Pritchett-Dun- phy-Tucker clan has many more ahead. Throughout it all you can be certain they will be there to love and support one another. Don't miss a new episode of "Modern Family," airing on Wednesday, Jan. 28, on ABC. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 coverstory Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as seen in "Modern Family" All grown up ABC's favorite 'Family' sprouts before our eyes By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: "The Librarians" is awesome! Noah lights up the screen. But did I miss something? Did TNT cancel "Falling Skies"? A: There are actually two things going on here. You're right that Noah Wyle seems to have too much to do, starring in two different shows. And you're also right that TNT canceled "Fall- ing Skies." However, these two things are not related. Though Wyle appears to be pulling double-time, starring on two different shows, both on TNT, in fact his "Librarians" schedule has been precisely tailored to suit his pre-existing "Falling Skies" commitments. "He was going to be in this for as much as he could," ex- plained "Librarians" creator John Rogers in an interview with Collider.com. "We would have loved to have him more, and he would have loved to do it more, but we slammed right up against his shooting schedule." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A B/ Fly Creek 2 x 4