Modern Family (ABC)

Yes, first season.
Ferguson is gay in real-life, while his partner on the show is not.
The guy playing him is fantastic. They had one episode where it was revealed he was a former offensive lineman at Illiniois and him and Al Bundy bonded over football.
Ferguson comes while they are talking about Dick Butkis and he thinks it is a joke name.
Show's quality entertainment.
They haven't explained the documentary format yet, and probably never will but it helps move the show along.

 

Here's the explanation:

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/related_news/2010_Jan_18_levitan_lawrence

Levitan told TV critics that he and co-creator Chris Lloyd first decided that their three interconnected families were being followed by “a Deutsche documentary film-maker named Geert Floorjte, who — it was actually really clever. He was doing this documentary. But what we’ve learned in the pilot was that, as a teenager, he was an exchange student who lived with the family. He had a major crush on Claire as a kid, and Mitchell had a major crush on him as a kid. And so he was going to come back and be part of it.”

They excised him because having a documentary filmmaker character “felt like an appendage, like we didn’t need it,” Levitan said, and now the absence of that character raises other questions. “Is it a true documentary, or is it a family show done documentary-style? I prefer the latter because I don’t like those families who let cameras in their houses in real life. I just can’t stand those shows. It would make me question them a little bit. Who would allow all of this to be filmed by a crew? I like the idea that it’s just our style of storytelling,” he said.

 

The mother was played by Shelly Long, and that was a great epsiode she was in. But I prefer Sofia Vergara.

 

I think I laugh at him more than anyone else on the show. And there is a lot to laugh about. Manny's learing at the oldest daughter is always great.

 

What's that on your lip, Mario?

 

When she called him Mario I almost got a hernia from laughing so hard.

 

I really liked "The Class". Jack Tripper's son was in that too. Great show, they didn't give it enough time to gain a following.

 

"I'm just in here doing some business."

 

By the way, as great as this show was before last night's episode, it's now even better.

Last night's episode might have been the best 22 minutes of sitcom in at least the last five years of network television.

Every subplot was great, but the main plot with Phil and Clare meeting in the hotel bar was outstanding.

"If she's so very beautiful, why are you here with me?"

"Because she's always so tired and she's always making lists of things for me to do."

"Maybe if you did them, she wouldn't be so tired."

"Oh, no. She can make lists for days ... but back to your mouth and how sexy it is."

"Uh uh. I want to go back to these alleged lists and your nagging wife."

"I'm not talking about you."

 

Yeah, I think they screwed the pooch with "The Class" by having too many characters at first. When they streamlined the main cast down to about five or six people with occasional appearances by the others, it flowed much better.

That's one of the things that amazes me about "Modern Family." There are a LOT of characters, yet everybody is pretty well defined and identifiable. And I say that as someone who has only been watching the show for a few weeks.

 

Best network sitcom since Seinfeld.

 

Burrell was great on "Back to You" which was a highly underrated show.