Modern Family

The variety of different character types in the show Modern Family makes it a hit comedy.  Almost every character has a foil to contradict each other. The show displays a family full of all different types of stereotypes. It is trying to portray the fact that traditional family is very hard to find now a days. Jay is the man of the house and his personality reflects that. He is a man’s man that doesn’t believe in showing his feelings or emotions. This is a foil to his son, Mitchell, who is homosexual. Jay cares a lot about how tough and rugged people view him as. In the episode Virgin Territory, Mitchell tells Jay’s co-workers that he didn’t actually hit a hole in one. Jay’s fake hole in one made him a legend in the office and established his dominance. Knowing that it was a bluff, Jay’s co-workers view him very differently. This was a huge blow to Jay’s ego.

            Another character that attributes to Jay’s comic effect is that he has a petite young South American wife who is much younger than him. His spicy wife Gloria supports his character because together they point out how Jay is the stereotypical old rich man in the family that chases a younger mate in order to compensate for his old deteriorating body. Gloria has son named Manny, he acts very mature for his age yet he is still babied by his mother. Jay sees fit to treat Manny as though he were a real man by being much tougher on him. Like when Jay tells Manny what he really thinks of his centerpiece project “Cards on the table, this is not your best work” You would think a father figure would support his wife’s son’s artistic views but Jay crushes Manny’s ideas relentlessly. All of these character’s help add to the comic effect of Jay on the show through their contradicting and stereotypical personalities