Christina M. Lavecchia of Peerenting, Trophy Wife's, and Effeminate Men: Modern Family's Conservative Remediation of the Family Sitcom Genre as an compelling argument of how modern family sitcoms still have heteronormative family roles, and how modern sitcoms have both traditional and new elements present. This piece was successful in two ways. The first was the credibility of the author, and the second was the use of logical points throughout her analysis of sitcoms. The goal of this article was to show that the sitcom Modern Family has many of the fundamental basis as those from many years earlier.
Lavecchia’s background gives her piece credibly. When Lavecchia’s wrote her piece she was an English doctoral student at the University …show more content…
The first logical point was that there was nothing completely new in the family dynamic of Modern Family that has not been in earlier family sitcoms. The author make a statement saying “I argue that Modern Family was a prime example of remediation” (p. 753). Remediation means taking old terms and applying new ideas on top allowing new sitcoms to keep up with the times.
The traditional elements of Modern Family are structurally similar to those of earlier family sitcoms like Full House, Family Matters, and Home Improvement. These sitcoms were all 22 minutes long and usually have a family resolution in the last 2 minutes of the program. The author also points out the not only does Modern Family use the timing of earlier sitcoms it uses the classic music swells when family conflict or resolution was present.
Lavecchia points out some of the new concepts of Modern Family. For example, instead of laughing tracks, studio audiences, and punch lines uses by traditional sitcoms Modern Family uses mockumentary style to get the point across to viewers. Meaning that the sitcom uses documentary camera angles and reality TV style confessionals. Also, Modern Family uses and embraces the use of technology throughout the show. For the new sitcom to stay updated with the change in
Lavecchia’s background gives her piece credibly. When Lavecchia’s wrote her piece she was an English doctoral student at the University …show more content…
The first logical point was that there was nothing completely new in the family dynamic of Modern Family that has not been in earlier family sitcoms. The author make a statement saying “I argue that Modern Family was a prime example of remediation” (p. 753). Remediation means taking old terms and applying new ideas on top allowing new sitcoms to keep up with the times.
The traditional elements of Modern Family are structurally similar to those of earlier family sitcoms like Full House, Family Matters, and Home Improvement. These sitcoms were all 22 minutes long and usually have a family resolution in the last 2 minutes of the program. The author also points out the not only does Modern Family use the timing of earlier sitcoms it uses the classic music swells when family conflict or resolution was present.
Lavecchia points out some of the new concepts of Modern Family. For example, instead of laughing tracks, studio audiences, and punch lines uses by traditional sitcoms Modern Family uses mockumentary style to get the point across to viewers. Meaning that the sitcom uses documentary camera angles and reality TV style confessionals. Also, Modern Family uses and embraces the use of technology throughout the show. For the new sitcom to stay updated with the change in