Tuesday , March 19 2024
Modern Family has an awesome second season, and the Blu-ray release is packed with extras.

Blu-ray Review: Modern Family The Complete Second Season

Available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Fox Studios is Modern Family The Complete Second Season. This three-disc set includes all twenty-four episodes from the 2010-2011 season. Among the fantastic installments, “Strangers on a Treadmill,” in which both Claire (Emmy winner Julie Bowen) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) try to get their sibling to be truthful with each others’ significant others, “Bixby’s Back,” a Valentine’s Day special, and “Someone to Watch Over Lily,” where Mitchell and Cam (Eric Stonestreet, who won an Emmy for season one) choose a guardian for their daughter, are favorites. The series also stars the incredibly good Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould, and Ariel Winter.

Modern Family, which is made by FOX, but airs on ABC, really solidifies its characters and relationships during the first season run. As such, by the time this second season begins, each actor has the comic timing and chemistry down to a tee. Watching these episodes is to see masters at work, tickling every funny bone in the body. Season two is incredibly strong, with not just one-liners, which they nail, but also with unexpected pairings and events. This set is a can’t miss item.

Modern Family The Complete Second Season is packed full of extras, among the most ever seen on a sitcom release. There is a plethora of extended and deleted scenes on all three discs, with the deleted family interviews bundled separately. The latter are heavily Phil (Ty Burrell)-centric, containing many jokes not used in the airings. All the actors are great, but Burrell, who won an Emmy for this season, is on top of his game so much that some real gems end up on the cutting room floor. Of course there is a gag reel, too.

“Imagine Me Naked,” the song that Dylan (Reid Ewing) sings to win back Haley’s (Sarah Hyland) heart, has been expanded into a music video, though this feature is a tad boring.

Not boring are all of the behind the scenes short featurettes. Steve Levitan chats about his experience making the show.” Modern Family Holidays” is a look at the Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween episodes. “At Home with Modern Family” looks at the set design, and how the family’s houses differ from those shown in the pilot. Ferguson takes the camera behind the scenes as his flash mob sequence is filmed. The cast readies for an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Best of all is a filmed table read, in front of an audience, for the episode “Strangers on a Treadmill.” It runs almost forty minutes, as narration, audience reaction, and untrimmed scenes slow down the process. Yet, it is an entirely enjoyable experience, seeing an early crack at the episode, and opening a window into the process of making the hit television show. Very rewarding is seeing the genuine awe that the cast has for each others’ talent, proving that even working with someone day in and day out cannot make one jaded when faced with comedic acting genius.

I highly recommend buying the Blu-ray version of Modern Family The Complete Second Season. It may not be necessary to have such a perfect picture quality in 1.78:1 widescreen. Nor is 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio essential to enjoy the stories. However, the crisp, clean look and sound, flawless in each and every entry, prevent viewers from being taken out of the story. When seen so realistically, there is an immersion not possible in lesser qualities of picture and sound. Thus, buying this season on Blu-ray is a must for any Modern Family fan.

Also unique to the Blu-ray are special menu features. The most obvious is a timeline of the episodes, and the ability to watch the entire season straight through. Some studios have played with different menu designs, since Blu-ray allows for greater flexibility than DVD. Some of those risks have been failures. Modern Family‘s foray is not such a flop.

All in all, Modern Family The Complete Second Season is among the best of the recent television season releases. Make sure you buy yourself a copy today. And maybe some for your relatives, as well.


About JeromeWetzelTV

Jerome is the creator and writer of It's All Been Done Radio Hour, a modern scripted live comedy show and podcast in the style of old-timey radio serials, and the founder of the Columbus-based entertainment network, IABDPresents. He is also the Chief Television Critic for Seat42F.com and a long-time contributor for Blogcritics. Plus, he works fiction into his space time. Visit http://iabdpresents.com for more of his work.

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