https://youtu.be/fE5uRvPgl6U

The series “Modern Family” is a sitcom series that aired between 2009-2020 on ABC, which is a TV channel, and after that, on digital platforms such as Disney+, NOW and Apple TV. The series is about three families, living in the US and their daily life. But one of these families are an interesting one, which consists of two LGBT people (Mitchell and Cameron) and two adopted children; Lily and Rexford. So, in the series of Modern Family, the representation of LGBT characters is like a family. 

But how are they being shown as a family? “Situated within the manicured suburbs of California, Modern Family, an ABC situational comedy styled as a “mockumentary”, follows the lives of three families: Jay Pritchett, his second wife Gloria and her son, Manny; Jay’s oldest daughter, Claire her husband Phil, and their three children; and Jay’s gay son Mitch, his partner Cam and their adopted daughter from Vietnam, Lily.” (Cavalcante, 2015) From this quote, it could be understood that the LGBT couple, Mitch and Cam, do not come from nowhere like the other types of LGBT characters in series such as Sense8. They are a part of the big family and their background is obvious. 

The other thing is unlike other types of LGBT series, in Modern Family, their daily life is also being shown to the audience and so that, they could be more accepted and empathized by the audience. Mitch and Cam show that LGBT people do not only consist of obscene sexuality, they have a life. “Subscription-based premium cable channels such as Showtime and HBO have the freedom to portray complex, immodest, and sexually driven LGBT characters… For example, the LGBT characters in Showtime’s offerings such as Queer as Folk (2000-2005), House of Lies (2012-present), and Shameless (2011-present) are boldly multidimensional, sexually explicit, generally unmarried, and come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.” (Cavalcante, 2015) That is why the couple of Mitch and Cam is a really good representation of the LGBT on TV.

Bibliography:

• Cavalcante, A. (2015) ‘Anxious Displacements’, Television & new media, 16(5), pp. 454–471. doi:10.1177/1527476414538525.

Kaan Cakir

14.11.2022