14. Modern Family – This multiple Emmy-winning comedy deserves all the praise it’s received. In its second season, it’s fresh and funny and ridiculously likeable. Some shows just click from the very beginning, and Modern Family is one of those shows. And the whole cast is so uniformly strong. I started watching the show because I like Ed O’Neil and Sofia Vergara, but Ty Burrell’s Phil became a favorite before the end of the first episode. Virtually everything Eric Stonestreet says as Cam makes me laugh. Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, though playing the more sensible partners in their respective relationships, are both wonderful and hilarious. I even like the kids, and I’m not a guy who wants to watch kids on TV. Whether it’s Manny’s world-weariness or Luke’s simple-minded enthusiasm, they add so much to the show. If I go on about my favorite bits, we’ll be here all night – suffice it to say that every episode is eminently quotable and has at least one scene that you’ll be talking about in the morning. It’s solid comedy that’s so much better than you’ll expect.
