MODERN FAMILY: Season 2

At the end of the first season of the breakout hit, MODERN FAMILY, the Dunphy family finally fixed that stair they were always tripping over every time they ran up and down between floors. It had been a running gag throughout the whole season and it isn't long into the second season, now available on DVD and blu-ray, that the stair comes loose again, allowing for the same running gag to run right through the second season. Yet, instead of coming across as a lack of creativity, it only continues to be absolutely hilarious.

The broken stair example is fairly apt when it comes to describing the rest of the season as well. First of all, it wasn't really broke so there was no need to fix it to begin with. And so, MODERN FAMILY follows much of the same trajectory it did last year. The series avoids anything remotely serialized and allows the same family interactions we're already accustomed to, to continue happening naturally. Claire (Julie Bowen) is still a control freak, which drives her kids nuts. Phil still mucks everything up while Jay (Ed O'Neill) still mocks him constantly. Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) continue to fuss over their daughter, Lily, and each other. And of course, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) is still shouting and misusing the English language every chance she gets. Safe for some last minute adjustments come the end of the season, nothing really changes for this family and yet somehow, the family has gotten stronger and continues to prove why they are one of the most celebrated casts in television history. MODERN FAMILY: Season 2 is is just stellar.

Review copy provided by 20th Century Fox.