Marc Freeman does a fantastic job of letting the interviewees tell the story and doesn't get in the way. That's not to say that the occasional context he provides as well is not valuable. You get the impression that these individuals and this show meant as much to him as they do to the reader. The behind the scenes info on how the cameraman performed the “Texas Switch” when Haley had to hit Phil with her car

Claire and Ed are on the roller rink, only Julie had skates on because Ed did not want to wear them. Ed would be noticeably taller if he had them onEven though it's been years since I've watched a Modern Family episode, I enjoyed this book so much it has motivated me to binge watch the entire series. It reminded me how much I loved those early seasons and made me question why I stopped watching in the first place.

Anyway, I love books like these, and am fascinated by the behind the scenes and production aspects, so this was a really great read. I particularly appreciated the chapter on women writers for the show (there should have been A LOT more of them imo...) and the explanation of the dynamics of the writers room. I think both things are true at the same time: yes, bad behaviour IS communicating something.... but it IS also bad behaviour, that can hurt and cause trauma to other people and that can be worked on to improve. None the less, I did love the book. It’s filled with great personal stories about a show I love. My favorite part of all of these books is when the writers talk about how they create their bits. Almost everything in MF has some little piece of reality to it- in that it really happened to someone in the cast or crew. Ed O’Neill was not as cuddly with Stella off screen as on screen. She was a working dog, she was not the cuddly type I thought it showed Ed O’Neill’s true character that he was willing to take less than what he normally receives for a salary because he believed this was going to be a hit show.I laughed at the dig towards Full House. Jeff Morton had said kids were a big part of Modern Family, and then after there was a little blurb that said “Not sitcom children, though, as in strikingly articulate, precocious stereotypes defined by brainless, repetitive catchphrases like "You got it, dude." I never realized some people did not find enjoyment in little Michelle’s catch phrase! I would guess that you don't read a book like this unless you love the television show it is about. And, my god, I love Modern Family. I am not a big TV watcher. I'd like to watch more than I do, there are a ton of well-regarded shows that I just haven't gotten around to. Breaking Bad? Never watched it. The Wire? Watched two seasons and loved it, but still haven't gotten around to finishing it. There are three shows I rotate every single night as I try to go to sleep: Excellent on de-escalation- and how and why it can be misinterpreted as 'giving in to bad behaviour' when really, it's just trying to contain the situation/get through the turmoil unscathed- and then trying to learn from it AFTERWARDS when everyone is more receptive.

How getting a kidney transplant affected Hyland’s body, giving her a KUPA, thus making her insecure people were going to body shame her If your life with your children is continually challenging and feels like an endurance test, try and reframe it as your sacred purpose is parenting. When Hyland was a teen going through puberty, she actually had to go to theatre because when your face is breaking out they do not want your face super close up in a film or on TV If you asked me about my favourite thing to watch on tv I'd probably say comedies and if you asked me to make a list of my favourite comedies I'd definitely list Modern Family. I love the feel good feeling you get when you're watching it and I never tire of re-watching old episodes, it always feels like coming home to characters I've learned to love and consider family. I felt sad for young Ty Burrell reading how strapped for cash he was, knowing how scary it is to be low on money. He had hired a taxi, not knowing he was going to pass the studio test. However, from that point going forward it was going to be two hours until they got to CBS for his reading. He asked the taxi driver to wait, potentially requiring his help to drive him there. I mean, can you imagine asking a taxi driver to wait 2 hours for you? 2 hours of a taxi driver not working, sitting around for one fare is a big loss.This book gave me a very similar feeling. I teared up towards the end because I felt like I was saying goodbye to the characters again, but this time you realize you are also saying goodbye to the actors and to the writers and to all of the people that worked so hard to bring me joy for so long.