One thing every normal American yearns for in life is the chance to have that one television show that seems to have been tailor-made for your taste. That one block of TV you wait for every week with vast persistence and patience can only be rewarded with the show itself. That one spark of light gloriously gleams from your television set after a long, hectic week. It is your show, and is something that we, as American pop-culture junkies, take pride in. It’s like watching your child take its first steps or score the game-winning goal every week. It’s an emotional fix. Well, I am a faithful pop-culture junkie who is proud to say announce I have found my fix for this season and, hopefully, many subsequent seasons in “Modern Family.”

After seeing the promotional ads this summer, I was skeptical. The poster is an above-amateur advertiser’s nightmare—every single character, from the head up, is either looking at the viewer, smiling, or fighting with another character. Blech. Then, I saw the trailer online and somehow became even more skeptical; it reeked of one of those trailers that cruelly reveal every single funny part of the show only to leave the desiring viewer disappointed and deceived. Luckily, I believe that hope is a good thing, because I decided to watch the pilot episode with, at that point, nothing but hope. I have probably never been more pleasantly surprised by a television show in my life. Tears of laughter and newborn pride were streaming down my face by the end of the show. There is no room for debate: this show is hilarious. And this pop-culture junkie is here to tell you why.

“Modern Family” is a satirical, faux-documentary following three very different suburban families. The Dunphy’s are the traditional family. Phil Dunphy is the unhip Dad who attempts to be the friend rather than the father. As you might guess, it isn’t working out so well. Played marvelously by Ty Burrell (“Out of Practice,” “Back to You”), Phil is slightly reminiscent of “The Office”’s Michael Scott with his incredible lack of self-awareness and an unquenchable thirst to be cool. His wife, Claire (Julie Bowen, one of the most underrated actresses in the business), is the typical, neurotic, stay-at-home matriarch determined to raise her kids right. Their children, Haley, Alex, and Luke (Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, and Nolan Gould, respectively), are all uniquely amusing, typical, constantly fighting siblings.

The second family is the Delgado-Pritchett’s. The patriarch of the family is Jay Pritchett, the cranky and somewhat emotionally guarded, yet overall lovable and genuinely decent older man, played by none other Ed O’Neill, who spent 11 seasons as Al Bundy in the now infamous “Married…With Children.” O’Neill’s Jay has a new, hot, younger Columbian wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara, who is playing her character off as somewhat Charo-like), whose chubby and precocious son, Manny (the adorable Rico Rodriguez) is an eleven-going-on-42 wannabe Lothario.

The final family consists of partners Cameron (Eric Stonestreet, most notable for his role as Ronnie Litre on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) who have just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. These two characters somehow play the perfect balance between absurd and understated to ensure that they don’t oversell their scenes. The characters are also unique enough to escape the stereotypes of a gay relationship, but Cameron and Mitchell also show that they are proud of their orientation, such as when Cameron introduces Lily to the rest of the family by playing “The Circle of Life,” hoisting the baby in the air as if she was Simba from “The Lion King.”

In the premiere episode, it is revealed that the three families are actually related, with Jay Pritchett as the patriarch of the family; Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett are his children. It was a twist that opened up so many more possibilities for the already brilliant premise. In later episodes, all the families are seen interacting, such as at Manny’s fencing competition, or a gathering to watch a professional football game. The characters are great within their immediate families, but when the entire extended family is together, the entire cast shines.

What really makes the show work is the creators’ (Steven Levitan of “Just Shoot Me” and the brilliant Christopher Lloyd) amazing ability and courage to bring back the family comedy—one that doesn’t scornfully cut down its characters with cynicism. “Modern Family” is layered and smart, but it also offers an extra dimension. There is an underlying sweetness here that leaks through the pores just enough so that its audience isn’t drowning in sappiness. There are charming moments, and the characters offer a vulnerability that makes each of them more lovable than any amount of characters in recent years combined. Sometimes we want to see that a family loves each other, not be left in the dark to assume the worst, and “Modern Family” accomplishes this elegantly and very impressively. The result is quite effective.

Apparently, the show has also enthused attention from Hollywood household names. According to Entertainment Weekly, upcoming episodes include guest appearances from Edward Norton (who plays a musician named Izzy LaFontaine) and Benjamin Bratt (he will play Manny’s sketchy father, who already has an unseen role on the show as an irresponsible dad).

“Modern Family” airs on Wednesdays on ABC at 9:00 PM. Check it out. Trust me on this one.

By Amanda Whitaker ‘12