The laughs — and the awards — just keep on coming for the #1-rated Modern Family, winner of three consecutive Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series! With Jay and Gloria’s baby on the way and Haley going off to college, the entire Pritchett/Dunphy clan faces some major surprises as they bicker and bond over house-flipping headaches, unwanted play dates, and everything from hot-tempered hormones to in utero karaoke. Featuring a stellar array of guest stars including Matthew Broderick, Shelley Long and Elizabeth Banks, Season Four takes a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud hilarious look at what it means to be a Modern Family.
Modern Family's fourth season experienced somewhat of a decline in consistent quality episodes but there were still some standout moments and episodes overall. The main focus this year is the pregnancy and birth of Jay and Gloria's baby. They get a lot of mileage on making jokes about Sofia Vergara's ample breast and Ty Burrell plays Phil with a creepy sweetness and fascination when he is around Gloria more than any other season to date. Ed O' Neill is the rock of the family once again playing the straight man and makes it look effortless and natural.
The younger stars of the show have some fun growing pains during the season and we get to see Haley leave for college and all the cringe inducing laughs that come from Claire and Phil tagging along with their first born for the move. Things I didn't enjoy as much were the character of Lily and how the writers have made her an insufferable little diva that her two Father's let her get away with 99% of the time without consequence and the continued over dramatic reactions of Cam to the littlest things.
So in conclusion not the show's best season by any means but another one filled with laughs, tears, and drama that is only outdone by Louie in my opinion. 8/10
Modern Family: Fourth Season arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the original aspect ratio 1.78:1 - I was expecting another solid video presentation and that is what we get here. Colors were well balanced with some beautiful primary colors when they pop up. One of the best episodes visually is when Phil and and Claire take the kids on a road trip on the Pacific Coast highway with lush greens in the background over rocks and the beautiful ocean just to the right of the highway. Contrast is quite good with solid black levels. Fine details was strong with textures being well defined. 9/10
Audio is provided by a DTS -HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - This is a front heavy mix with some bursts of LFE and surround usage. Dialogue is crisp and clean throughout. Surrounds when engaged are used for very subtle environmental effects only. Music cues chosen for the show comes across clean. 8/10
* Audio Commentary - Here we get informative and funny insight on four different episodes total. They include "Party Crasher" w/ Danny Zuker and Bill Wrubel, "Fulgencio" w/ Danny Zuker and Bill Wrubel, "Career Day" w/ Steven Levitan, Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh, "Goodnight, Gracie" w/ Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman.
* Deleted and Alternate Scenes (HD, 6min55sec)
* An Addition to the Family (HD, 6min30sec) - We get some insight from Sofia Vergara and how she dealt with being pregnant on television with clips from the show.
* A Day With Eric (HD, 11min58sec) - Eric Stonestreet hosts the viewer to a fun day on the show
* Goodnight, Gracie Director's Cut (HD, 23min52sec)
* A Modern Guide to Parenting (HD 4min40sec) - A funny collection of moments from the show and how they pertain to "parental guidance".
* Modern Family Writers (HD, 13min14sec) - Members of the writing staff are interviewed.
* Gag Reel (HD, 10min26sec)