Family Love
Modern Family is a well written and highly enjoyable comedy, filmed in mockumentary style and with a delightful group of characters.
If you’ve finished watching this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have.
Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Modern Family.
This Is Us
Similarities – Chemistry Between Leads
This Is Us is a family drama that follows the lives of the Pearson family, both in the present day and in flashbacks. The show explores the challenges and triumphs of family life, including themes of identity, love, loss, and resilience. There are a lot of moments that tug at your heartstrings too, while the character arcs across the six seasons are well written and endearing.
While more somber than Modern Family, This Is Us has a strong ensemble cast and a focus on family relationships and dynamics that’s very similar.
The Middle
The Middle is a family sitcom that follows the daily life of the Heck family, a middle-class family living in Indiana. The show explores the challenges and joys of family life, including themes of love, loyalty, and perseverance.
The memorable characters, including Brick, Frankie and Sue, are partly why this works as well as it does, and like Modern Family, The Middle thrives on its feel-good factor.
Parks and Recreation
Similarities – Chemistry Between Leads
Parks and Rec is a mockumentary-style comedy that follows the daily lives of the employees at the Parks and Recreation department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana.
While the first season is a little slow out the gates, from season 2 onwards, the show really shines and stands out as a wonderful comedy.
The series explores the personal and professional lives of the department’s staff, including their relationships with each other and with the town’s residents.
Silicon Valley
Similarities – Humour
Silicon Valley is a comedy that follows a group of programmers as they try to build a successful tech startup in Silicon Valley. The show predominantly focuses on the ups and downs of the tech industry, playing with themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and competition.
What really helps it stand out though is its strong ensemble cast and satirical riffing. This helps give it some prestige, and much like Modern Family, Silicon Valley makes the most of each joke.
Speechless
Similarities – Family Ties
Speechless is a family sitcom that revolves around the DiMeo family, who have a son with cerebral palsy. The show explores the challenges and triumphs of raising a child with special needs, boasting themes of inclusion, advocacy, and empowerment.
There are plenty of stand-out episodes here, and some genuinely heartwarming and funny moments too.
Similar to Modern Family, Speechless has a diverse and relatable cast of characters and a focus on family bonds.
Malcolm in the Middle
Similarities – Family Ties
Malcolm in the Middle is a family sitcom that centers around the Wilkerson’s, a working-class family living in suburban California.
The show explores the daily struggles and triumphs of the family, with each of the kids vastly different in personality, allowing for plenty of jokes to shine through each episode.
Like Modern Family, Malcolm in the Middle has a diverse and dysfunctional cast of characters and a focus on humor and heart.
Fresh Off the Boat
Similarities – Dysfunctional family
Fresh Off the Boat follows the Huang family, who move from Washington D.C.’s Chinatown and settle down in Orlando, Florida. Set in the mid-1990’s, the series explores themes of identity, culture, and family dynamics, as the Huang’s navigate their new life in a different part of the country.
Fresh Off the Boat’s relatable cast of characters and focus on humor and heart is partly what makes it such a good watch.
The Goldbergs
Similarities – Focus on Family
The Goldbergs is set in the 1980’s and follows the Goldberg family, as they deal with various familial and personal issues. The show explores themes of nostalgia and relationships, mixed in with a coming of age angle, as the characters navigate the challenges of adolescence and adulthood.
Like Modern Family, The Goldbergs’ focus on situational comedy makes it a must-watch.
Single Parents
Similarities – Raising Kids, Comedy
Single Parents is a sitcom that follows a group of single parents as they navigate the challenges of raising their children and finding love and happiness for themselves.
Themes of family, love, and friendship shine here, as the characters form their own unconventional family. The relatable cast of characters is partly why this works so well, and much like Modern Family, the focus on raising kids and trying to be a good parent makes for a really enjoyable watch.
The Simpsons
Similarities – Dysfunctional family
The Simpsons is an animated sitcom that follows the daily life of the Simpson family, a working-class family living in the fictional town of Springfield.
Most of the antics center on Homer Simpson, his wife Marge, and their three children: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. However, the later seasons expand out from there to include various other characters across the town.
Each of the 34+ seasons explore themes of family relationships, societal issues, and popular culture, often through satirical and irreverent humor.
The Simpsons’ diverse and dysfunctional cast of characters, not to mention its focus on humor and heart, is partly why the show has been so successful.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished watching Modern Family.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!