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# Mandatory Viewing: Last Night's Modern Family
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/mandatory-viewing-last-nights-modern-family/
- Published: 2015-02-26T17:01:47.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-21T02:10:13.000Z
- Description: The episode underscores key trends in our lives.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Communication, Message Not Received, Seinfeld

For my money, the greatest comedy of all time is *Seinfeld*. After all, [it's a show about nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%5FPitch%5F%28Seinfeld%29?ref=philsimon.com). In my books and blog posts, I frequently drop allusions to the show.

In the post-Seinfeld era, several shows stand out. The English version of *The Office* and the first three seasons of *Arrested Development* are nothing short of brilliant. Yes, I'm a fan of dry humor and tend to believe that laugh tracks usually don't work. They make shows feel dated and tend to detract from their overall vibe.

> Facebook and their ilk don’t exactly lend themselves to true understanding and communication.

[*Modern Family*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern%5FFamily?ref=philsimon.com) is another recent gem, and last night’s show (“Connection Lost”) breaks new ground. Sure, it’s a bit of an Apple commercial. Our constant movement between mediums is disorienting, and that’s precisely the point: the way that we communicate with each other is both more frenetic and variegated than ever—at least at home. At work, though, e-mail still rules the day.

For more on the making of the episode, click [here](https://www.slashgear.com/modern-family-connection-lost-iphone-episode-behind-the-scenes-17369345/?ref=philsimon.com).

## Simon Says

I don't want to give away the ending of "Connection Lost", but suffice it to say that e-mail, FaceTime, Facebook, and their ilk don't exactly lend themselves to true understanding and communication. As much as I love technology, it's critical to keep that in mind.