We here at tableau do not like to get political often, but sometimes the occasion calls. Much attention has been drawn recently to ABC's Modern Family broadcasting a kiss between its two gay characters, Cameron and Mitchell. There has been substantial praise for Family this year, and it solidified its place on television this past fall when it won the Emmy for Best Comedy. Throughout the first season, however, the show was repeatedly criticized for not featuring any noticeable displays of affection from its gay couple.
That all changed last week when Cameron and Mitchell were shown in a kiss, without any sense of comedic relief attached. Still, some commentators complain that the kiss was not featured prominently enough or that it was too short - it seems these days that literally no one can be pleased.
We, on the other hand, offer major congratulations to ABC. Not only have they responded to loud voices of criticism by doing the correct thing and highlighting equality, but they did it subtly and kept the show true to itself. In fact, the entire episode, appropriately titled "The Kiss," centered on different characters and their inability to show affection. It was funny, energetic and heartfelt - just like every other episode of Modern Family.
Television characters, especially on major networks like NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS are still largely cut from the same cloth. It is rare to find characters that are truly three-dimensional and break common stereotypes, and when you do find them, they often become caricatures when the writing becomes stale. But Modern Family aims to be different - that much is evident from "The Kiss." Instead of falling into the trap of making a big deal of milestones like its first gay kiss, the show chose to highlight equality without shoving it down viewers' throats. What could be more modern than that?
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