Modern Familyis a fantastic sitcom, and if you miss it, there’s also another great 4-season show that serves as a perfect replacement:Life in Pieces.TheModern Familycastis remembered for bringing the Tuckers, Pritchetts, and Dunphys to life in a brilliant sitcom about the day-to-day lives of a unique multi-generational family. Throughoutall 11 seasons ofModern Family, the characters make audiences fall in love with their respective quirks and oddities, all of which are hilarious.
WhileModern Familyis one ofthe best sitcoms of all timefrom recent years, there is another title that resembles it.Life in Piecesstars legendary figures such as James Brolin and Dianne Weist, just likeModern Familyhas Ed O’Neill and Julie Bowen. However, even though the two shows share multiple parallels,Life in Piecesamazingly achieves the same levels of funniness asModern Family.
Life In Pieces Is A Hilarious Sitcom About Three Generations Of The Same Family
Life In Pieces Follows The Short/Hughes Family
Life in Pieceschronicles the lives of the Short/Hughes family. Like inModern Family,Life in Pieces’main charactersspan across three generations. There is John and Joan, the matriarch and patriarch of the family, their children, Heather, Matthew, and Gregory, as well as their respective partners, and the grandchildren, Tyler, Samantha, Sophia, Lucas, Lark, and Talia. Throughout the show,theLife in Piecescharacters develop and change, just like inModern Family.For example, Greg quits his job and somehow accidentally ends up running a small company, and Matt and his wife, Colleen, adopt orphan Lucas.
AlthoughLife in Piecesonly has 4 seasons, unlikeModern Family’s 11, there is still plenty of drama and comedy to enjoy. In fact, while the sense of humor is different,Life in Piecescan also be compared to other family sitcoms likeThe Brady Bunch, or even Ed O’Neill’s other famous series,Married… with Children.However,Life in Piecesstarted airing the year beforeModern Family’s final season, so it makes sense for audiences to compare the two.
Life In Pieces Was Constantly Compared To Modern Family When It Was Airing
There Are Lots Of Character Overlaps In Modern Family & Life In Pieces
Upon looking at the similarities betweenModern FamilyandLife in Pieces, it’s no surprise that the two are compared so frequently. To start, there are several character parallels. For example,both John Short and Jay Pritchett own small female dogs that they adore,and they both served in the army, and Lucas Short is adopted, just like Lily Tucker-Pritchett is. Claire Dunphy and Heather Hughes also have a similar character structure: they’re the eldest daughter, married to a goofy man, and have two daughters and one son.
The pilot episodes of bothModern FamilyandLife in Pieceswere directed by the same person, Jason Winer.
However, the comparison between the ensemble casts isn’t the most notable factor these two shows share. Both shows go back and forth in each episode, focusing on at least two or more subplots. There’s also plenty of content to consume in such a short episodic run, butbothModern FamilyandLife in Piecesmanage to jam-pack loads of brilliant moments in just over 20 minutes.
Life In Pieces Is Ultimately Different From Modern Family (But Still A Great Show)
Modern Family Is A Mockumentary & Life In Pieces Is Not
Life in Piecesis agreat show to watch if you loveModern Family. Of course, there are some differences betweenModern FamilyandLife in Pieces, though. For example,Life in Pieces’ style of comedy is a lot darker thanModern Family. Another rather notable difference is in terms of its episodic format.Each episode ofLife in Piecesis split into four segments,and the show uses an old-fashioned style title card to break up the subplots. The storylines are all interconnected, but in certain episodes, it can take longer for this to become apparent than in others.
Modern Familyalso follows a mockumentary format,but unlike shows such asThe Office, the cameras aren’t really acknowledged, other than in the talking head segments.Modern Familydoesn’t reveal who is filming the documentary, changing from its original plan, but this isn’t a bad thing. Even thoughLife in Piecesis both very similar and wildly different toModern Familyin various ways, it’s still a fantastic and hilarious watch, and it works as a perfect replacement show for those who are missing the Tucker/Pritchett/Dunphy clan.
Life in Pieces
Cast
Life in Pieces is a comedy series that captures the humorous and heartwarming milestone moments in the lives of a large family. Through intertwining stories, the series explores the relationships and challenges faced by three siblings and their parents, portraying the beauty and awkwardness of family life.
Modern Family
Modern Family is a comedy series that follows the unconventional Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family as they redefine what makes a family in their modern age. Broken into sub-families, the three diverse groups shake up the nuclear formula with empty nesters, adopted children, gender neutrality, and more as they attempt to navigate the various pitfalls and comedic misadventures of their dysfunctional but warm-hearted family dynamic.
