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FULL DISCLOSURE: This is the part where my boss and all the weirdo haters out there who have nothing else do to but try and blow holes in things make me do this. My non-DAD job is as a television producer. I have produced hundreds of shows for A&E; City Confidential, Lock Up, The Unexplained and a new show coming out this Fall called Rodeo Girls. That being said, I know this industry, I am a part of it and feel qualified to review a TV show. There done with this $hit, onto the review.
Modern Dad’s airs Wednesday, August 21st on A&E (My birthday BTW). It’s a reality about four dads who live in Austin and hang out together.
Having cast a reality show or two in my life, you try and find characters who are “big” but also relatable to the audience. This is the kind of show that has to rely on relatable characters . The network wants you to be able to connect and understand what the characters are going through, even if you don’t like them, you get it.
With that in mind, Modern Dad’s features four guys who fill in all the holes and are relatable one way or the other.
The Cast-
Nathan- The neurotic new dad. As a new father, Nathan has invested his every moment in his son Cormac’s well-being, becoming both overprotective and obsessive with the minutia of his son’s life.
Stone– The stud. The single dad and former kid of a Grateful Dead roadie, he is always on the prowl for a new conquest and loves his daughter, Danica. As Stone puts it, “Raising a 5-year-old is a lot like dating: the puppy-dog eyes, the mixed messages…I pay for everything.”
Rick- He is the Barney Rubble of the cast. Heavy, tired and inappropriate, he fills the role of the fat guy with the big heart and lots of kids. Rick is the “old dawg” that the rest of the DADs’ turn to when they need advice.
They are all good guys, but to this point the cast is pretty much cookie cutter. Most people could find these guys on their block, they aren’t all that special, except for one standout, Sean.
Sean is a casting “home run.” In 2003, at only 29 years old, Sean Kent was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Initial treatments eliminated the cancer, but it returned with a vengeance just months later. The doctors had to operate quickly, performing a bone marrow transplant that narrowly saved his life, he had a 50/50 chance of surviving.
Now, a decade later, and Sean’s cancer is in full remission. In 2007, he moved in with the love of his life, Rachel, and her two young daughters, Arwen and Joopsy.
Sean is a DAD because he chooses to be, not because “he has to be.” I have single friends who won’t even date a woman with kids, let alone take on the immense task of raising them.
Sean is the boyfriend DAD of these little girls and has dedicated his life to taking care of them. His story is touching, funny, exciting and brings goose bumps to my arms as I sit here and write this. Sean is the hero you will cheer for on Modern Dads.
I get asked a lot, “is reality TV real?” My answer: “The situations may not be real, but the things they are going through in those situations are very real. They are tired, happy, excited, hurting on camera, for real. They have been put into these situations my producers, but they are living it.”
That’s how I feel watching Modern Dad’s. In the premiere episode, the guys have to make a Princess Party for Rick’s twins. What should be a pretty easy task, turns into something extraordinary. Would they normally go to such lengths? Maybe not. Is it fun to watch? Yes. Did I pick up a few tips? I did.
As any parent knows, staying at home with your kids can mean feeling isolated and there is a lot of empty time. Modern Dad’s cuts through that and gets to the fun.
So the big question, is Modern Dad’s worth watching? Yes. A&E has broken the mold of angry drunk plastic complacent house wives and started something different, entertaining and new. By supporting this show, click here to like their page, you are letting other networks that DAD’s (stay at home dad’s) are out here and we have a voice as well
A&E has started a revolution in television by airing Modern Dad’s, that will hopefully lead to more shows like this and even marketing to men who stay at home. It’s one small step for TV one giant leap for DAD-kind…That was too much, wasn’t it?
Check it out, Wednesday, August 21st 9:30 CST.
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