Throng

8:00pm - Sunday, February 7 on TV 3

This week sees the airing of some dirty laundry when Claire (Julie Bowen) and Mitchell's (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) mother drops in for a surprise visit in 3's hit comedy series Modern Family, screening on Sunday, February 7th at 8pm on 3.

Modern Family centres around three very unique families: a "traditional" family with mum, dad and three kids, a gay male couple who have just adopted a baby, and an older man (played by Married... With Children's Ed O'Neill) and his much younger Columbian bride with a child of her own.

"We set out to find what is the contemporary family, and we hope its Modern Family," ABC (Modern Family's production company) Entertainment chief Stephen McPherson explains about the premise of the series. "We think the writing is really insightful; it has sophistication."

"Comedy's become very snarky," adds executive producer Steven Levitan. "One of our intentions was to do a show that's not cynical. It can still be really funny, but it doesn't have to be a bunch of insults."

Many of the comical situations featured in Modern Family came from real life, adds executive producer Christopher Lloyd.

"Seventy-five percent of our stories are triggered by something that happened to us or writers in the room," he says.

"The biggest appeal of doing this show was just to delve into the conversations that we're having with our kids, with our wives, what are the funny situations that we are witnessing in our schools, and to just mine them," Levitan continues. "We're constantly writing down things our kids are saying and putting them in scripts word for word."

When asked if his real-life family mind being used as direct inspiration for the series, Levitan says; "They like the idea, but if it's embarrassing... they don't always love it."

Chances are they may not love this week's episode which sees Shelley Long (Cheers) guest starring as Jay's ex-wife, who drops in for a surprise visit, determined to make amends with everyone she offended at Jay and Gloria's wedding.

Make sure not to miss the hilarity that unfolds when Modern Family screens on Sunday, February 7th at 8pm on 3.