Why it took me 20 years to like Ed O’Neill

Most kids who planted themselves in front of ‘80s and ‘90s sitcoms watched their fair share of Married…With Children (1987-1997). It provided a breath of fresh (actually, make that smoky) air — an unapologetic, raunchy look at family life. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but I found myself watching it when nothing else was on (sort of like how these days, I might watch Tyra or The Doctors when it’s midday and pickings are slim).

Peggy was conniving (and funny), Kelly was ditzy (and funny), Bud was sleazy (and funny-ish)…but Al? NOT funny. Apathetic, unmotivated, and miserable? Sure. Funny? No. At least, not to a 10-year-old girl.

I’m probably in the minority of viewers who didn’t guffaw every time Al put his hand down his pants and talked about the Nudie Bar. But I just didn’t get him. Maybe I was too young. If this show aired today, I’d probably appreciate him more. But Ed O’Neill was pretty much the reason I didn’t really enjoy watching Married…With Children. And every time I saw him on TV — even without that ugly floral-patterned couch surrounding him — the same thing came out of my mouth:

“Ugh.”

That is, however, until I discovered ABC’s Modern Family and O’Neill’s Jay Pritchett.

Husband to bombshell Gloria and stepfather to Manny “Born 16” Delgado, Jay has the same devil-may-care attitude as Al Bundy, but with a little more maturity and a lot more heart (and, well…money). And I can finally appreciate O’Neill’s humor.

Sure, Jay exhibits an apathy toward (and sometimes a resistance to) family obligations — such as helping Manny install a fan in his bedroom — but complementing that discontent is the eventual “good guy moment” that usually follows. In “The Bicycle Thief,” Manny boasts to Jay that his father is fearless and cool, and that he’s going to take him to Disneyland. When Manny’s dad bails at the last minute, it is Jay who steps in, pretending that SuperDad has arranged for a limo to pick them up and take them to the theme park.

In “Fifteen Percent,” Jay offends Mitchell by introducing Cameron to his buddies as “Mitchell’s friend.” Mitchell already feels a bit estranged from his father — upon coming out to him, their weekly phone calls diminished, and their relationship is strained. When Mitchell claims that tough guy Shorty is obviously gay (“My gaydar is never wrong, and it’s pinging like we’re at a bathhouse”), Jay attempts to reach out to his friend. Although Shorty’s “problem” is that he’s actually in debt, and Jay gets roped into helping him pay it off, Mitchell is touched by his dad’s willingness to accept Shorty’s, and in turn Mitchell’s, lifestyle.

And then, of course, there’s the classic Christmas prank in “Undeck the Halls,” where Jay acts all Scroogey about his new family’s Colombian traditions, only to surprise them — “Inocente!” — making them (and us) laugh. Al Bundy would have just muttered, “Bah, Humbug, babe,” and turned back to the TV.

Jay and Al are similar to a degree — they both have wives that are far too good-looking for them, for one, and they both have families that occasionally drive them crazy — but Jay has won my heart.

And it only took 20 years.

Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Jan 24, 2011 @ 16:00 EST5EDT