Good Cop Bad Dog
Encyclopedia
"Good Cop Bad Dog" is the twenty second episode of the American comedy television series Modern Family
' s second season
and the 46th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 11, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company
(ABC). The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham
and Jeffrey Richman
and was guest directed by former child star Fred Savage
. It guest starred Lin-Manuel Miranda as Guillermo, the Grocery Store worker who tries to convince Jay to invest with him.
In the episode, Jay (Ed O'Neill
) advises a dog trainer, while Phil (Ty Burrell
) and Claire (Julie Bowen
) switch parenting duties to the kids' chagrin. Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) has an extra Lady Gaga ticket when Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) ends up sick. The episode introduces the Pritchett's new dog that will appear for the rest of the season and for a majority of the third.
"Good Cop Bad Dog" received positive reviews from critics with many praising Ty Burrell
's performance. The episode was viewed by more than 10 million viewers and received a 4.2 rating/11% share in the 18-49 demographic marking a 8 percent rise in the ratings from the previous episode, "Mother's Day
". The episode was also the highest rated scripted program of the original week it aired among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. Burrell eventually received an Emmy for his performance in the episode.
) and Haley (Sarah Hyland
) are furious at Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke (Nolan Gould
) for barging into their room while they were changing. This leads to their mother, Claire (Julie Bowen
) to yell at them, while their dad, Phil (Ty Burrell
) attempts to push himself away from Claire's anger behind her back. This leads to a conversation between Claire and Phil that eventually leads to Claire and Phil switching their roles with Claire acting more fun and Phil acting more serious. Claire takes Manny and Luke go-carting while Phil has to stay and supervise the cleaning of the bathroom. The go-carting goes horrible as Luke gets sick from drinking a milkshake he did not want. Meanwhile, Phil goes furious when the girls lie to him about cleaning the bathroom. He eventually stops the girl from leaving, by jumping on their car and forces them to clean the bathroom without lunch under the penalty that they shall also have to clean his bathroom. Phil and Claire realize that they work better in their natural parental roles and go back to their old ways.
Meanwhile, Gloria (Sofía Vergara
) wants to help a grocery-store worker, Guillermo (Lin-Manuel Miranda), so she convinces Jay (Ed O'Neill
) to let Guillermo pitch him a business idea: a dog-training system labeled "The Good-doggy / Bad-doggy Training System", which consists of two sets of doggy treats, one of them being bland and a tastier one with bacon. The pitch goes horrible as Guillermo's dog, Stella, chews on Jay's pillow and seems to love the bad doggy treat. Jay eventually shoots Guillermo's idea down, causing him to cry because he had invested five years of his life in this idea and leaves. Gloria follows him to apologize but it turns out that Guillermo is greatful toward Jay and has decided to reorganize his life which means moving back in with his sister to go back to school but it also means that he must give the dog away. Gloria allows the dog to stay with them much to Jay's anger, which is increased when Manny walks in and believes the dog is a present form him. Jay drives the dog to the pound but Stella's sweet face makes him take it back home.
Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) has bought tickets to a Lady Gaga
concert, but his plans go south when Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) goes sick. This causes Mitchell to be torn on whether he should stay with Cameron or go to the concert. He eventually tries to be supporting and attempt to subtly persuade Cameron to let him go, as Claire has advised him to do. Mitchell tries to sneak away after noticing that Cameron has drunk the most of a cough syrup that would "put down a Grizzly
," but he is caught whem Cam wakes up. Mitchell then gives a speech about how selfish he has been to Cameron, before realizing Cameron has fallen asleep once more. He then sneaks off to the concert and comes back before Cameron wakes up again. When Cameron does wake up, however, Mitchell is caught with a glow stick underneath his shirt.
and Jeffrey Richman
, the former receiving third writing credit for the series having previously written "The Kiss
" and "Regrets Only
" and the latter receiving his fourth writing credit for the series. Higginbotham received a story credit for the episode, as well. The episode was also directed by guest director Fred Savage
, best known for his performance in The Wonder Years
. The episode was filmed on March 3, and March 4, 2011. The episode features a guest appearance by Puerto Rican-American composer
and singer Lin-Manuel Miranda. The episode marks the introduction of the Pritchett's new dog, a French Bulldog
played by Brigette. According to Rico Rodriguez II
, who plays Manny on the show, "She'll probably be in the last three episodes of the season and then in multiple episodes next year [...] [She] has fit in very well".
". In its timeslot, "Good Cop Bad Dog" was outperformed by Fox
reality television series, American Idol
which received a 6.9 rating/20 share in the 18-49 demographic. However the series defeated CBS
crime drama Criminal Minds
which received a 3.1 rating/8% share, a rerun of NBC
reality series, Minute to Win It
which received a 0.9 rating/2% share and The CW reality series, America's Next Top Model
with received a 0.8 rating/2% share. "Good Cop Bad Dog" was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49, and the twenty-third most-watched show among all viewers. Added with the DVR
viewers, the episode received a 6.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 2.2 rating to the original viewership.
writer Leseley Savage praised the episode's theme commenting that "while tonight's theme of switching roles definitely wasn't subtle, it was still clever." She named Burrell the "MVP" saying that "When he jumped onto the roof of their car, I nearly died". The A.V. Club
s Donna Bowman wrote that the episode showed "flashes of brilliance in this half hour that were equally due to the situations set up by the writers and to the talents of the cast". Despite the mainly positive review, she critizised the Mitchell and Cameron plot for not having "much warmth". She ultimately gave the episode a B+ while readers of the article gave it a B. New York
writer Rachael Maddux praised the episode for " revealing new sides of several personalities" commenting that "our favorite moments over the last twenty-something Modern Family episodes have almost entirely involved learning something new about these characters".
CNN
reviewer Henry Hanks wrote, "Wednesday night's Modern Family was an example of the series at the top of its game." He also called Burrell the "this week's MVP". TV Squad writer Joel Keller praised Phil and Claire's plot for recycling a standard television trope
while still having "the biggest laughs". Keller criticized the Mitchell and Cam subplot namely because "because Cam's personality was tamped down by sickness" and later wrote, "Yes, I just said you can rehash stuff if done well. This one wasn't done well." Not all reviews were positive. Christine Ziemba of Paste
called the episode "uneven", but wrote that "it still had its moments". She praised Ty Burrell
's performance calling him "the episode’s scene stealer". She ultimately gave the episode a 6.9/10 calling it "respectable". Sam Morgan of Hollywood.com complimented the writers for attempting to write a "classic MF episode" but concluded, "It had some very funny bits, but that heart it searched far and wide for just wasn’t there".
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
Modern Family (season 2)
The second season of the comedy television series, Modern Family premiered September 22, 2010 and ended on May 25, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Lloyd-Levitan Productions with creators...
and the 46th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 11, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC). The episode was written by Abraham Higginbotham
Abraham Higginbotham
Abraham Higginbotham is a writer, producer, and occasional actor for popular comedy series such as Arrested Development, Will & Grace, Back to You and Do Not Disturb....
and Jeffrey Richman
Jeffrey Richman
-Producer:* Stacked:* Frasier: executive producer* Charlie Lawrence : executive producer* Stark Raving Mad : co-executive producer* Wings : producer-Writer:* Stacked: 1 episode, 2005...
and was guest directed by former child star Fred Savage
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
. It guest starred Lin-Manuel Miranda as Guillermo, the Grocery Store worker who tries to convince Jay to invest with him.
In the episode, Jay (Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
) advises a dog trainer, while Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
) and Claire (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...
) switch parenting duties to the kids' chagrin. Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
) has an extra Lady Gaga ticket when Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance in Modern Family and won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his...
) ends up sick. The episode introduces the Pritchett's new dog that will appear for the rest of the season and for a majority of the third.
"Good Cop Bad Dog" received positive reviews from critics with many praising Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
's performance. The episode was viewed by more than 10 million viewers and received a 4.2 rating/11% share in the 18-49 demographic marking a 8 percent rise in the ratings from the previous episode, "Mother's Day
Mother's Day (Modern Family)
"Mother's Day" is the twenty-first episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Familys second season and the 45th episode overall of the series. It original aired on the American Broadcast Company on May 4, 2011...
". The episode was also the highest rated scripted program of the original week it aired among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. Burrell eventually received an Emmy for his performance in the episode.
Plot
In the Dunphy household, Alex (Ariel WinterAriel Winter
Ariel Winter Workman , known in television shows and films as Ariel Winter, is an American teen actress and singer. Winter is best known for her current role as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, for which she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along...
) and Haley (Sarah Hyland
Sarah Hyland
Sarah Jane Hyland is an American actress, currently starring as Haley Dunphy on the ABC comedy Modern Family.-Life and career:...
) are furious at Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke (Nolan Gould
Nolan Gould
Nolan Gould is an American child actor best known for his starring role as Luke Dunphy on the ABC comedy Modern Family. He is the brother of Aidan Gould-Acting career:...
) for barging into their room while they were changing. This leads to their mother, Claire (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...
) to yell at them, while their dad, Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
) attempts to push himself away from Claire's anger behind her back. This leads to a conversation between Claire and Phil that eventually leads to Claire and Phil switching their roles with Claire acting more fun and Phil acting more serious. Claire takes Manny and Luke go-carting while Phil has to stay and supervise the cleaning of the bathroom. The go-carting goes horrible as Luke gets sick from drinking a milkshake he did not want. Meanwhile, Phil goes furious when the girls lie to him about cleaning the bathroom. He eventually stops the girl from leaving, by jumping on their car and forces them to clean the bathroom without lunch under the penalty that they shall also have to clean his bathroom. Phil and Claire realize that they work better in their natural parental roles and go back to their old ways.
Meanwhile, Gloria (Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
) wants to help a grocery-store worker, Guillermo (Lin-Manuel Miranda), so she convinces Jay (Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
) to let Guillermo pitch him a business idea: a dog-training system labeled "The Good-doggy / Bad-doggy Training System", which consists of two sets of doggy treats, one of them being bland and a tastier one with bacon. The pitch goes horrible as Guillermo's dog, Stella, chews on Jay's pillow and seems to love the bad doggy treat. Jay eventually shoots Guillermo's idea down, causing him to cry because he had invested five years of his life in this idea and leaves. Gloria follows him to apologize but it turns out that Guillermo is greatful toward Jay and has decided to reorganize his life which means moving back in with his sister to go back to school but it also means that he must give the dog away. Gloria allows the dog to stay with them much to Jay's anger, which is increased when Manny walks in and believes the dog is a present form him. Jay drives the dog to the pound but Stella's sweet face makes him take it back home.
Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
) has bought tickets to a Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
concert, but his plans go south when Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance in Modern Family and won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his...
) goes sick. This causes Mitchell to be torn on whether he should stay with Cameron or go to the concert. He eventually tries to be supporting and attempt to subtly persuade Cameron to let him go, as Claire has advised him to do. Mitchell tries to sneak away after noticing that Cameron has drunk the most of a cough syrup that would "put down a Grizzly
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
," but he is caught whem Cam wakes up. Mitchell then gives a speech about how selfish he has been to Cameron, before realizing Cameron has fallen asleep once more. He then sneaks off to the concert and comes back before Cameron wakes up again. When Cameron does wake up, however, Mitchell is caught with a glow stick underneath his shirt.
Production
"Good Cop Bad Dog" was written by Abraham HigginbothamAbraham Higginbotham
Abraham Higginbotham is a writer, producer, and occasional actor for popular comedy series such as Arrested Development, Will & Grace, Back to You and Do Not Disturb....
and Jeffrey Richman
Jeffrey Richman
-Producer:* Stacked:* Frasier: executive producer* Charlie Lawrence : executive producer* Stark Raving Mad : co-executive producer* Wings : producer-Writer:* Stacked: 1 episode, 2005...
, the former receiving third writing credit for the series having previously written "The Kiss
The Kiss (Modern Family)
"The Kiss" is the second episode of the second season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 26th episode overall. The episode aired September 29, 2010, and was written by Abraham Higginbotham and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode also featured guest starred Aaron Sanders as Jeremy, Alex's...
" and "Regrets Only
Regrets Only
"Regrets Only" is the sixteenth episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Familys second season.-Plot:At the Dunphys it is clear that Claire spent the night on the couch and that she and Phil had a huge fight, but he does not have a clue as to what it was over...
" and the latter receiving his fourth writing credit for the series. Higginbotham received a story credit for the episode, as well. The episode was also directed by guest director Fred Savage
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
, best known for his performance in The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
. The episode was filmed on March 3, and March 4, 2011. The episode features a guest appearance by Puerto Rican-American composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and singer Lin-Manuel Miranda. The episode marks the introduction of the Pritchett's new dog, a French Bulldog
French Bulldog
The French bulldog is a small breed of domestic dog, related to the English bulldog and American bulldog.-History:The origin of the modern French Bulldog breed descends directly from the dogs of the Molossians, an ancient Greek tribe. The dogs were spread throughout the ancient world by Phoenician...
played by Brigette. According to Rico Rodriguez II
Rico Rodriguez II
Rico Rodriguez is an American actor.Rodriguez currently plays the role of Manny Delgado on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. He is the younger brother of actress Raini Rodriguez.-Acting career:...
, who plays Manny on the show, "She'll probably be in the last three episodes of the season and then in multiple episodes next year [...] [She] has fit in very well".
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on May 11, 2011, "Good Cop Bad Dog" was viewed by an estimated 10.113 million households and received a 4.2 rating/11% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 4.2% of all 18–49 years olds, and 11% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a 8 percent rise in the ratings from the previous episode, "Mother's DayMother's Day (Modern Family)
"Mother's Day" is the twenty-first episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Familys second season and the 45th episode overall of the series. It original aired on the American Broadcast Company on May 4, 2011...
". In its timeslot, "Good Cop Bad Dog" was outperformed by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
reality television series, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
which received a 6.9 rating/20 share in the 18-49 demographic. However the series defeated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
crime drama Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
which received a 3.1 rating/8% share, a rerun of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
reality series, Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
which received a 0.9 rating/2% share and The CW reality series, America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
with received a 0.8 rating/2% share. "Good Cop Bad Dog" was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49, and the twenty-third most-watched show among all viewers. Added with the DVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
viewers, the episode received a 6.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 2.2 rating to the original viewership.
Reviews
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics with many commenting on Ty Burrell's performance. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
writer Leseley Savage praised the episode's theme commenting that "while tonight's theme of switching roles definitely wasn't subtle, it was still clever." She named Burrell the "MVP" saying that "When he jumped onto the roof of their car, I nearly died". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Donna Bowman wrote that the episode showed "flashes of brilliance in this half hour that were equally due to the situations set up by the writers and to the talents of the cast". Despite the mainly positive review, she critizised the Mitchell and Cameron plot for not having "much warmth". She ultimately gave the episode a B+ while readers of the article gave it a B. New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
writer Rachael Maddux praised the episode for " revealing new sides of several personalities" commenting that "our favorite moments over the last twenty-something Modern Family episodes have almost entirely involved learning something new about these characters".
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reviewer Henry Hanks wrote, "Wednesday night's Modern Family was an example of the series at the top of its game." He also called Burrell the "this week's MVP". TV Squad writer Joel Keller praised Phil and Claire's plot for recycling a standard television trope
Trope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
while still having "the biggest laughs". Keller criticized the Mitchell and Cam subplot namely because "because Cam's personality was tamped down by sickness" and later wrote, "Yes, I just said you can rehash stuff if done well. This one wasn't done well." Not all reviews were positive. Christine Ziemba of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
called the episode "uneven", but wrote that "it still had its moments". She praised Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
's performance calling him "the episode’s scene stealer". She ultimately gave the episode a 6.9/10 calling it "respectable". Sam Morgan of Hollywood.com complimented the writers for attempting to write a "classic MF episode" but concluded, "It had some very funny bits, but that heart it searched far and wide for just wasn’t there".
External links
- "Good Cop Bad Dog" at ABC.com