Phil on Wire
Encyclopedia
"Phil on Wire" is the third episode of the American
sitcom Modern Family
s third season
and the 51st episode overall. The episode originally aired on September 28, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company
(ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zucker, with the story co-written by Zucker and Douglas. Jason Winer also directed the episode. Justin Kirk
guest starred in the episode as Mitchell's boss, Charlie Bingham.
The episode revolved around the growing bond between Jay (Ed O'Neill
) and the dog, Stella which gets on Gloria's nerves. Meanwhile, Phil (Ty Burrell
) and Luke (Nolan Gould
) go on a tightrope, but it's Claire (Julie Bowen
) with the missteps, as she tries to teach the girls a life lesson. Also, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) starts a juice fast.
, attempts to go on a tightrope while Claire tries to teach the girls a life lesson. Also, Cam and Mitchell go on a juice fast.
, his second director's credit for the season. The episode was filmed between August 1, 2011 and August 3, 2011. Justin Kirk
guest starred as Mitchell's boss, Charlie Bingham. Lusia Strus
also guest starred in the episode as Officer Belvin, a cop Claire quickly becomes enemies with.
". Despite this, the episode also ranked as the highest rated show on Wednesday. The episode also ranked first in its timeslot, beating the Fox
reality series, The X Factor
, CBS
drama series Criminal Minds
, NBC
drama series Harry's Law
and The CW
reality series, America's Next Top Model
. Added with DVR viewers, who viewed the episode within seven days of the original broadcast, the episode received a 8.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 2.4 rating to the original viewership. The episode also received more than 18 million viewers, when adding DVR viewers. "Phil on Wire" was the second most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49 and the eleventh most watched show among all viewers.
reviewer Ryan McGee criticized the episode saying it had "An overflow of quality performers calling it a "a 'contractual obligation' episode, in which the three families barely intersect and all pretty much do their own thing". He ultimately gave the episode a B-. CNN
writer Henry Hanks called the episode "exemplary" commenting that in the final moments of the episode he "couldn't help but cheer Phil Dunphy as he went across that tightrope". Michael Arbeiter of Hollywood praised the episode, specifically the ending writing that "This is where Modern Family’s strength comes in: it cherishes the idea of family. [...] And it isn’t at all hokey, because the very end of the episode has Phil admitting just how oblivious he is to all of the meaningful messages being embodied by his family members." He ultimately called the episode, "Very sweet, very funny".
While reviewing the first part of the third season, Slant Magazine
reviewer Peter Swanson critiziced the Mitchell-Cameron subplot calling it an "unfunny farce". He went on to complement the Phil-Luke subplot calling it a "more effective narrative thread".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom Modern Family
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...
s third season
Modern Family (season 3)
Modern Family was officially renewed for a third season on January 10, 2011. The season began with a one-hour premiere September 21, 2011 on ABC in the United States...
and the 51st episode overall. The episode originally aired on September 28, 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 Danny Zucker, with the story co-written by Zucker and Douglas. Jason Winer also directed the episode. Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
guest starred in the episode as Mitchell's boss, Charlie Bingham.
The episode revolved around the growing bond between 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...
) and the dog, Stella which gets on Gloria's nerves. Meanwhile, Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
) 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:...
) go on a tightrope, but it's 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...
) with the missteps, as she tries to teach the girls a life lesson. Also, 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...
) and 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:...
) starts a juice fast.
Plot
Gloria grows angry towards Jay's attachment to their dog, Stella. Meanwhile, Phil, inspired by Man on WireMan on Wire
Man on Wire is a 2008 British documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Philippe Petit's book, To Reach the Clouds, recently released in paperback with the new title...
, attempts to go on a tightrope while Claire tries to teach the girls a life lesson. Also, Cam and Mitchell go on a juice fast.
Production
"Phil on Wire" was written by Danny Zucker, and was based of a story by Bianca Douglas and Danny Zucker. This marked Zucker's twelfth writing credit for the series and Douglas's first. The episode was also directed by Jason WinerJason Winer
Jason Winer is an American director, producer, writer, actor and comedian. He is best known for being one of the directors on the award-winning series Modern Family on ABC.Winer was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland...
, his second director's credit for the season. The episode was filmed between August 1, 2011 and August 3, 2011. Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
guest starred as Mitchell's boss, Charlie Bingham. Lusia Strus
Lusia Strus
-Childhood and work as a theater actress:Strus was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Ukrainian school, at weekends, regularly. She had first decisive successes at performing arts, while a high school student, and attended Illinois State University. As a theater major, she joined Greg Allen's...
also guest starred in the episode as Officer Belvin, a cop Claire quickly becomes enemies with.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Phil on Wire" was viewed by an estimated 13.45 million viewers and received a 5.7 rating/15% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 5.7% of all 18–49 years olds, and 15% of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a eight percent drop in the ratings from the previous episode, "Dude RanchDude Ranch (Modern Family)
"Dude Ranch" is the third season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 49th episode overall. The episode originally aired on September 21, 2011 on American Broadcasting Company and ran back-to-back with "When Good Kids Go Bad". The episode was written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh...
". Despite this, the episode also ranked as the highest rated show on Wednesday. The episode also ranked first in its timeslot, beating the 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 series, The X Factor
The X Factor (U.S.)
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
, 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...
drama series 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...
, 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...
drama series Harry's Law
Harry's Law
Harry's Law is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley. which premiered on January 17, 2011.On May 12, 2011, NBC renewed the show for a second season, which premiered Wednesday September 21, 2011...
and The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
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....
. Added with DVR viewers, who viewed the episode within seven days of the original broadcast, the episode received a 8.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, adding a 2.4 rating to the original viewership. The episode also received more than 18 million viewers, when adding DVR viewers. "Phil on Wire" was the second most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast among adults aged 18–49 and the eleventh most watched show among all viewers.
Reviews
The episode received mixed-to-positive reviews. The A.V. ClubThe 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...
reviewer Ryan McGee criticized the episode saying it had "An overflow of quality performers calling it a "a 'contractual obligation' episode, in which the three families barely intersect and all pretty much do their own thing". He ultimately gave the episode a B-. 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...
writer Henry Hanks called the episode "exemplary" commenting that in the final moments of the episode he "couldn't help but cheer Phil Dunphy as he went across that tightrope". Michael Arbeiter of Hollywood praised the episode, specifically the ending writing that "This is where Modern Family’s strength comes in: it cherishes the idea of family. [...] And it isn’t at all hokey, because the very end of the episode has Phil admitting just how oblivious he is to all of the meaningful messages being embodied by his family members." He ultimately called the episode, "Very sweet, very funny".
While reviewing the first part of the third season, Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
reviewer Peter Swanson critiziced the Mitchell-Cameron subplot calling it an "unfunny farce". He went on to complement the Phil-Luke subplot calling it a "more effective narrative thread".
External links
- "Phil on Wire" at ABC.com