Undeck the Halls
Encyclopedia
"Undeck the Halls" is the tenth episode of the ABC
series Modern Family
. It premiered on ABC
in the United States
on December 9, 2009. In the episode, Claire (Julie Bowen
) and Phil (Ty Burrell
) threaten to take away Christmas when the kids get in trouble; Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) take Lily (Jayden and Ella Hiller) to get her first picture with Santa. Fred Willard
guest stars as Phil's dad, Frank Dunphy.
The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by Randall Einhorn
. The episode also received positive reviews from critics and had a 3.8. in the 18–49 demographic.
makes an appearance as Phil's dad as the family shows Grandpa the Christmas decorations via webcam. Discovering a burn mark on the arm of the couch, Phil and Claire draw the conclusion one of the kids was playing with matches or possibly smoking a cigarette. Phil, as usual, reacts in an extreme manner, threatening to take Christmas away for everyone if no one confesses.
Jay introduces Manny to some Pritchett Christmas traditions, such as watching Miracle on 34th Street
. However, Gloria and Manny want to incorporate some of their Colombian practices into Jay's holiday traditions, including practical jokes and fireworks. Jay doesn't react very well.
Meanwhile Cameron and Mitchell take Lily to the mall for her first picture with Santa, however this Santa isn't very jolly. Complaining to management, they are responsible for getting the guy portraying Santa fired. Feeling guilty, they take him home to share dinner - with nerve-wracking results.
. "Undeck the Halls" finished 23rd place in the weekly ratings with. The episode was the 6th highest rated show on ABC
in overall viewership for the week, and was second in the 18-49 ratings for the week (following the Disney special Prep and Landing
).
Robert Canning gave it a 8.6/10 saying it "set the bar for hopefully many more Christmas episodes to come" saying the most fun came from Cameron and Mitchell's subplot and says he looks forward to more Christmas episodes. Jason Hughes of TV Squad stated in his review "This holiday episode was lighter on the funny moments than most episodes of Modern Family, which isn't to say that it wasn't plenty funny. It substituted those with more heartfelt moments.". He also stated the best moment of the episode was when Jay surprised Gloria and Manny with fireworks. TV Fanatic gave the episode a positive review saying "The episode might not have been as funny as previous installments, but it certainly had some very sweet heart, especially when it came to Jay's storyline." But the episode was criticised for not featuring Fred Willard
saying "Fred Willard is comedic genius and could have added a lot to the already amazing Modern Family cast, but was for some odd reason underused."
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...
series 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...
. It premiered on ABC
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 9, 2009. In the episode, 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...
) and Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
) threaten to take away Christmas when the kids get in trouble; 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:...
) take Lily (Jayden and Ella Hiller) to get her first picture with Santa. Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
guest stars as Phil's dad, Frank Dunphy.
The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon and directed by Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn
Randall Einhorn is an American television director and cinematographer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.Einhorn is best known for his work on The Office . He also directed The Accountants, a ten-part webisode spinoff of The Office which appeared online between the second and third seasons...
. The episode also received positive reviews from critics and had a 3.8. in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Fred WillardFred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
makes an appearance as Phil's dad as the family shows Grandpa the Christmas decorations via webcam. Discovering a burn mark on the arm of the couch, Phil and Claire draw the conclusion one of the kids was playing with matches or possibly smoking a cigarette. Phil, as usual, reacts in an extreme manner, threatening to take Christmas away for everyone if no one confesses.
Jay introduces Manny to some Pritchett Christmas traditions, such as watching Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
. However, Gloria and Manny want to incorporate some of their Colombian practices into Jay's holiday traditions, including practical jokes and fireworks. Jay doesn't react very well.
Meanwhile Cameron and Mitchell take Lily to the mall for her first picture with Santa, however this Santa isn't very jolly. Complaining to management, they are responsible for getting the guy portraying Santa fired. Feeling guilty, they take him home to share dinner - with nerve-wracking results.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Undeck the Halls" was viewed by an estimated 9.666 million households and received a 3.8 rating/10% share in the 18-49 demographic with a 5.6 rating/6% share Nielsen rating in the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. "Undeck the Halls" finished 23rd place in the weekly ratings with. The episode was the 6th highest rated show on ABC
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...
in overall viewership for the week, and was second in the 18-49 ratings for the week (following the Disney special Prep and Landing
Prep and Landing
Disney Prep & Landing is a computer animated television special, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired December 8, 2009 on ABC.The special was released on-line...
).
Robert Canning gave it a 8.6/10 saying it "set the bar for hopefully many more Christmas episodes to come" saying the most fun came from Cameron and Mitchell's subplot and says he looks forward to more Christmas episodes. Jason Hughes of TV Squad stated in his review "This holiday episode was lighter on the funny moments than most episodes of Modern Family, which isn't to say that it wasn't plenty funny. It substituted those with more heartfelt moments.". He also stated the best moment of the episode was when Jay surprised Gloria and Manny with fireworks. TV Fanatic gave the episode a positive review saying "The episode might not have been as funny as previous installments, but it certainly had some very sweet heart, especially when it came to Jay's storyline." But the episode was criticised for not featuring Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
saying "Fred Willard is comedic genius and could have added a lot to the already amazing Modern Family cast, but was for some odd reason underused."
Continuity
At the end, the ornament that Phil's father gifted to the Dunphy's burns a hole in the same place as the old one, vindicating the kids. In actuality, after Phil moves the tree out of the room, the likelihood that the ornament would be in the exact same place is very low.External links
- "Undeck the Halls" at ABC.com