Modern Family

Jay Pritchett (The patriarch)
Played by Ed O'Neill, ka Al Bundy on "Married... With Children," Jay is a wealthy retiree and divorcé who lives with his sultry, substantially younger, Colombian bride, Gloria (Sofia Vergara), and her precocious, pre-teen son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez). ... more Through his unconventional new nuclear family, the otherwise uptight Jay learns to embrace the quirkiness of his neurotic daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), and her nutty husband, Phil (Ty Burrell); his gay son Mitchell's (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) strangely traditional relationship with macho partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet); and the still-forming eccentricities of his three paternal grandchildren: princess-y Haley (Sarah Hyland), whiz-kid Alex (Ariel Winter) and, er, absent-minded Luke (Nolan Gould). Unlike his iconic "Married" character, O'Neill typically plays straight man to the colorful ensemble, but imbues Jay with a believably gruff sensitivity. Close