Hulu's 'Modern Family' Sitcom Replacement Deserves a Second Look 10 Years Later

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Published Feb 22, 2026, 7:43 AM EST

Dennis has written for publications like USA Today, Prediction News, and Psychology Today before bringing his thoughts to Collider. Despite consuming an arguably concerning amount of Netflix content, he maintains enough critical faculties to form opinions worth reading. His claim to fame is not falling asleep through virtually every film he's encountered in recent years—with one notable exception: falling asleep during "Barbie" only to be awakened by Ryan Gosling belting "I'm Just Ken." When not analyzing entertainment or defending his streaming habits as "research," Dennis can be found wondering if perhaps he should go outside more often.

Family dynamics are always a joy to watch on television and film. We get to see ourselves in the family members or discover new kinds of relationships. It’s exactly why sitcoms like Modern Family or dramas like Parenthood were so popular. We love seeing larger families and how they interact with one another. And of course, a robust family tree provides writers with a wealth of opportunities to explore various topics, playing with the variety of ages, genders, and identities. It’s not surprising that Modern Family was so beloved, and even less surprising that other networks attempted to replicate the ABC sitcom’s success. CBS did just that with their comedy, Life in Pieces.

What Is 'Life in Pieces' About?

Life in Pieces first debuted in 2015 on CBS, with four seasons and almost 80 episodes, the show took the typical family sitcom but added a new twist. The series uses an anthology-style format – each 22-minute episode is divided into four short stories. Each lasts about five to seven minutes and focuses on a different branch of the family. We see three generations, led by the matriarch, Dr. Joan Short, played by Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest, and the patriarch, John Short, played by Emmy-winner James Brolin. Beneath them in the family tree, there are three couples: Gregory Short (Colin Hanks) and Jennifer Collins Short (Zoe Lister-Jones); Dr. Timothy Hughes (Dan Bakkedahl) and Heather Short Hughes (Betsy Brandt); and lastly, Matthew Short (Thomas Sadoski) and Colleen Brandon Ortega Short (Angelique Cabral). Each couple either has kids or is trying to have them, which keeps adding to the treasure trove of storylines to explore.

The stories range across topics such as college tours and first dates, all set in one of the four shorts in the same episode. The first three are individual stories about different branches of the family, and the fourth one typically ties them all together. And if you haven’t noticed, they're called the Short Family, and there are four shorts in each episode — pun intended, in this case, by the writers. Life in Pieces had strong ratings in its first three seasons and was well-received. But the network cancelled the show before the fourth season even concluded.

How Do 'Life in Pieces' and 'Modern Family' Relate and Differ?

There are some obvious similarities between Modern Family and Life in Pieces. Both have three-generation families living in Los Angeles and even share character parallels. For example, patriarchs — John Short and Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) — are both ex-military dog lovers. Eldest daughters — Heather Hughes and Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) — are raising three kids with goofy husbands. In fact, both shows' pilot episodes were directed by Jason Winer. There were also plenty of similar storylines typical of family sitcoms, like a family vacation that goes wrong, out-of-touch comedy from the patriarchs, couple therapy, and so on. Essentially, there is thematic overlap from the first episode.

However, there are also quite a few differences. Notably, Modern Family is filmed in a mockumentary style, while Life in Pieces operates in an anthology format. Modern Family, therefore, has more time to develop an overall arc, whereas Life in Pieces often features four smaller stories with an occasional thin throughline. Also, in terms of tone, there is quite a big difference. The CBS sitcom was significantly “edgier” than the ABC show. Conversations about sex and relationship dysfunction were common on Life in Pieces, while Modern Family had a lighter, more sentimental tone, which was far less outwardly raunchy.

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Moreover, the CBS series was less afraid of ending on an awkward or tense moment, while Modern Family typically had a resolution at the end of each episode. And lastly, a significant difference is cultural impact. Modern Family has become an iconic 2010s sitcom, while Life in Pieces went under the radar and was largely unnoticed. Despite this, Life in Pieces deserves more attention and is your perfect next watch on Hulu.

TV-14

Comedy

Release Date: 2015 - 2019
Network: CBS
Directors: Jason Winer, Chad Lowe, Jonathan Judge, James Alan Hensz, Ken Whittingham, Eric Dean Seaton, Natalia Anderson, Alex Reid, John Riggi, Jude Weng, Jaffar Mahmood, Phil Traill, Melissa Kosar, Helen Hunt, Linda Mendoza, Rebecca Asher, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Chris Koch, Claire Scanlon, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Jeffrey Walker, Fred Goss, Jeremy Garelick, Marcus Stokes
Writers: Justin Adler, Barbie Adler, Brad Copeland, Elizabeth Tippet, Maggie Mull, Joe Cristalli, Lesley Wake Webster, Dave Jeser, Greg Malins, Matthew Silverstein, Jordan Young, Kyle Mack, Alec Sulkin, Kirker Butler, Marcos Luevanos, Max Saltarelli, Danielle Hoover, David Monahan, Rolin Jones, Ilana Wernick, Sarah Tapscott, Nadiya Chettiar, Jason Belleville