Watch Modern Family S01E19

The phrase "a dog and pony show" originated in 19th century America as a term for small traveling circuses that toured through rural areas. The modern usage refers to an over-staged performance. Typically, the term is used to connote disdain, jocular lack of appreciation, or distrust of the message being presented or the efforts undertaken to present it. The episode's plot is reminiscent of the O. Henry story "The Ransom of Red Chief," in which a young boy's antics drive his kidnappers so crazy that they end up paying his family to take him back.

Watch Modern Family S01E19

Fridays have become their sister nights. Eda and Lilith can shoo the kids off to bed and commandeer the couch to watch shitty reality TV while drinking even shittier alcohol. It's not exactly family therapy, but it does the trick. 041b061a72