On Television  I Love Leslie  “Parks and Recreation” and the
puzzle of sitcom originality.  by October 22, 2012  “Parks and
Recreation” initially mirrored both versions of “The Office.”
Illustration by Edwin Fotheringham.   Watching “Modern Family”
sweep the Emmys, last month, I felt a spike of fury. I knew that
this was an absurdly out-of-proportion response: just three
years ago, the show struck me as charming and innovative, a
mixture of old-style family comedy and modern mockumentary. The
story of a blended family in California, it included
stepparents, adoption, a gay marriage, and a May-December
interracial couple. I was relieved to be able to love a sitcom
that was also a hit, its demographic reach spanning TV nerds and
third graders, Romneys and Obamas alike.  But, as the seasons
passed, my doubts grew. Beneath that dewy skin, “Modern Family”
has some surprisingly retro bones. Were we really supposed to
root for Jay, a wealthy codger grumbling at his trophy wife,
Gloria? Isn’t it a little creepy how J