Abstract：American situation comedies always appear in many television stations and are welcomed by audiences with humorous and pleasing formats,. It constitutes an indispensable part of American television culture and acts as an important channel to convey American native culture. In the mean time, we can observe from American sitcoms that American familial and marital models are changing, how people live together and the way they view things are the best reflection of modern American culture in the transformed familial and marital models. This paper examines the different types of family patterns in Modern Family, and analyzes the formation of each pattern. Through the discussion, this paper tries to explore the common family values shared by all types of modern American families. 

Key Words: American culture; family and marriage models; situation comedy; family value