Family guy

Ed O'Neill has come to terms with being identified as his Al Bundy character. Photo / Supplied

Ed O'Neill takes his place back in primetime in the fast-paced mockumentary, Modern Family. Not since his 10-year reign as the irascible Al Bundy from Married With Children (1987-1997) have we seen him on a regular basis. And it's a welcome return. In person, however, it seems some of his views are a little more Al Bundy than you might imagine.

Although O'Neill has appeared in various sitcoms and dramas since the demise of Married With Children, including a stint on John from Cincinnati, and West Wing, this is his "real" chance for a big comeback. "I hadn't wanted to do another comedy since Married, but when the producers explained what they wanted to do, I loved the idea, especially the ensemble aspect. And I really liked the gay couple," he says.

From the creators of Frasier, Modern Family is about the joys and horrors of parenthood, and follows the lives of three diverse families. Refreshingly, they don't resemble the usual garden variety unit with 2.4 children, two cars and a dog.

O'Neill's deadpan and sarcastic Jay Pritchett is on his second marriage and going through a mid-life crisis. He's married to a much younger woman, a Latina bombshell who has a son from a previous relationship. The couple are as different from each other as they are in demographic. She is played by Sofia Vergara, perhaps best known for dating Tom Cruise than she is for her short-lived appearances in tv shows including Dirty Sexy Money, or Men in Trees.

The typical suburban quotient are made up of Julie Bowen (Ed) as mother of three and husband Ty Burrell (Back to You) as her husband, who tries a little too hard to be cool with his kids. Maybe the most interesting element is gay couple Jesse Tyler-Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, who adopt a child and endure the struggle of mixing in a straight world of playgroups and children's parties.

As with beloved character who has been a fixture of our living room for more than a decade, it was difficult for O'Neill to distance himself from his Al Bundy persona. "I didn't understand it. It was just a job. I never really thought about it, ever. I realise there is a danger where people can't believe you as someone else after a role like that, and then of course, you can't get any work.

"I had a problem years ago where I kept thinking, 'Why is everyone still calling me Al?' Then I reconciled with it and realised that, that was the only way people know me. It's because I look like him," he jokes. "But every day someone will still call me Al. It can be annoying at times, but I wouldn't reverse it, either."

When it comes to humour, O'Neill is very specific about what makes him laugh. "I like being funny and I've always been that way. I'm a good storyteller, as opposed to telling jokes. I can't even remember jokes. You may be surprised to know that I don't like scatological humour. You would think I would enjoy that kind of thing, being Al Bundy for 11 years, but I really do hate bathroom jokes."

O'Neill, 64, could be described as 'old school.' in his perception of what and who is funny. "I like Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, Jack Benny, and Carl Reiner. I used to watch those guys all the time. As far as contemporary comedians, I like Chris Rock, I loved (Richard) Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey." Suggesting there is an obvious omission of the female population, he says, "I have trouble with standup comic women. I try. Maybe Lily Tomlin, or Carol Burnett are funny," he says, begrudgingly.

Clearly, this Ohio-born actor is from the somewhat outdated viewpoint that in order to be considered funny, women need to be unattractive. "Well, do you know any attractive ones?" he asks. I reel off a few names that come to mind - Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kathy Griffin - and he responds: "Look, maybe it's the era I grew up in. Women are not supposed to say certain things. It's a cultural thing. When a woman does that in public, somehow, men go, 'Argh!'

"Comedy is like combat. I mean, do you want to send your daughter to Afghanistan?" he says, rhetorically.

After this slightly heated exchange, we return, albeit abruptly, to the milder subject at hand. "What I like about my character in Modern Family is that he wasn't a successful father or husband the first time around but he's giving it another shot in his new marriage. He's still not great, but it's an improvement."

Modern Family, nominated for multiple awards including a Golden Globe, and is often compared to The Office and 70s hit, Soap. It's a good example of a postmodern family life executed in a way which doesn't try to please everyone, and in doing so, has an enormously wide appeal.

Lowdown

Who: Ed O'Neill, the actor formerly known as Al Bundy, of Married with Children.
What: Modern Family, the acclaimed new mockumentary in which he stars as Jay Pritchett, a middle-aged guy with a young Colombian wife, Gloria, stepdad to Manny and father of Claire, wife and mother of another of the show's families, The Dunphys.
When and where: TV3, Sunday, 8pm