ABC picks up its first series for fall (updated)

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ABC is going into the comedic mockumentary business next fall.

The network has ordered its first new series, ‘Modern Family,’ a single-camera comedy that will look at family life from a different angle, as the lives of three families are explored through the lens of a Dutch documentary crew.

One is a traditional family with a working dad, homemaker mom and their two kids; another is a gay couple who have just adopted an Asian baby; and the third is an older man married to a younger woman. The documentary crew also are characters in the show.

Created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (‘Back To You’ and ‘Frasier’), the cast includes Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Noland Gould, Ed O’Neill, Rico Rodriguez, Sarah Hyland, Eric Stonestreet, Sofia Vergara and Ariel Winter.

ABC, which traditionally does not pick up new shows until it gets closer to announcing its schedule to advertisers in New York, ordered the show early, in part, to send a message that comedy is a priority this season, sources said. ‘Modern Family,’ which tested highly with focus groups, will be part of the lineup that ABC will present in Manhattan on May 19.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez