September 23, 2009(2009-09-23)– April 8, 2020(2020-04-08)
Modern Family is an American television sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan. It aired on ABC from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020, for 11 seasons and 250 episodes.[2][3] The series follows the lives of three diverse family set-ups living in suburban Los Angeles, who are interrelated through their patriarch, Jay Pritchett.
Lloyd and Levitan conceived the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families." Modern Family employs an ensemble cast and is presented in a mockumentary style, with the characters frequently speaking directly to the camera in confessional interview segments.[2][3]
Modern Family was highly acclaimed by critics throughout its first few seasons. Its critical reception became more mixed as it progressed. The final season received positive reviews, and the finale episode had 7.37 million first-run viewers.[4] The retrospective documentary that aired before the final episode had 6.72 million first-run viewers.
The broadcast syndication rights to the series were sold to NBCUniversal's USA Network, the stations of Fox Television Stations, and various other local stations in other markets for a fall 2013 premiere. The success of the series led to it being the 10th-highest revenue-generating show for 2012, earning $2.13 million an episode.[5]
Premise
Modern Family revolves around three different types of families (nuclear, blended, and same-sex) living in suburban Los Angeles, who are interrelated through wealthy businessman Jay Pritchett and his two adult children, Claire and Mitchell.
Jay remarried a much younger woman, Gloria Delgado (née Ramirez), a passionate Colombian immigrant[6] with whom he has a young son, Fulgencio “Joe” Joseph (born in the middle of the fourth season), and a stepson from Gloria's previous marriage,[7] Manuel "Manny" Delgado. Jay and Gloria's respective former spouses, DeDe and Javier, both also make occasional appearances in the show.
Claire was a homemaker, though returned to the business world in the fifth season, eventually becoming the chief executive of her father's business, Pritchett's Closets and Blinds. She is married to Phil Dunphy, a realtor and a self-professed "cool dad", who is also an amateur magician and real-estate lecturer at community college. They have three children: Haley, a stereotypically ditzy teenaged girl;[8] Alex, an intelligent and nerdy middle child;[9] and Luke, the offbeat only son.[10] Haley's on-and-off boyfriend, Dylan, is a permanent fixture on the show, with the two eventually marrying and having two children, Poppy and George.
Mitchell is a lawyer who is in a same-sex relationship with Cameron Tucker, a former music teacher who later works as a football coach. The two have adopted a baby daughter, Lily, of Vietnamese origin, and are later on legally married. At the end of the show, they adopt another child, Rexford.
As the show's name suggests, it depicts a modern-day extended family; many episodes are comically based on situations that many families encounter in real life.
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett: Gloria's husband; Claire, Mitchell and Joe's father; Manny's stepfather; Haley, Alex, Luke, Lily and Rexford's grandfather; Phil and Cameron's father-in-law.
Sofía Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett: Jay's second wife; Manny and Joe's mother; Claire and Mitchell's stepmother.
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy: Jay and Dede's daughter; Mitchell's older sister; Manny's older step-sister; and Joe's older half-sister; Phil's wife; Haley, Alex, and Luke's mom, Dylan's mother in law, and Poppy's and George's grandmother.
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy: Claire's husband; Haley, Alex, and Luke's father; Dylan's father in law, and Poppy's and George's grandfather.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett: Jay and Dede's son; Claire's younger brother; Joe's older half-brother; and Manny's older step-brother; Cameron's husband; Lily and Rexford's adoptive father, Haley, Alex, and Luke's uncle.
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker: Mitchell's husband; Lily and Rexford's adoptive father.
Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy: Claire and Phil's older daughter; Alex and Luke's older sister; Dylan's wife; Poppy and George's mother; Mitchell's oldest niece.
Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy: Claire and Phil's younger daughter; Haley and Luke's middle sister; Mitchell's youngest niece.
Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy: Claire and Phil's son; Haley and Alex's younger brother; Mitchell's nephew.
Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado: Gloria and Javier's son; Joe's older half-brother; Jay's stepson; Claire and Mitchell's younger stepbrother.
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett: Mitchell and Cameron's adopted daughter who was born in Vietnam. (seasons 3–11)
Portrayed by twins Jaden Hiller and Ella Hiller in seasons 1 and 2.
Jeremy Maguire as Joe Pritchett: Gloria and Jay's son; Claire, Mitchell, and Manny's younger half brother (seasons 7–11)
Portrayed by Rebecca and Sierra Mark in season 4 and Pierce Wallace in seasons 5 and 6.
Reid Ewing[11] as Dylan Marshall: Haley's on and off boyfriend, later husband; Poppy and George's father; Claire and Phil's son-in-law; Alex and Luke's brother-in-law. (season 11; recurring seasons 1–5, 7 and 10; guest seasons 6 and 8–9)
Family tree
The characters in green have regular roles on the show. Dotted lines indicate a parental relationship through adoption or marriage, and dashed lines indicate a divorce between characters. † indicates a deceased character.
As creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan retold stories about their families, they realized that the stories could be the basis for a show. They started working on the idea of a family being observed in a mockumentary-style show.[34] They later decided that it could be a show about three families and their experiences.[35] It was originally called My American Family,[36] and the camera crew was originally supposed to have been run by a fictitious Dutch filmmaker named Geert Floortje, who had lived as a teenaged exchange student with the Pritchetts and had developed a crush on Claire (while Mitchell had developed a crush on him). The producers later felt that this component was unnecessary, and it was scrapped. Lloyd preferred to look at the show as "a family show done documentary-style".[37]
Lloyd and Levitan pitched the series to CBS, NBC, and ABC (they did not pitch it to Fox because of issues they had with the network over a previous comedy series, Back to You, that Lloyd and Levitan also created and produced). CBS, which was not ready to make a big commitment to the single-camera style of filming, rejected the series. NBC, already broadcasting The Office and Parks and Recreation at the time, decided against taking on a third mockumentary-style show. ABC accepted the pitch.[38]
The pilot episode tested positively with focus groups, resulting in the network ordering 13 episodes and adding it to the 2009–10 fall lineup days ahead of ABC's official schedule announcement.[39] The series was given a full-season pickup in October 2009.[40]
Starting with the second season, Levitan and Lloyd ran the show, not as a team, but separately, with each showrunner supervising half the episodes. "Chris and I are both strong, opinionated people, and we very, very quickly realized it doesn't make sense to sit here and debate each other and waste time," Levitan told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. "We often come at it from different points of view, so we said, 'Let's just switch off who has final say.'"[44]
In the first season, the adult cast was paid a range of roughly $30,000 to $90,000 per episode.[45] As a result of the show's success, the cast attempted to renegotiate their contracts in the summer of 2012 to obtain higher per-episode fees, but talks broke down to the point that the fourth season's first table read had to be postponed.
Five of the cast members (Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofía Vergara) retained the Quinn Emanuel law firm and sued 20th Century Fox Television in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 24, 2012.[46] While not part of the lawsuit, Ed O'Neill joined his fellow castmates in seeking raises for each to about $200,000 per episode; O'Neill had already been earning more money per episode than the other five. The lawsuit invoked the "seven-year rule" in California Labor Code Section 2855 (the De Havilland Law) and requested a declaration that their contracts were void because they were in violation of that rule.[47]
By October 25, 2012, the conflict had been in final talks for a settlement, with plaintiffs planning thereafter to file a dismissal (which they ultimately did on November 19, 2012).[46] The five adult cast members' salaries were increased from $55,000–$65,000 per episode to $150,000–$175,000, with increases every season, plus a percentage of residual profits.[48] O'Neill had already been earning $200,000 an episode, so his salary was lowered to parity with his co-stars, but with a larger percentage of the back-end profits.[49] By that August, four of the five child stars negotiated increases from $15,000–$25,000 to $70,000 per episode,[50] with an additional $10,000 per season raise.[51]
In The New York Times, Bruce Feiler called attention to how the show depicts the increasing way communications technology shapes the way people perceive others, even family members. "[It] is surely the first family comedy that incorporates its own hashtag of simultaneous self-analysis directly into the storyline," he writes. "Mark Zuckerberg may be a greater influence on Modern Family than Norman Lear."[63]
The show's writers and actors agree. "We used to talk about how cellphones killed the sitcom because no one ever goes to anyone's house anymore" for routine information, Abraham Higginbotham told Feiler. "We embrace technology so it's part of the story." Ty Burrell draws on Fran Lebowitz's observation that there is no institution other than media.[64] "I had this little flash of Phil—and me—that we are parsing our personality together externally from how people perceive us."[63]
James Parker of The Atlantic commented, "How does one 'parent'? Who does what, which 'role'? Is Dad sufficiently dad-like and Mom enough of a mom?"[65]
Modern Family is notable for its portrayal of queer and non-traditional family structures, primarily through the characters of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker, a gay couple raising their adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lily. Their family dynamic was one of the first on primetime television to center a same-sex couple navigating the challenges and rewards of parenthood, offering audiences an authentic look into LGBTQ+ family life. Throughout the series, Mitch and Cam’s relationship showcases both the unique joys and social obstacles facing LGBTQ+ parents, such as dealing with stereotypes, facing subtle forms of prejudice, and navigating societal expectations. By depicting Mitch and Cam’s journey as parents and partners in a relatable, humorous light, Modern Family has played a significant role in normalizing LGBTQ+ families in mainstream media. The show’s inclusion of various family forms, from blended families to adoptive and queer families, reflects a more inclusive view of what family means today and has been credited with increasing public acceptance of LGBTQ+ families. This representation contributes to broader conversations on family diversity, challenging traditional norms and encouraging viewers to embrace different family structures as equally valid and loving.[66]
The show has also been praised for portrayal of masculinity and fatherhood. In a recent review, journalist Tim Dowling notes that “one of the main complaints voiced by so-called men’s rights activists is that in popular culture husbands and fathers are routinely portrayed as moronic incompetents … More sensible men’s advocates, meanwhile, maintain that men are still straitjacketed by old expectations, and given no room to express vulnerability, doubt, or any emotion besides anger. Masculinity, it seems, just doesn’t furnish the modern male with very many acceptable ways to be.” While Dowling goes on to address the show’s portrayal of Phil as the most “subversive” of the four fathers, the characters of Jay, Cam, and Mitchell also contribute to a mediated understanding of fatherhood that legitimizes a variety of “acceptable ways to be” a modern father. Through the vehicle of comedy, which exposes each of the characters’ best and worst qualities, viewers can both witness and interrogate the qualities of the “traditional dad” and the “new dad,” a distinction that emerges quite clearly as a new generation of men take the parenting reins from their own fathers.[67]
In a 2014 article in Slate, the site's podcast executive producer, Andy Bowers, a resident of Los Angeles' Westside, where the show films most of its exteriors, praised the series for its realistic depiction of life in that part of the city.[42]
Release
Broadcast
Modern Family was picked up for syndication by USA Network for $1.5 million per episode, along with being offered in local syndication at the same time, with Fox Television Stations the lead station group picking up the series.[68][69][70] It is also shown on Sky Comedy and E4 in the United Kingdom, e.tv in South Africa, Fox in Sweden, yes Comedy in Israel and Star World in India. The series aired on Citytv in Canada for its first ten seasons.[71] The network additionally obtained the syndicated strip-rights to the show when they became available. Subsequently, it moved to Global for its eleventh and final season.[72]Modern Family began airing on TBS since 2023 and was picked up by Nickelodeon for its Nick at Nite block, starting on September 10, 2024.[73]
Home media
As of 2017, Modern Family had earned $72,226,621 from its domestic home media releases.[74] The series was made available for streaming on Hulu and Peacock in its entirety on February 3, 2021.[75] Internationally, it was released on Disney+.[76]
Reception
Ratings
Since its premiere, the series has remained popular. In its first season, the show became the sixth-highest rated scripted show in America and the third-highest rated new show.[77] Aided by winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, the show's second season became the highest rated show on Wednesday during premiere week.[78] The show also rose 34% from the previous season among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.[79] The show frequently ranked as television's top scripted series in adults 18–49 as well.[80][81][82]
The success of the show has been positively compared to The Cosby Show.[83] During the 2010–2011 season, Modern Family was the highest rated scripted show in the 18–49 demographic, and the third-highest rated overall sitcom behind CBS's The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men.[84][85] The season also ranked first among DVR viewers.[86]
The third-season premiere became ABC's top-rated season premiere in six years.[87] The series' success in ratings has also led it to being credited for reviving sitcoms.[88]
In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook likes found that Modern Family's "audience pattern is the prototypical example of a city show — most popular in liberal, urban clusters in Boston, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara, California, and least popular in the more rural parts of Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas".[89]
Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
Viewership and ratings per season of Modern Family
Modern Family gained renewed popularity after becoming available on streaming platforms. According to market research company Parrot Analytics, which examines consumer engagement across streaming, downloads, and social media, Modern Family has experienced a notable increase in interest since its debut on Hulu and Peacock in 2021.[123] For the week ending August 15, 2021, Whip Media, which tracks global TV viewership habits for nearly 1 million global users of its TV Time app daily, calculated that the series placed third on its "Binge Report" chart, a ranking that highlights shows streamed in sessions of four or more episodes by viewers in a single day.[124] In 2024, Parrot Analytics reported that Modern Family was among the 40 most in-demand TV shows worldwide between January 1 and August 8. While most of the top 10 shows appealed primarily to younger demographics (ages 15–31), the series attracted Millennial and Gen X viewers (32-42+).[125]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the show was watched for 687 million minutes from August 12 to August 18, 2024.[126][127] In October 2024, streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, which monitors daily updated VOD charts across the globe, reported that Modern Family was among the most viewed series on its platform, ranking second worldwide behind Grey's Anatomy.[128]
Critical response
Season 1
The first season was met with critical acclaim. It scored 100%, based on 28 reviews, on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.55/10 and the critical consensus: "Thanks to sharp writing and an eccentric but exceedingly likeable cast of characters, Modern Family signals the triumphant return of the family comedy."[129] The first season also scored 86/100, based on 27 reviews, on review aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[130]
Entertainment Weekly gave it an A−, calling it "immediately recognizable as the best new sitcom of the fall."[131] In Time's review, the show was named "the funniest new family comedy of the year."[132] It has also been compared to the 1970s series Soap because of the multiple-family aspect. Some have made comparisons to The Office and Parks and Recreation because of their mockumentary formats.[133]BuddyTV named the show the second best show in 2009, saying, "Every actor is fantastic, every family is interesting, and unlike many shows, there isn't a weak link."[134] Robert Canning of IGN gave the season an 8.9 calling it "Great" and saying "Simply put, Modern Family was one of the best new comedies of the season." He also praised the ensemble cast and the characters, calling them lovable.[135] According to Metacritic, the first season was the best reviewed new broadcast television series.[136]
Modern Family drew criticism from the LGBT community for its portrayal of Cameron and Mitchell as not being physically affectionate with each other. The criticism spawned a Facebook campaign to demand that Mitchell and Cameron be allowed to kiss. In response to the controversy, producers released a statement that a season two episode would address Mitchell's discomfort with public displays of affection. Executive producer Levitan has said that it was unfortunate that the issue had arisen, since the show's writers had always planned on such a scene "as part of the natural development of the show."[137] The episode "The Kiss" eventually aired with the kiss scene in the background, which drew praise from multiple critics.[138][139]
Season 2
The show's second season received mostly positive reviews from critics. Season two has a rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews, with an average score of 8.11/10 and the consensus: "Modern Family's sophomore season sings with ingenious sitcom structure and an ensemble in perfect comedic harmony – even if the tunes are a little familiar".[140] Robert Bianco of USA Today gave the second season four out of four stars, saying "Not since Frasier has a sitcom offered such an ideal blend of heart and smarts, or proven itself so effortlessly adept at so many comic variations, from subtle wordplay to big-laugh slapstick to everything in between."[141] In a later review Bianco stated "as good as it was in its first year, is even better in its second", positively comparing the characters to the characters from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show, and Friends.[142] During the second season, Adweek named the show one of the 100 Most Influential TV Shows (98th chronologically).[143][144] Despite this, some critics were less favorable toward the season and described it as a sophomore slump.[145][146] Eric Stonestreet's acting was widely praised throughout the first season,[135] but criticized during season two for being too contrived and "over-the-top";[147][148]Alan Sepinwall called Cameron Tucker a "whiny, overly-sensitive diva".[147] On the other hand, the praise for Ty Burrell's performance (as Phil Dunphy) continued.[135][149][150]
Season 3
The third season was met with critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, season three has a rating of 92% based on 13 reviews, with an average score of 8.33/10 and the consensus: "Modern Family settles into a well-oiled groove, consistently delivering inspired farce and making it look effortless."[151]Slant Magazine reviewer Peter Swanson wrote that while the first episode was "the type of wacky-location stunt that's usually reserved for the fifth or sixth season of a dying sitcom," the following episodes "have been better... but they're still uneven".[152] He also criticized the writers for relying too much on "stunt episodes and celebrity cameos, like David Cross".[152] He ultimately gave the season 3 out of 4 stars.[152] James Parker of The Atlantic said, at the beginning of the third season that "Modern Family is very, very funny, almost ruthlessly so. It's a bit of a master class in pace and brevity. The writing is Vorsprung durch Technik: hectically compressed but dramatically elegant, prodigal in its zingers and snorters but austere in its construction." He found it an exception to his dislike for sitcoms that do not use a laugh track.[65] During the third season, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni argued that gay criticism of Cameron and Mitchell actually showed the progress gays have made toward social acceptance. "A decade ago," he wrote, "[gays] would have balked—and balked loudly—at how frequently Cameron in particular tips into limp-wristed, high-voiced caricature." But now, "most gay people trust that the television audience knows we're a diverse tribe, not easily pigeonholed. Modern Family endows us with a sort of comic banality. It's an odd kind of progress. But it's progress nonetheless."[153]
Season 4
The fourth season of Modern Family received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the season an approval rating of 67% based on 11 reviews, with an average score of 7.75/10 and the consensus: "Modern Family still has charm to burn and boasts a uniformly excellent cast, but the series' subversive edge has dulled".[154] Halfway through the season, Rachel Stein of Television Without Pity wrote, "much as I liked the pairings and some of the dialogue, ["New Year's Eve"] is just another contrived episode of Modern Family we can cite when we talk later about how a different show should have won the 2013 Emmy for Best Comedy."[155] Dalene Rovenstein of Paste Magazine gave the season a positive review, but said a better season was possible.[156]
Season 5
The fifth season of Modern Family also received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, season five has a rating of 90% based on 10 reviews, with an average score of 7.57/10 and the consensus: "Modern Family returns to its conventional roots with grace in a fifth season that delights in providing reliable laughs and rekindles the show's trademark warmth".[157] Reviewing the season's first eight episodes, Matthew Wolfson of Slant Magazine wrote that the show "appear[ed] to have finally arrived at the depressing and predictable low point toward which it [had] been trending for the past two years." He also went on to say that the show had "turned into a shrill pastiche of stereotypical characterizations and superficial banter lacking both feeling and wit", assigning it a rating of 1.5/4 stars.[158] Different writers for The A.V. Club rated, in total, a majority of the former-half episodes with a "B−" grade or less. One writer for the magazine, Joshua Alston, gave "ClosetCon '13" a "C+" and remarked that "Modern Family becomes a high-wire act when it separates its characters into three storylines with no overlap between them."[159] The second half was more warmly received, with three episodes rated an "A−" or higher.
Season 6
The show's sixth season received highly positive reviews from TV critics, with some claiming that it was an improvement over the last few seasons.[160] This season has a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews, with an average score of 7.67/10.[161] Joshua Alston and Gwen Ihnat The A.V. Club have awarded the majority of episodes a "B" grade or higher – with particular praise for "The Day We Almost Died" and "Closet? You'll Love It!" – marking an improvement over the repeated "C" grade given throughout the previous season's former half.[162] "Connection Lost" received high critical acclaim, with many praising the episode's writing, originality and "success in transcending what could have been a gimicky episode".[163][164][165] In her review for "Closet? You'll Love It!" Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club stated that the episode represents "all the reasons why we still watch Modern Family" and awarded the episode an A−.[166] On the same site, David Kallison reviewed "Grill, Interrupted", saying: "This season proves that sitcoms can survive on solid characters and solid jokes."[167]
Season 7
The seventh season received positive reviews from critics with many critics calling it similar to the fourth and fifth seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, this season is rated 67% with 6 reviews and an average rating of 6.5/10.[168] Kyle Fowle from The A.V. Club had a very mixed reaction to the season, only giving one episode an A− or higher.[169] Fowle felt the season was frustrating, believing the season would be defined "by its lack of character progress and overstuffed episodes."[170]
Later seasons
The series was renewed for a 9th and 10th season on May 10, 2017.[171] Season 9 premiered on September 27, 2017, while season 10 premiered on September 26, 2018.[172]
Seasons 8 and 9 received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with main criticisms directed at the lack of character development, overstuffing of episodes, and too many filler episodes per season. While the show continued to be praised for its charm, witty writing, and the cast's performances, criticism grew in these seasons, particularly from reviewers such as those at The A.V. Club.
In January 2018, Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd announced that season 10 would most likely be the final season, during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour.[173] However, in August 2018, reports indicated that ABC was in discussions to renew the series for a potential eleventh season.[174]
Season 10 received positive reviews from critics, citing the season as a significant improvement over the last two. The series was praised for its tackling of Haley's pregnancy, the humor of Mitch and Cam looking after Cal, and its dealing with change in a positive way. Episodes "Torn Between Two Lovers", "Good Grief", and "A Year Of Birthdays" were particularly praised.
The series was renewed for an eleventh season on January 7, 2019, which was confirmed as the final season on February 5. The last season premiered on September 25, 2019, and aired its last episode on April 8, 2020.[175][3]
Season 11 similarly received positive reviews. The season was praised for its themes of change and ending, and the improved humor upon the last seasons, with particular attention to episodes "The Prescott", "Legacy", "Spuds" and "Finale".
Sofía Vergara with the award for Modern Family at the 69th Annual Peabody Awards
Modern Family has won 22 Primetime Emmy Awards and 6 Writers Guild of America Awards. The show also later received a GLSENRespect Award for its portrayal of "positive images and storylines that reflect a diverse America, including the depiction of a family headed by a gay couple." In 2010, Modern Family was nominated for five Television Critics Association Awards.[176] To reinforce the idea of an ensemble cast, the cast all submitted themselves in the Supporting Actor and Actress categories instead of Lead Actor and Actress for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[177][178] The series has also been put on multiple critics' lists. In 2010, the series was listed 2nd on Time's Top Ten Best Shows of 2009,[179] 2nd on BuddyTV's Top Ten Best Shows of 2009,[180] Jason Hughes Best TV of 2009,[181]Modern Family was awarded a Peabody Award in 2009.[182] In 2012, the show won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy[183] and was nominated for a British Academy Television Award. Every season of the show was also named one of the top 10 TV seasons of the year (from 2009 to 2012) by the American Film Institute.[184]
In June 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked Modern Family number 34 on a list of the 101 most well-written television series ever made.[187] In December 2013, TV Guide ranked it number 43 on its list of the 60 Best Series of all time.[188]
Emmy Awards received by cast
The following is a list of Emmy nominations received by the cast of the series. Wins are highlighted in boldface.
Julie Bowen earned six consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Ty Burrell, the most nominated actor in the series, received eight consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson received five consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Eric Stonestreet received three consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Fred Willard received two nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2011 and 2020.
Greg Kinnear was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2012.
Elizabeth Banks was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015.
Criticism
Michelle Haimoff of the Christian Science Monitor criticized the show during its third season for only casting the women as stay-at-home moms while the husbands have highly successful careers: "There is a difference between quirky, flawed characters and ones who are incapable of professional success. And when the latter is reliably female, it makes for sexist television. It also makes for unrealistic television."[189]Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer Ali Waller asked her Twitter followers in 2013 "If Modern Family is so 'modern' then why don't any of the women have jobs?"[190] Other authors reinforced this criticism, claiming that stay-at-home mothers are no longer the norm in modern society.[191] Claire later went to work in season five.
According to a CNET staffer commenting on a first-season episode: "The wife and daughter are unable to learn how to use the remote and must be taught by the father, while the son is 'good with electronics,' even though he is thought of as the stupidest member of the family."[192] Arianna Reiche from Gawker commented on the episode "Game Changer" in which Gloria hides her skill at chess so her husband will not be upset at losing: "This moment is at best a sappy quip about compromise in an often heavy-handed series, and at worst, it's a moment in a show with 9.3 million viewers, on a network owned by Disney, which explicitly validates girls and women subduing their intellect."[193]
In popular culture
In the first episode of the sixteenth season of Family Guy, titled "Emmy-Winning Episode," Modern Family is parodied along with other series.[194] The characters of Family Guy attempt to win an Emmy by mimicking popular shows, including Modern Family.[195] Actresses Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara also lend their voices as guest characters.[196]
In the seventh episode of WandaVision, titled "Breaking the Fourth Wall," the sitcom elements serve as a tribute to Modern Family.[197][198] The episode reflects the setting, aesthetic, and mockumentary format of Modern Family, including a title card that closely resembles that of the original series.[199][200] It also mirrors Modern Family by using brief flashbacks, notably during Wanda Maximoff's reference to the previous night's events.[201] Jacob Sarkisian of Business Insider remarked that Elizabeth Olsen channeled Julie Bowen's Claire Dunphy in her portrayal of Maximoff, closely resembling her and emulating her hand gestures and vocal intonations[202] Actress Julie Bowen expressed her gratitude on Instagram for the homage to Modern Family. Her post included two images: one of a television paused on the WandaVision title sequence, which mimics the font and format of Modern Family, and another of Wanda Maximoff staring deadpan at the camera, reminiscent of Bowen's portrayal of Claire Dunphy. In her caption, Bowen conveyed her surprise and appreciation, extending her thanks to Marvel for the reference.[203][204]
Adaptations
Chile: MEGA was the first in the world to buy the rights of Modern Family to produce their own version of the series, with the title Familia moderna, which premiered on December 3, 2015.[205] One difference in this is Mitchell and Cameron's counterparts in this version do not adopt, but instead one of them is the biological father of the child as a result of a drunken fling. They take custody of the child while the mother travels overseas.[206]
Iran: The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting produced a scene-by-scene remake of Modern Family, titled Haft Sang which premiered on June 30, 2014. However, in this version the same-sex relationship between Cam and Mitchell of the original series was replaced by a heterosexual relationship.[209] Also, Haley Dunphy's character is replaced by a teenage boy.[210] Due to this change, Haley's boyfriend Dylan is replaced by a close friend of the teenage boy.[211]
Potential spinoffs
In early 2013, a spin-off series centered around Rob Riggle's character Gil Thorpe was revealed to be in early stages of development.[212]
In June 2020, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke discussed a spin-off of Modern Family centered around Mitch and Cam, inspired by an idea from series co-creator and executive producer, Steven Levitan.[213] In June 2022, star Jesse Tyler Ferguson confirmed that the script for the show's spinoff is completed. "The script's out there and it's very good," he told. "So you know, who knows? If someone wants to produce it, maybe."[214] In September 2024, Eric Stonestreet stated that the spin-off "[isn't] potential anymore" and that the time to produce it has passed, despite believing that the series would have been a "slam dunk".[215]
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The Middle is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 30, 2009 to May 22, 2018. The series, set in the fictional town of Orson in Indiana, follows a lower-middle-class family living and facing the day-to-day struggles of home life, work, and raising children. Starring Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn, the show was created by former Roseanne and Murphy Brown writers Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, and produced by Warner Bros. Television and Blackie and Blondie Productions. It was praised by television critics and earned numerous award nominations, including a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2012.
The first season of Cougar Town, an American television series, began airing on September 23, 2009, and concluded on May 19, 2010, after Modern Family and before Eastwick. Season one regular cast members include Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Ian Gomez, and Josh Hopkins. The sitcom was created by Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel.
The first season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 23, 2009 to May 19, 2010. The season was produced by Lloyd-Levitan Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with series creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan serving as executive producers. The series was picked up on April 29, 2009, and finished production in August 2009.
The second season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 22, 2010 to May 25, 2011. The season was produced by Lloyd-Levitan Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd serving as showrunners. On January 12, 2010, Modern Family was renewed for a second season by ABC.
The Defenders is an American legal comedy-drama television series that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season. The series originally ran from September 22, 2010, to March 11, 2011. Set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the show involves a pair of defense attorneys who go all out to help their clients while keeping their personal lives in order. The show is loosely based on real-life Vegas lawyers Michael Cristalli and Marc Saggese. This series is not related to the 1960s CBS series of the same name.
The third season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 21, 2011 to May 23, 2012. Modern Family was officially renewed for a third season on January 10, 2011. The season was produced by Lloyd-Levitan Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd serving as showrunners.
Suburgatory is an American television sitcom created by Emily Kapnek that aired on ABC from September 28, 2011, to May 14, 2014. The series originally aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30/7:30 Central following The Middle. The title is a portmanteau, devised by former CNN Senior Producer Linda Keenan, of the words "suburban" and "purgatory". On May 9, 2014, Suburgatory was canceled by ABC after three seasons.
The second season of Happy Endings, an American television series. ABC officially renewed Happy Endings for a second season on May 13, 2011. It was later announced it would move to a new time-slot on Wednesdays at 9:30pm, as a lead-in to new series Revenge. It premiered on September 28, 2011.
Guys with Kids is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC, from September 11, 2012, to February 27, 2013, as part of the 2012–13 television schedule. The series was created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy and starred Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford, Zach Cregger, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Erinn Hayes, and Tempestt Bledsoe. The series chronicles the lives of three friends, and their respective partners, as they raise their children in a modern environment.
The fourth season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 26, 2012 to May 22, 2013.
The first season of the ABC American television drama series Revenge premiered on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012, with a total of 22 episodes. The series was created by Mike Kelley and is inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The series stars Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp.
Super Fun Night is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 2, 2013, to February 19, 2014. The series was broadcast during the 2013–14 television season on ABC in the Wednesday night 9:30 pm (ET/PT) slot after Modern Family. The series stars and was created by Rebel Wilson; it was green-lit by ABC for a series order pick-up on May 10, 2013. On May 9, 2014, ABC canceled the series after one season.
The sixth season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 24, 2014 to May 20, 2015. The sixth season was ordered on May 18, 2014 by ABC. The season was produced by Steven Levitan Productions and Picador Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd as showrunners.
The eighth season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 21, 2016 to May 17, 2017. This season was ordered on March 3, 2016. The season is produced by Steven Levitan Productions and Picador Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd as showrunners.
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