Modern Family premiered 15 years ago, launched as part of ABC’s risky attempt to throw on four all-new comedies on the same night. The biggest of the quartet (Hank, starring Kelsey Grammer), didn’t even make it to the winter, while the others (including The Middle and Cougar Town) filmed more than 200 and 100 episodes, respectively. But none of them got the attention and acclaim of this show, which won five consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series. It definitely lost its fastball as it continued, but regularly produced plenty of laughs, right up until the end. Here are the best episodes, with apologies to “Message Received” and the final minutes of “Fulgencio.”
10. “Connection Lost” (Season 6, Episode 16)
While single-camera comedies weren’t yet the default when the show premiered in 2009, Modern Family didn’t really do anything revolutionary with its technique. But in this form-breaking episode, told entirely on Claire’s laptop screen, the show found a brilliant way to keep the cast separate while delivering a layered story complete with great visual gags.
9. “Crazy Train” (Season 7, Episode 21)
Because this was one of the last sitcoms to do full 22-episode seasons for more than a decade, any chance to move beyond the three family homes was a welcome one. On a train ride from L.A. to Portland, the family has brief encounters with numerous passengers. This might be the single most densely plotted episode the show ever did, with a subplot for every single character (though Cam and Phil are paired, as are Mitch and Claire). This could often be the show’s Achilles heel – trying to cram far too much story into 22 minutes – but every story has just enough time to speed by with some great jokes, including a Titanic parody.
8. “Goodnight Gracie” (Season 4, Episode 24)
Death, sadly, is a part of life. And while nearly every grandparent (or great-grandparent) got an emotional farewell episode, none of them hit quite as hard as this season finale. Everyone flies to Florida for the funeral of Phil’s mother. Jay reconnects with an old flame. Cam fits right into the retirement community as the mahjong circuit’s newest gossip queen. And Mitch finds renewed passion for criminal defense. But Phil and Alex have a much harder time. Their final words from the dearly departed confuse and frustrate them, until a powerful finale that made it impossible not to tear up.
7. “Baby on Board” (Season 3, Episode 24)
Extended parodies are hard to pull off, especially if the show doesn’t try them regularly. But this miniature telenovela had just the right amount of shocking reveals and melodrama. Cam and Mitch bring Gloria along to translate with the family of a woman who has agreed to let the couple adopt her new baby. But things aren’t so straightforward at this joyous occasion, with exciting highs and devastating lows for the trio.
6. “Strangers on a Treadmill” (Season 2, Episode 4)
A genius set-up with a perfect payoff. Instead of agreeing to a murder, Mitch and Claire agree to save each other’s spouses from embarrassment without hurting Cam and Phil’s feelings. Much like the Hitchcock movie that inspired its title, things go from bad to worse when one party doesn’t keep up their end of the bargain. This was the sort of sharply scripted and brilliantly acted highlight the show regularly turned out in its early years, and won Julie Bowen her first Emmy.
5. “Aunt Mommy” (Season 3, Episode 15)
Possibly the most touching episode the show ever did, even adjusting for the squirminess of the premise. After a few too many drinks, Cam and Mitch lament their delayed adoption process and aversion to surrogacy, as only one of them could be the father. Claire offers the use of one of her eggs, so the child could have both Pritchett and Tucker genes. Everyone is profoundly moved by the gesture… until the next morning when everyone realizes how complicated (and potentially icky) such an arrangement would be.
It’s one of the show’s underrated strengths: Tackling issues that would normally be met with lowercase-c conservative feelings, but resolving them in a progressive way.
4. “Las Vegas” (Season 5, Episode 22)
The parents leave the kids behind for possibly the show’s single most uproarious episode. Yes, it steals a subplot from Frasier – perhaps a hazard of having your showrunners be alumni of that writers’ room – but it keeps the frenetic energy that show had at its best. As every adult tries to have their own fun away from their spouses, the cover stories get more elaborate; all of them aided and abetted by an overly attentive butler (Stephen Merchant). It’s controlled chaos at the highest level – or would be, but the highest level is reserved for Platinum Plus members.
3. Pilot episode (Season 1, Episode 1)
Pilots are notoriously tricky, especially ones with large ensembles. You’ve got to establish the premise, hopefully break some new ground while not alienating the audience, and introduce a bunch of characters with different personalities. As with all first outings, the characters aren’t as deep and well-defined as they would become. Phil’s a little creepy, Jay’s a little too bigoted and Cam and Manny are a little too over-the-top.
But wow did they cram a lot of amazing jokes in! And themes that would run throughout the show are present here, too. It’s a remarkable start for one of the longest-running sitcoms. But it’s not even the best Season 1 episode. That would come just a few weeks later.
2. “Caught in the Act” (Season 2, Episode 13)
Co-creator Steven Levitan won his second consecutive writing Emmy for this masterfully constructed episode. While the main source of laughs is the horror of the Dunphy kids walking in on their parents having sex, each of the stories have equally uncomfortable stakes. Jay and Gloria try to delete a rude email accidentally sent to Claire, while Mitch and Cam have to cover up their destruction of a priceless rug. It’s a perfectly balanced triptych that mined humor from everyday situations.
1. “The Incident” (Season 1, Episode 4)
While this was a remarkably consistent show for its first five seasons or so, it hit its peak early on with this instant classic. Jay’s ex-wife DeDe (played brilliantly by Shelley Long) stops by for her first visit since drunkenly ruining Jay and Gloria’s wedding. Allegedly sober and ready to apologize, the situation quickly devolves into violence and yelling, which is a little more realistic than one might expect from an often silly comedy. And it ends perfectly, with everyone coming together to be weirded out by Dylan’s overtly sexual (and extremely catchy) song for Haley.