Eleven years and 22 Emmy Awards later – including five consecutive ones for Outstanding Comedy Series – Modern Family comes to a close on 25 September with the premiere of its eleventh and final season. The show follows the lives three interconnected families mockumentary style, a format that was ubiquitous on television when it first aired in 2009. At its heart, Modern Family is a feel-good family sitcom that easily balances slapstick and emotional punches, while occasionally tackling heavy topics such as adoption and loss.
Whether you’ve stuck with the Pritchets and Dunphys long enough to watch Hayley and Dylan become parents to twins, as revealed in the season 10 finale, or you’re one of those who feel the show’s heyday is behind it but still want to say goodbye for nostalgia’s sake, here’s what you can look forward to in season 11.
Wait. How Did We Get Here?
We don’t have time to recap all 232 episodes, but here’s where we last left the Pritchetts and Dunphys. Season 10 was mostly a build-up to the birth of Haley and Dylan’s twins who were presented to us, Lion King style, by Cam and Mitch in the final episode (a callback to the way they introduced their adopted daughter Lily in the pilot). Phil turned 51 and learned to play the piano. Manny proposed to his girlfriend Sherry during a talent show and then got dumped. Jay finally (!) quit his job at Pritchett's Closets and Claire is set to take over as CEO.
What Now?
The show’s co-creator Christopher Lloyd tells TV Guide, “Probably half the episodes in the final season will be standalone episodes, one will be a farce reminiscent of the Las Vegas episode we did years ago. We also have touchstone/milestone episodes that are more emotional. Those episodes have a bit more pressure on them because they push us toward what will ultimately be the end of the season and the series.”
Haley and Dylan
It’s hard to picture newly weds Haley and Dylan as parents but according to Lloyd, “They find themselves completely at a loss sometimes but also discovering some surprising natural abilities.”
Jay and Gloria
In the earlier seasons, we’ve seen how hard it is for Jay to hand over control of his company to his daughter Claire. But he’s finally done it and he might manage to stay away for good this time, but only because he has a new dog bed business to get off the ground.
After spending the show as a stay at home mom fawning over her son Manny, Gloria decides to go to real estate school. She eventually teams up with Phil, so you can expect to see more shenanigans from this odd couple.
Phil and Claire
Claire is finally CEO of Pritchett's Closets and has a chance to flex her wings without her father watching her every move. But what is Modern Family without some schadenfreude? Her solo run finds herself in the middle of a scandal, reveals Lloyd. With Phil going into business with Gloria, we wonder if the latter’s wiles will help Phil finally get to one up his real estate arch nemesis Gil Thorpe.
The Kids
Having recently graduated, Alex finds herself in a state of flux. Season 11 finds her freezing in Antarctica while working in an environmental organisation. She then decides to take a well-paying corporate job instead, but battles with her conscience. Like his father, Luke is dabbling in various business ventures while studying at community college. Manny is in his third year of college studying arts and is trying to figure out his next move. Lloyd also hints at an encounter with his first love whom we briefly saw in the pilot.
Mitch, Cam and Lily
With Lily nearly a teenager, Mitch and Cam are at a crossroads in their lives. They’re looking to make the changes they’ve talked about in passing, such as adopting another child or relocating. While the creators are mum on what sort of big step we might expect, they have confirmed a new member of the Tucker-Pritchett family - Bridget the smart refrigerator. The couple will also see new parenting challenges as 12-year-old Lily begins to experience boyfriends and heartbreak.
Modern Family creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd have also hinted that guest stars from previous seasons will make a comeback in season 11. We know it won’t be a proper goodbye without a curtain call from Fred Willard as the loveably odd Frank Dunphy and Nathan Lane’s as the over-the-top Pepper.