Episode guide
Essential Modern Family Episodes
ABC, 2009 to 2020
Our 10 character guides for Modern Family point to 41 key episodes across 10 seasons. Of those, 9 turn up in two or more guides, so they come first, followed by every episode in air order.
Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.
The essentials(9)
Episodes that matter to more than one character, the most shared first.
- In 7 guides
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
- Cameron Tucker: Cam presents baby Lily to the family with a dramatic Lion King flourish.
- Haley Dunphy: Haley brings Dylan home to meet her parents, and Phil fails spectacularly to scare him off.
- Jay Pritchett: Jay is mistaken for Gloria's father at Manny's soccer game and meets his new granddaughter, Lily.
- Luke Dunphy: Luke shoots Alex with a BB gun, and Phil has to follow through on his promise to shoot Luke.
- Manny Delgado: After his soccer game, Manny reads a love poem to a 16-year-old girl and gets his heart broken.
- Mitchell Pritchett: Mitchell and Cam bring Lily home from Vietnam and introduce her to the family.
- Phil Dunphy: Phil introduces himself as the cool dad and ends up accidentally shooting Luke, Dylan, and himself with a BB gun.
- In 5 guides
Season 11, Episode 17
"Finale"
- Alex Dunphy: Alex announces she is moving to Switzerland with Arvin.
- Cameron Tucker: Cam's Missouri coaching job comes through, and the family says goodbye.
- Gloria Pritchett: Gloria fears she is no longer needed until Jay surprises her with plans to come to Colombia.
- Luke Dunphy: Luke reveals he has been accepted to the University of Oregon.
- Mitchell Pritchett: Mitchell agrees to move to Missouri for Cam's dream job.
- In 4 guides
Season 1, Episode 5
"Coal Digger"
- Claire Dunphy: Luke repeats Claire's private gold digger comment about Gloria, and Claire has to make peace by jumping into the pool fully clothed.
- Gloria Pritchett: Luke repeats Claire's gold digger comment as coal digger, and Gloria demands a pool-jump apology.
- Luke Dunphy: Luke spills Claire's gold digger comment as coal digger, and the family ends up in the pool.
- Manny Delgado: Manny and Luke fight at school because Manny insists on calling himself Luke's uncle.
- In 2 guides
Season 1, Episode 7
"En Garde"
- Manny Delgado: Manny takes up fencing and turns out to be a natural.
- Mitchell Pritchett: Jay's pride in Manny's fencing stirs up Mitchell's old resentment about his own childhood.
- In 2 guides
Season 4, Episode 12
"Party Crasher"
- Gloria Pritchett: While the family plans Manny's 14th birthday surprise, Gloria gives birth to Joe.
- Jay Pritchett: Gloria gives birth to their son, Joe.
- In 2 guides
Season 5, Episode 23
"The Wedding"
- Cameron Tucker: Cam and Mitchell finally marry after a day of disasters.
- Mitchell Pritchett: A wildfire and a string of disasters threaten Mitchell and Cam's wedding day.
- In 2 guides
Season 6, Episode 22
"Patriot Games"
- Alex Dunphy: The race for valedictorian turns into a parental showdown.
- Gloria Pritchett: Javier tries to stop Gloria from becoming an American citizen.
- In 2 guides
Season 8, Episode 22
"The Graduates"
- Luke Dunphy: Luke and Manny graduate from high school as Phil and Claire face how much he has grown.
- Manny Delgado: Manny and Luke graduate from high school.
- In 2 guides
Season 10, Episode 16
"Red Alert"
- Claire Dunphy: Jay decides to retire so Claire can fully own the company.
- Jay Pritchett: Jay decides to retire so Claire can own the company outright.
Every key episode by season(41)
Season 1(6 episodes)
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
An essential, in the guides for Cameron Tucker, Haley Dunphy, Jay Pritchett, Luke Dunphy, Manny Delgado, Mitchell Pritchett, and Phil Dunphy. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 3
"Come Fly with Me"
- Jay Pritchett: Jay's model airplane outing with Phil ends with the plane hitting Phil in the face, not entirely by accident.
Season 1, Episode 5
"Coal Digger"
An essential, in the guides for Claire Dunphy, Gloria Pritchett, Luke Dunphy, and Manny Delgado. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 7
"En Garde"
An essential, in the guides for Manny Delgado and Mitchell Pritchett. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 9
"Fizbo"
- Cameron Tucker: Cam brings his clown character Fizbo to Luke's birthday party.
Season 1, Episode 19
"Game Changer"
- Phil Dunphy: Phil's birthday falls on iPad release day, and Claire sets out to get him the perfect gift.
Season 2(3 episodes)
Season 2, Episode 4
"Strangers on a Treadmill"
- Phil Dunphy: Claire hides Phil's joke-filled speech, and he improvises a hit at the Realtors' event.
Season 2, Episode 18
"Boys' Night"
- Luke Dunphy: Luke befriends the old neighbor, Walt Kleezak, to his parents' alarm.
Season 2, Episode 23
"See You Next Fall"
- Alex Dunphy: The whole family races to make Alex's middle school graduation.
Season 3(4 episodes)
Season 3, Episode 5
"Hit and Run"
- Claire Dunphy: A run-in with an annoying councilman gets Claire thinking about running for office herself.
Season 3, Episode 19
"Election Day"
- Claire Dunphy: The family scrambles to help Claire on the day of her city council race.
Season 3, Episode 20
"The Last Walt"
- Luke Dunphy: Claire helps Luke cope with Walt's death.
Season 3, Episode 24
"Baby on Board"
- Gloria Pritchett: Gloria ends the season with a surprise announcement: she is pregnant.
Season 4(5 episodes)
Season 4, Episode 1
"Bringing Up Baby"
- Jay Pritchett: Jay turns 65 while Gloria works up the nerve to tell him she is pregnant.
Season 4, Episode 4
"The Butler's Escape"
- Cameron Tucker: Cam starts his new job as a music teacher, flipping the couple's home routine.
Season 4, Episode 7
"Arrested"
- Haley Dunphy: Haley is arrested for underage drinking at college, and the family rushes to help.
Season 4, Episode 12
"Party Crasher"
An essential, in the guides for Gloria Pritchett and Jay Pritchett. Read the notes
Season 4, Episode 24
"Goodnight Gracie"
- Phil Dunphy: The family travels to Florida for the funeral of Phil's mother.
Season 5(6 episodes)
Season 5, Episode 1
"Suddenly, Last Summer"
- Mitchell Pritchett: Mitchell and Cam each plan a proposal without realizing the other has the same idea.
Season 5, Episode 2
"First Days"
- Claire Dunphy: Claire starts work at her father's closet company and struggles to win over the staff.
Season 5, Episode 9
"The Big Game"
- Cameron Tucker: Cam's intensity as a football coach threatens to overshadow a record-breaking game.
Season 5, Episode 12
"Under Pressure"
- Alex Dunphy: Overwhelmed by stress, Alex sees a therapist on her birthday.
Season 5, Episode 18
"Las Vegas"
- Phil Dunphy: Phil makes his case to join a secret and prestigious magic society.
Season 5, Episode 23
"The Wedding"
An essential, in the guides for Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett. Read the notes
Season 6(4 episodes)
Season 6, Episode 10
"Haley's 21st Birthday"
- Haley Dunphy: Haley celebrates turning 21 at a bar with the adults of the family.
Season 6, Episode 16
"Connection Lost"
- Claire Dunphy: Stuck at an airport, Claire tries to find Haley entirely through her laptop.
Season 6, Episode 22
"Patriot Games"
An essential, in the guides for Alex Dunphy and Gloria Pritchett. Read the notes
Season 6, Episode 24
"American Skyper"
- Alex Dunphy: Alex graduates from high school while Phil watches remotely from Seattle.
Season 7(2 episodes)
Season 7, Episode 2
"The Day Alex Left for College"
- Alex Dunphy: Alex leaves for Caltech sooner than her parents expected.
Season 7, Episode 14
"The Storm"
- Jay Pritchett: Jay tries to slip away from a family storm party to toast his Navy friends.
Season 8(2 episodes)
Season 8, Episode 3
"Blindsided"
- Manny Delgado: Manny runs for student council president against Luke.
Season 8, Episode 22
"The Graduates"
An essential, in the guides for Luke Dunphy and Manny Delgado. Read the notes
Season 10(4 episodes)
Season 10, Episode 7
"Did the Chicken Cross the Road?"
- Haley Dunphy: Haley finds out she is pregnant with Dylan's baby.
Season 10, Episode 16
"Red Alert"
An essential, in the guides for Claire Dunphy and Jay Pritchett. Read the notes
Season 10, Episode 20
"Can't Elope"
- Haley Dunphy: Haley and Dylan marry in a small private ceremony.
Season 10, Episode 22
"A Year of Birthdays"
- Haley Dunphy: Haley gives birth to twins as the whole family gathers.
Season 11(5 episodes)
Season 11, Episode 2
"Snapped"
- Gloria Pritchett: Gloria takes Phil's real estate course and competes to become his intern.
Season 11, Episode 11
"Legacy"
- Phil Dunphy: Phil shares one last great day with his father, Frank, before Frank dies.
Season 11, Episode 12
"Dead on a Rival"
- Manny Delgado: Javier invites Manny on a year-long trip around the world.
Season 11, Episode 16
"I'm Going to Miss This"
- Mitchell Pritchett: Mitchell struggles to leave the old house as their new baby arrives early.
Season 11, Episode 17
"Finale"
An essential, in the guides for Alex Dunphy, Cameron Tucker, Gloria Pritchett, Luke Dunphy, and Mitchell Pritchett. Read the notes
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