World-beating American sitcom Modern Family had an incredible run, but all good things must end, and after an impressive eleven seasons and a whopping 250 episodes the series wrapped up in early 2020. But if you’ve been missing it, you’re in luck: every episode of Modern Family is now streaming on Disney+.
Set in upscale Los Angeles, Modern Family told the ongoing story of, well, it’s all there in the title—a sprawling, blended, multi-generational clan of Los Angelenos making their way in the modern world. It sported a huge ensemble cast, including (deep breath) Ed O’Neill as patriarch Jay Pritchett, who’s married to his second wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and raising her son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and, later, their son, Joe (Jeremy Maguire).
Then there’s his daughter, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen), who’s married to hapless Phil (MVP Ty Burrell), and their kids Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter), and Luke (Noah Gould).
And finally, there’s Jay’s son, Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his husband, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), plus their adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons). Plus various friends, romantic partners, and other supporting players who drift in and out of the Pritchett-Dunphy family’s orbit.
It sounds complicated, but creators Christopher Lloyd (no, not that one) and Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me!) did a good job of keeping all the plates spinning; while any given episode might focus on one familial subunit or set of characters, all got their time in the spotlight and nobody felt surplus to requirements or faded into the background a la Chuck Cunningham in Happy Days (Remember him? No? Exactly.)
Modern Family was a bright, positive look at the ways families come together in spite of—and sometimes because of—their differences. It welcomed us into its home on a weekly basis and now, thanks to the eternal nature of streaming, we have a standing invitation to return.
