Why Was Modern Family Canceled After Season 11?

Modern Family season 11 brought the popular sitcom to an end after over a decade, but many questioned why Modern Family season 12 never happened. Filmed in the mockumentary style made famous by The Office, Modern Family showcased a large, diverse cast of related characters. In the beginning, there was the father, Jay Pritchett, his wife Gloria, their son Manny, and the families of Jay’s adult kids, Claire and Mitch. By the time Modern Family ended in season 11, the next generation of Dunphy/Pritchett’s had arrived, and the kids from season 1 were adults.

Throughout its long run, Modern Family‘s titular clan grew, adding spouses and multiple children, both adopted and biological. While Modern Family season 11 certainly wasn’t as sharp as earlier seasons, the show never wore out its welcome and remained popular. When Modern Family season 11 ended, it was still a consistent ratings performer for ABC. Considering that its formula could have gone on indefinitely, it’s strange that Modern Family season 12 never got the green light from ABC, and many viewers still want to know why Modern Family ended.

Why Modern Family Didn’t Return for Season 12

Season 11 Was Always Planned As The End For Modern Family

While co-creators and showrunners Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan never offered a single conclusive reason for why Modern Family ended, it had already been apparent for a while that the show was on the verge of signing off. When Modern Family was renewed for season 10, Lloyd and Levitan indicated it would likely be the final year, although a formal announcement was never made. The confirmation that the show was ending didn’t come until after season 9 had seen Modern Family take a significant hit in critical favor.

Interestingly, the fact that Lloyd, Levitan, and the writing staff went into season 10 believing it would likely be the last of Modern Family gave them the urge to try and shake things up, incorporating major life-altering events like the sudden and surprising death of DeDe Pritchett, Jay’s ex-wife and Claire and Mitch’s mom. Season 10 also saw Haley fall back in love with old flame Dylan, get married, and have twins.

This reinvigorated season 10 saw Modern Family‘s review scores shoot back up, and the writers/producers were so interested in seeing where these events would lead the family that Modern Family season 11 was pitched. ABC was more than happy to oblige that request, but when Modern Family was renewed for season 11, it was planned as the last for the show. Planning the ending gave Lloyd and Levitan the chance to give the characters a proper send-off, which is also partly why Modern Family season 12 never happened.

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Modern Family Spin-Off Mitch And Cam Script Updates

There Were Plans For Modern Family To Continue In A New Show

The Modern Family series finale saw many members of the combined Pritchett and Dunphy family head off on new adventures. All three Dunphy children moved out of their parents’ house, Manny went off on a trip with his dad, and Mitch, Cam, and Lily moved to Missouri so Cam could coach college football. This perfectly lays the groundwork for the planned Modern Family spinoff centered around Mitch, Cam, and their daughter Lily as the three embark on new adventures in Missouri.

Unfortunately, Jesse Tyler Ferguson confirmed the network has decided against developing the series, which Ferguson says is a pity because the script is already so good. That said, this also confirms that a script already exists, so it’s possible that the Mitch and Cam spin-off can be picked up by a different network. Though it spanned 11 seasons, audiences still couldn’t get enough of Modern Family. Whichever network picks up Mitch and Cam is likely to get stellar pilot episode ratings at least.

While it doesn’t look likely that viewers will see the return of Modern Family characters in a spinoff show soon, fans can take solace in the fact that the cast of Modern Family seems to have stayed incredibly close over the years. Several Modern Family cast members reunited for Sarah Hyland’s wedding. Of course, if the cast stays in touch like this over the years, it might make it more likely that they will be open to an official television reunion at some point down the road.

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What Has The Modern Family Cast Done Since The Show Ended?

The Cast Remains Active

Though many still ask why Modern Family ended, the rest of the cast has since moved on to other projects. Ariel Winter (Alex) left LA altogether and has only recently appeared doing voice acting work for the game The Quarry. Sofia Vergara (Gloria) has been a judge on America’s Got Talent for several seasons, went on to star in the Netflix series Griselda, and voiced a character in Despicable Me 4. Ty Burrell (Phil) has also dipped his toes in some voice acting work, recently playing the father, Jack, in Duncanville.

Sarah Hyland (Hayley) hosted the US spinoff of Love Island since leaving Modern Family. She also took on roles in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin and the movie My Fake Boyfriend. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitch) wrote a cookbook after Modern Family and also won a Tony for his role in the Broadway renewal of Take Me Out. In 2023, he had a funny supporting role in Cocaine Bear​​​​​​.

Julie Bowen (Claire) took some time off after Modern Family ended, but she starred opposite Adam Sandler in his Netflix movie Hubie Halloween. Since then, she started doing more and has a recurring role on the animated series Hailey’s On It while appearing in the films The Fallout, Mixtape, and Totally Killer. Eric Stonestreet (Cam) also took a small break after Modern Family ended, but returned in 2022 as the host of Domino Masters before taking one of the main roles as Mad Santa in The Santa Clauses.

Nolan Gould (Luke) didn’t appear in anything after the ABC show ended until 2023 when he starred in Miranda’s Victim. Ed O’Neill (Jay) returned in 2024 for the miniseries Clipped. Rico Rodriguez (Manny) hasn’t returned to acting since Modern Family. Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Lily), who basically grew up on the set of Modern Family, has turned to YouTube and TikTok, where she creates plenty of content.

Will There Be A Modern Family Reunion?

There’s No Plan To Bring The Modern Family Cast Back Together (Yet)

While there are no plans for a Modern Family season 12, and the Mitch and Cam spinoff looks dead in the water, there are still hopes that the cast will return for a Modern Family reunion special. Over the last few years, many sitcoms, from Friends to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, have reunited the cast for a one-off reunion episode. There’s no reason Modern Family couldn’t do the same, though there’s nothing planned yet.

This is somewhat unsurprising in a way — Modern Family ended in 2020, still less than five years ago. This means that 2025 would be the earliest a reunion special could happen if it were tied to a significant milestone. That doesn’t mean there isn’t already talk and speculation about the Modern Family cast returning for a reunion, though, which speaks volumes for the show’s popularity.

Ariel Winter was open about the cast’s feelings on a reunion during a 2022 interview (via PopCulture), and her insight was a positive sign for those who hope Modern Family will return. “Obviously, we’d all love to get back to work and work together again, that would be awesome, but I do think that where the story ended was perfect for the show,” she revealed before adding, “I think that it would need to be a spinoff of the show, like where the characters are now.”

The cast has also come together in other ways, specifically for Sarah Hyland’s wedding which saw Jesse Tyler Ferguson officiate the event. It seems that Modern Family ended in season 11, and if the cast is seen again, it will have to be in a new show or some kind of reunion special down the line. While this may disappoint fans hoping for Modern Family season 12, Ariel Winter’s reasoning is sound.

Modern Family ended on a satisfying note, telling a story that spanned multiple generations of the same family across an entire decade. While that could go on indefinitely, it made sense to end Modern Family when it did.

Some Modern Family Cast Members Came Together For A Commercial

Four Cast Members Reprised Their Roles For WhatsApp

In a big moment for Modern Family fans, four cast members reprised their roles in a new television commercial. The ad was for the app WhatsApp, and they not only appeared as their characters, but they were perfectly repeating their famed roles. It saw Phil and Claire sitting on the couch and talking to Cam about the new photos they got of Haley’s kids. Mitchell came in and wanted to see the pictures, but Phil accidentally told him it was in their group chat, which confused Mitchell, who was kicked out of the chat.

The commercial was just a spot that showed how WhatsApp can improve everyone’s experience, even if someone has a phone that doesn’t work well with other group chats. It ends with Cam and Mitchell in bed, still talking about Cam being “cut out.” It was fun to see at least four of the cast members back together in character.

There have also been smaller moments where the Modern Family cast supported each other. Sofia Vergara brought Erc Stonestreet to America’s Got Talent as a special judge, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson appeared on Aubrey Anderson-Emmons’ YouTube channel, as well as in a TikTok with her.

Modern Family

Modern Family is a comedy series that follows the unconventional Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family as they redefine what makes a family in their modern age. Broken into sub-families, the three diverse groups shake up the nuclear formula with empty nesters, adopted children, gender neutrality, and more as they attempt to navigate the various pitfalls and comedic misadventures of their dysfunctional but warm-hearted family dynamic.

Release Date

September 23, 2009

Cast

Ed O’Neill , Sofia Vergara , Julie Bowen , Ty Burrell , Jesse Tyler Ferguson , Eric Stonestreet , Sarah Hyland , Ariel Winter , Nolan Gould , Rico Rodriguez

Seasons

11

Writers

Christopher Lloyd , Steven Levitan

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

Showrunner

Christopher Lloyd , Steven Levitan

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