Finale (Modern Family)

With Haley (Sarah Hyland), Dylan (Reid Ewing) and the twins still living at the Dunphys’, Alex (Ariel Winter) moved back in after quitting her job, and Luke (Nolan Gould) still there after not going to college, the house is overstuffed. Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burrell), uneasy with the number of people now living in the Dunphy household, have moved into Phil’s recently deceased father Frank’s (Fred Willard) RV parked in the driveway. After they are caught out, they host an intervention with Haley, Alex, Luke and Dylan, stating that someone needs to move out as the house is too crowded. The kids are offended, but even as Luke pleads to Phil’s emotional side using their close friendship as a pawn, Claire asserts their position. They tell them they have 24 hours to decide, and leave for Mitch and Cam’s housewarming party.

Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), now settled into their new house with their new baby Rexford, are hosting a housewarming party. Ronaldo (Christian Barillas) arrives to set up, but Mitch shows him around, Cam receives a call, informing him that the coaching job he was rejected for in Missouri is now open again, giving him a dilemma. He tells Ronaldo that he is not taking it, as Mitch is too happy in their new house, and to keep it to himself. However, Ronaldo spills the secret and Mitch finds out. First reacting positively in front of everyone, he walks away and swears to Claire about the situation.

Gloria (Sofía Vergara) is preparing to say goodbye to Manny (Rico Rodriguez) as he is leaving to travel the world, and she and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) go to Colombia for the summer. Jay (Ed O’Neill) has bought a hideous housewarming gift for Mitch and Cam and organized Joe’s haircut, leaving Gloria feeling left out and not needed. As Manny prepares to leave she feels she is not the go-to person in the house that she once was now she works as a realtor. As they arrive at Mitch and Cam’s party, she says she hates the gift and misses Joe’s old hair.

Phil and Claire return from the party emotional that Mitchell will probably be leaving for Missouri, and decide they no longer want to sleep in the RV. They agree that they love their crazy household and will tell the kids they can stay. However, when they enter the house Haley and Dylan inform them they have found a place to live which is cheap because they know the owner. Next, Alex, who earlier met with her new co-worker Arvin (Chris Geere) and shared a kiss, tells them that they are moving to Switzerland together for work. Then, Luke arrives, telling Phil and Claire that he has been accepted to the University of Oregon, and will also be moving out. Upset at this news, Claire emotionally says ‘I’m going to miss this’ to Phil, to which he replies ‘Me too’.

Later, in the karaoke room, Cam apologies and Mitch says that he will leave for Missouri, and they inform Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), before singing a duet of "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie.

Gloria confesses to Jay that she feels guilty about working and like she is no longer needed, to which Jay tells her she should not as he never did, and that she will always be needed by him, Joe and Manny. She is comforted by this.

The next day, the family gather to send Mitchell and Cam off, with Jay saying he is upset as ‘both [his] sons are leaving’. As the family hug goodbye, they are informed that Mitch and Cam’s flight is delayed. Dylan then arrives at the door, excitedly saying ‘You guys remembered my birthday!’ to which the family unenthusiastically respond ‘Surprise’.

As Mitch and Cam’s flight is delayed further, the family agree to meet later to say a proper goodbye. During this waiting period, Mitchell and Claire retrieve their old skating trophy and share a sibling moment, dancing to "Hungry Like the Wolf", their skating song. Also, Phil misunderstands Jay as Jay attempts to learn Spanish, and as Jay asks for a spoon, Phil attempts to spoon him and they share one last embarrassing moment. Gloria and Cam share an emotional goodbye as he recites a poem to her to which she is not as upset by as he expected. Alex and Haley play one final prank on Luke, then share a heartwarming moment where they agree to always be there for each other as siblings. Joe humorously prepares Manny for his travels. Jay informs Gloria he is coming with her to Colombia and is learning Spanish. Luke and Manny share a final cousin/uncle love moment. Claire and Phil get emotional about the kids leaving and Phil tells her that they have to ‘leave the porch light on’ to ensure that they will always come back. They agree they will go on an RV road trip now that the kids have gone.

The family gather to finally say goodbye. They take a group selfie, hug and then cannot let go. Phil tries to set an example and be the first to pull away, but immediately rushes back, claiming ‘It was awful’. The family cries as Haley explains how it is Mitch and Cam now, but eventually everyone will be separated. Jay says it is hard to say goodbye as ‘not everyone gets to have what [they] have’.

As Jay’s speech plays over the end of the episode, it is shown that Haley and Dylan have moved into Mitch and Cam’s old apartment. A montage is then played of mirrored images and references to the first episode, with Mitch and Cam on the plane eating cream puffs with their kids, Phil and Claire working the calendar for their RV trip like they did to ‘shoot Luke’ in the pilot, and Jay and Gloria watch Joe play football like they did Manny, but this time neither of them can get out of their chairs to stand up. As Jay’s speech ends the episode, saying that the comfort of your family is important and that ‘that’s what helps [him] sleep at night’, the lights turn off in each respective house, but at the Dunphys’, the porch light is left on, signifying the family will always return.

In the ending credits, emotional music is heard as the camera pans different photos from across the years of the 3 different families, before focusing in on the family portrait from the season one finale, of all three families, laughing together.

The ending of the show marked the end of an impactful show upon 2010s' culture, with many publications, such as The Hollywood Reporter and The Telegraph, posting articles about the impact of the show throughout the past decade and the legacy it will uphold.

The show used the newly popular mockumentary style format, a technique typical of modern 2010s' comedies such as The Office and Parks and Recreation. It signified a shift in the style of TV comedies which would eventually become popular, helping influencing the styles and humor of later shows.

Cameron and Mitchell's relationship has been described as an extremely important and impactful one upon attitudes to gay couples in entertainment. The show ran through the legislation of same-sex marriage in the state of California, leading to the marriage of main characters Mitchell and Cameron’s engagement in Season 5, and eventual marriage in "The Wedding".

Many articles were published at the time of the show’s ending citing it the final type of the typical American sitcom of the 1980s to 2010s period, such as Cheers, Friends, and The Office. The Telegraph posted an article saying, "This isn't just the end of Modern Family – it's the end of the sitcom as we know it."[4] These articles claimed it would be hard for another show to air like this, with the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix, and due to the frequent cancellations of new comedies. Modern Family is widely considered to be the last great, mainstream and long-running TV comedy of its kind.