Modern Family's focus on the different types of families that exist within the Delgado-Pritchett, Tucker-Pritchett, and Dunphy clans has received widespread acclaim. Its 11 seasons have been well received by fans and critics due to the show's honest approach to family life. The variety of characters makes the show fresh and fun and has allowed Modern Family to remain relevant despite its long run.
Whether fans are enjoying the interactions between Jay and Gloria, Phil and Claire, or Mitch and Cam, Modern Family has something for everyone. But while the show is popular and highly rated, there are certain aspects of it that do not make sense. The longer a show airs, the more opportunity there is for error. Despite certain plot holes, Modern Family remains one of the better long-running sitcoms.
Updated Nov. 23, 2021, by Lynn Gibbs: The beauty of Modern Family is that each family in the series has its flaws as well as its strengths, making them relatable to watch. Whether it's relationship drama or growing pains, Modern Family showcased it all. However, any show that lasts 11 seasons is going to include things that don't make sense. Modern Family's plot holes and inconsistencies were spotted by eagle-eyed fans, along with questions that viewers were hoping to have answered before the series ended (for example, why does Joe call his dad Jay?). Regardless of these oversights and errors, Modern Family is still one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time.
Claire Knew How To Run A Better Closet Business Than Jay
When the Dunphy children were old enough, Claire was ready to go from everyone's favorite TV mom to a businesswoman. She began working with her dad at Pritchett's Closets and Blinds but was nervous because she had been out of the workforce for more than 15 years. However, Claire was ready to run the entire company in no time flat.
Around Christmas, Jay wanted to retire and make Claire the new CEO. She accepted the position and suddenly Pritchett's Closets and Blinds was better than ever. While this isn't impossible, it does raise a few questions. Jay had been in the industry for decades and knew far more about closets and business than Claire did — in fact, Claire always felt like she was failing at work — so how did Claire win the company awards and get it popular enough to sell if she was constantly flailing?
Mitch And Cam Never Learn From Their Mistakes In Their Relationship
An ongoing theme in Mitch and Cam's relationship is that they tell white lies and hide things from each other to do what they want to do. Every time one of them lies or skirts around the truth, a larger problem ensues and the couple comes face to face with deep conversations about their relationship.
One would think Mitch and Cam would have learned from their mistakes and grown in those areas by season 11, but it didn't happened. If anything, they hid more from each other and never seemed to transform into the stronger couple they could have been. It didn't make sense that they failed to learn from decades' worth of mistakes.
They Never Address The Film Crew
Since the first episode of Modern Family, the entire Pritchett and Dunphy clan have been shown sitting in their living rooms discussing their lives with an unseen documentary person. The showrunners have even stated that they initially proposed that the family was being interviewed by a foreign film crew. Considering other shows like The Office have seen great success with this, it is a good formula for a show.
Even stranger, the family never addresses the film crew directly, even during very intimate moments. One would have thought this would have been discussed in the first episode but it wasn't. The crew often gets side-eyed looks from the family during funny situations, but the crew has never been seen.
Disappearing Lily
Cam and Mitch are adoring parents to Lily and Rex. Their devotion to helping Lily, in particular, adjust to life as a little girl and later, a young lady, is very touching. However, there is one question that continues to pop up: where does Lily go all the time?
Lily transforms from a baby to a young lady in no time, but she's often invisible for several episodes at a time without explanation. While she certainly had her own social life when she reached high school, Mitch and Cam are often aloof when it comes to her personal life. There's even an episode where they had no idea she was smart, an athlete, or had extracurricular activities. Considering how close Lily and Cam were in the early seasons, this doesn't make sense.
Gloria’s Past Is Questionable
Before Gloria became a Pritchett, her backstory is filled with crazy stories, potential felonies, and plenty of violence. Not to mention her time as a single mother to Manny. These outrageous stories are a part of most of Gloria's hilarious storylines.
Whenever Gloria mentions a story about her time in Colombia, it is usually followed by a crazy anecdote. Whether it is about how her family used to do something dangerous to get by or even a crime that she committed, Gloria is upfront out about her past. However, it is difficult to know if she is embellishing or not. Considering that she mentions taking lives at some points (the episode 'Promposal' is a great example of this), viewers and family members are right to treat her stories with skepticism.
It's Sad That Mitchell Had To Come Out Repeatedly To Jay
Saying that Jay Pritchett has difficultly expressing his emotions would be a big understatement. In fact, he regularly struggles with expressing the simplest of emotions. So, when his only son dropped the bombshell about his sexual orientation as a teenager, Jay had difficulty with it. However, was even harder for Mitchell.
Due to his father’s inability to process emotions, Mitchell had to come out to Jay multiple times. While it is possible that due to Jay’s own prejudice he was actively trying to ignore it, it does seem strange that he would "forget." After all, Jay ended up loving Mitchell's husband Cam, so why would he push the truth aside? Jay's denial made Mitchell insecure and it put a wedge in between their relationship.
Claire Never Fixed The Step Herself
Phil Dunphy’s carefree attitude makes him easily distracted, which means that he often forgets about things that he has been asked to do. The most obvious example of this is the infamous step in the Dunphy house that makes everyone trip. Phil has famously stated many times that he “needs to fix that step” but took a very long time to do it. On the other hand, Claire Dunphy is a very take-charge type of woman who does not have any issues solving problems herself. Their differences made Phil and Claire have the perfect relationship at times.
Since Claire is not the type to wait for others, why would she not fix the step on her own? She never needed Phil to do something she could do herself, so why now? Phil certainly has some great qualities, but this must be one that frustrates Claire to no end.
No One Calls Joe By His Real Name
Little Joe Pritchett is played by the adorable Jeremy McGuire. His presence was a great addition to Modern Family. Watching Jay and Gloria manage raising a child together has led to some hilarious moments, in no small part due to the young child actor himself. He quickly became one of the more likable characters.
While Joe is responsible for many entertaining situations, there is one aspect about him that does not make sense. Apart from his first season on the show, no member of the family calls him by his real name, Fulgencio Joseph "Joe" Pritchett. Jay originally started calling him Joe because he figured that no one would know how to pronounce Fulgencio, and he was apparently correct because no one tried. Gloria chose the name Fulgencio to please her family, which also didn't make sense because Gloria has always pushed the boundaries with her family.
Andy Lost His Weight Very Quickly
Following the will-they-won’t-they saga of Haley and Andy, most fans were disappointed that they didn't end up together. The question of whether Haley would choose Dylan or Andy was one the forefront of fans' minds.
Due to the usual meddling from her family, Andy eventually learns about Haley’s feelings. He even discovers that Haley was going to try and stop his engagement to Beth. After learning that he had missed his opportunity, he begins to eat his feelings and gains a fair amount of weight. The Dunphys were concerned about Andy's emotional wellbeing after seeing him in such despair, but a few episodes later, Andy was back to his previous weight. It was as if that entire scene didn't happen.
Where Are Gloria’s Brothers?
Gloria’s past remains a mystery apart from the outlandish stories she tells. Some clarity was provided when both her mother and sister came to visit from Colombia, as fans were able to see her interact with family. However, there seem to be some members of the Ramirez family that fans have never seen before, which didn't make sense.
Everyone forgets that Gloria has two brothers. While she has alluded to the fact that her mother had to “deal with them” before, this may explain why they are seldom mentioned. Gloria has remained mysterious about her past to the point that no one knows if she is telling the truth or not. Given how infrequently she brings up her brothers, it begs the question of whether they exist or not.
Cam Backs Down From Confrontation
Between Cam and Mitchell, Cameron is usually the more assertive party. Behind closed doors, he is always telling Mitchell that he needs to stand up for himself and go after what he wants. However, Cameron doesn't alwas practice what he preaches.
Cameron may be a very confident person, but he tends to back down when confronted head-on. He would also prefer to confront any aggressor in a passive-aggressive manner instead of directly. Considering how much he encourages Mitchell to deal with things face-to-face it is surprising to see him back down so often from bullies like Andrew or Señor Kaplan.
Does Anyone Else Notice Phil’s Crush On Gloria?
Phil is usually very quick to let everyone know that “he has Gloria!” in a time of crisis, but no one from the family has addressed this odd situation. It is not uncommon for Gloria to turn a few heads from onlookers, however, she has permanently distracted Phil just by being around her. In the early seasons, Claire was annoyed by Gloria's beauty and noticed Phil's small crush on Gloria but her attention to it disappeared as the series went on. Phil's crush, on the other hand, didn't.
While Claire has quietly discouraged him from saying something too outlandish, it seems odd that no one has discussed it with him. His crush seems to have tapered off over the seasons, but it went unaddressed for several years.
Mitch & Cam Would Have Had Trouble Adopting Lily
Modern Family has received many accolades for how it portrays the different types of families that exist in the world. By showcasing nuclear, blended, and same-gender parent families, Modern Family has opened things up on TV. While the showrunners should be commended for their actions, there is an unfortunate error that they made early in the show.
When the show first aired in 2009, Cam and Mitch's character arc just started when they came home from Vietnam with their adoptive daughter, Lily. While their portrayal of adoptive parents has been excellent, there is one slight problem; Vietnam banned same-gender marriages up until 2015, according to Vietnam's governing site. Given their partnership, it would be very unlikely that Vietnam would have allowed a gay couple to adopt a child. There is no doubt that Mitchell and Cam are good parents, but the government regulations would have forbidden this from happening at the time.
Gloria Should Have Lost Her License
Jay is extremely hard on Gloria at times and puts a lot of pressure on her to live up to his expectations. However, if there is one thing he is spot-on about, it is Gloria’s driving abilities.
Two different episodes of Modern Family have focused on Gloria’s driving abilities ('Moon Landing' and 'Hit and Run'), and they both involve her getting in car accidents. Gloria's aggression behind the wheel (and outside of the car) is a cause for concern. Her short fuse creates the tendency for her to lash out at other drivers and make poor decisions while driving. She has also tried to hide car issues from Jay before so that he won’t come down on her. With that being said, how has nothing come from this? Why wasn't there an episode where Gloria's license was confiscated?
Manny’s Crush On Haley
Just like Phil’s attraction to Gloria, there is another strange one-sided crush within the family. Manny’s constant flirtation and compliments about Haley in the early seasons of the show were uneasy. Due to their family situation, it is often forgotten that Manny is actually Haley’s uncle, despite their relatively close ages.
Since Manny was younger while making flirtatious comments, it's assumed Manny didn't understand the severity of the situation. However, when they continued into young adulthood, it didn't make sense that no one in the family was addressing them. Haley told Manny off a few times (as she does with most people who crave her attention), but never got any of the adults involved. Jay and Gloria always knew that Manny was a romantic at heart but nothing was done about his crush on Haley, oddly enough.
How Was Phil Able To Teach A College Course So Easily?
Season 10 of Modern Family has given Phil the opportunity for a new career. While he's always been happy as a realtor, the chance to teach a real estate course at Luke’s community college was something he could not turn down. Given his natural charm and charisma, he has been very successful as a teacher so far. However, there is one thing about the situation that does not make sense: Phil does not have a teaching degree.
Every teacher or professor quires a teaching degree. Despite his experience in real estate, Phil is lacking this very important component to teaching a real estate course. Fans were happy that Phil was passionate about his new job but fans forgot that Phil's addition to the faculty didn't make sense. It seems very strange that the college would allow him to teach considering there.
Cam And Mitchell's Friendship With Pepper
Mitch and Cam have an eclectic group of friends with strong personalities. At times, their friends come off as snobby and rude, but none of which come off as poorly as Pepper. He operates without a filter and has no problem speaking his mind, even if it will insult someone else. Cam also used to date Pepper before he met Mitch. With all these things under consideration, one big question remains: why would Mitch and Cam be friends with Pepper at all?
Considering Mitch and Cam’s good nature, this friendship strikes a lot of fans as strange. Pepper isn't kind or considerate, yet they continue to subject themselves to his “famous” themed parties. Nevertheless, nothing positive comes from this friendship.
Claire's Naivete About Haley
Before Haley Dunphy's grand transformation in season 11, she has not been a model child for Claire and Phil. From her relationship with Dylan to her partying ways as a teen, her past makes it hard to believe that her parents would believe she was having her first drink on her 21st birthday...
In the season 6 episode that features Haley’s 21st birthday, Claire takes Haley out so she can have her “first drink” with her at a bar. Meanwhile, Claire had already dealt with a severely hungover Haley in season 4 following her escapades at prom. Perhaps Claire was practicing a selective memory so that she can still consider her daughter innocent, but it does not make sense for Claire's personality.
Claire’s Condition Never Comes Up Again
Claire Dunphy is not well-known for taking things easy. Her high-strung personality combined with her full schedule as a mother, wife, and running Pritchett’s Closets and Blinds makes for high levels of stress. In some ways, Claire is viewed as toxic because she is a perfectionist and tends to boss her family around in order to get things done around the house. That is why her Wolff–Parkinson–White diagnosis was so surprising. However, the show does not address Claire’s condition often. It's almost to the point that it seems forgotten about, which begs the question as to why this was written in the script at all if it wasn't going to be a part of Claire's storyline?
Mitch’s Fear Of Birds
Mitchell Pritchett is generally high-strung, but he is able to manage himself... unless it comes to birds. Mitch suffers from ornithophobia, which is the fear of birds. Whether one has flown into his home or Lily's princess castle, they always frighten him.
That is why it was so strange when Mitchell developed a deep connection to a chicken. In the season 10 episode 'Did The Chicken Cross The Road,' Cam forced Mitchell to live with a chicken in the backyard. While he would normally be terrified, he is shown hand-feeding the chicken and caring or it. Did he forget about his own fear? Or did the showrunners?