Modern Family was one of the most beloved sitcoms of this generation, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series every year for the first five years of its 11-season run. What truly makes Modern Family a success is the hilarious intersecting storylines, funny dialogue, and wonderful characters and the actors who play them.
Most of the characters on the show were instantly loved by fans, with each displaying their quirky personality traits. But for others, it took some time before fans took to them.
Haley Dunphy
Haley took some time to grow on fans. She was initially the self-absorbed oldest sibling who took every opportunity she could to poke fun at her younger sister and brother. She was dimwitted, materialistic, and shallow. Some quotes perfectly sum up Haley as a character on Modern Family, all of which serve as evidence of this.
While Haley didn’t really change much in who she was, she did grow up, become a more responsible young adult, and learned from her mistakes. Fans started to get a soft spot for Haley when they realized how much she struggled with her limitations.
Alex Dunphy
Alex Dunphy never changed in terms of her high intellect, sarcastic personality, and general anxious demeanor. She was always so focused on schoolwork and being the best and had little time to deal with the antics of her siblings and even her parents.
Alex, however, grew on fans as they realized how much she cared for her older sister Haley, even if they couldn’t have been more different. Behind her tough exterior, she was sweet, kind, and cared about her family. And as the seasons went on, fans saw more and more layers to her personality.
Dylan Marshall
Dylan was the dimwitted boyfriend who Phil and Claire never thought would last and just represented a phase for Haley. They didn’t appreciate that he was the “bad boy” type who didn’t have any direction in life.
Through the seasons, however, as Haley and Dylan broke up and got back together, eventually getting married and having kids, fans grew to love Dylan. Even though he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, it was clear he loved Haley and would do anything for her. This is evidenced through many quotes that perfectly sum up Haley and Dylan’s relationship on Modern Family. He would work any job and do whatever it took to make her happy and provide for her. Interestingly, his personality mirrors that of Phil as both are childish and silly. But they both also dealt with similar situations in that Jay never believed Phil was good enough for his daughter either.
Sonia Ramirez
Sonia Ramirez was only a guest on the show for a few episodes, portraying Gloria’s younger sister. She came across as spiteful, bitter, and jealous of all Gloria’s successes in America. However, fans felt for Sonia after discovering that Jay had initially liked Sonia, not Gloria, and thus she could have been the one with the wealth and riches, living outside of Columbia and financial hardship.
While Sonia did several other things, however, that had fans disliking her once again, including trying to make a pass at Jay and kidnapping Manny to get the hot sauce business. But when the ladies made amends after realizing it was their father’s approval that caused them to constantly fight, and Sonia found her own success and a younger fiancé, she was in fans’ good books.
Manny Delgado
Manny is quirky and wise beyond his years. Initially, he came off as too precocious such that he got on some fans’ nerves, just as he did Jay’s on the show. However, he continued to grow on fans as he matured and came into his own. Fans believe there’s no other character on TV like Manny, one of many opinions about Modern Family worth fighting for, according to Reddit.
Fans began to appreciate Manny’s confidence in always being true to himself. He didn’t act like other kids and he had no desire to do so. He was able to bridge the gap between his and Jay’s families and became closer and closer with his cousin Luke.
Cameron Tucker
Cameron was always hilarious, but fans initially didn’t like his arrogance and focus on appearance and material items. There are lots of times Cameron from Modern Family was toxic. While he understood the value of hard work, he didn’t seem to do much of it at the beginning, allowing his husband Mitchell to take on the breadwinner role. But after they had Lily, Cameron started to change his tune.
He took on a job at the high school coaching the football team, a sport he loved, and became a doting dad. Cameron always remained his flamboyant, theatrical self. But as fans got to see more and more how his personality was the perfect complement to Mitchell’s uptight one, they fell in love with how he was able to calm Mitchell and help him enjoy life.
Mitchell Pritchett
On the contrary, Mitchell was uptight and often anxious. He was always worried about what others thought of him and constantly in competition with his sister. However, fans started to hear stories about Mitchell and Claire as kids and how Jay treated his son, often overlooking him or poking fun at his effeminate nature. They also got to understand more of how Mitchell felt when Jay initially did not accept his son after he came out.
Fans grew fonder of the character once they had a better idea of why he was the way he was. This made them more sympathetic to him going forward, especially as Mitchell started to gain more confidence in himself and let loose a bit.
Lily Tucker-Pritchett
Lily is a strange one on the list because the character was played by multiple actors, but mostly by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons from seasons 3-11. Of course, fans didn’t initially dislike Lily because she was just a baby. However, when she showed up in season 3 aged several years, fans were completely baffled at the huge discrepancy in the storyline. And that played into how they felt about the character.
While the older Lily initially annoyed fans due to her sarcastic, dark, monotonous personality and tone, she became more likable over time. She was representative of young girls her age, and of her generation. And when she began to go through the usual growing pains of becoming a teenager, fans loved both her journey and how Mitchell and Cameron tried to handle the awkward female-specific situations.
Andy Bailey
Just like Andy grew on Haley, he, too, grew on fans. While he came across like a younger version of Phil, there was only so much fans could take of the bubbly “manny” for Joe and his overly enthusiastic and positive demeanor. It felt like there had to be something darker hiding behind there.
But through his relationship with Haley, Andy’s friendship and mentor-mentee relationship with Phil, and his heartfelt conversations with others, fans realized that Andy really was a great guy. He became “the one that got away” who could have been a good partner for Haley as well.
Arvin Fennerman
Fans didn’t like the fact that Arvin was an older professor dating the younger Haley, who appeared to be his complete opposite. He approached Haley and instantly told her he knew they would get married one day. It was either kismet or just a clever pick-up line: fans couldn’t figure it out.
Even though he and Haley dated for some time, fans never felt they were right for one another. While it was weird that Arvin eventually ended up with Alex, it seemed to make sense. Fans loved the idea of him for her and she for him. With that pairing, he became a more palatable member of the family.