The mockumentary style of Modern Family is a huge part of what made the ABC show a success. Going behind the scenes and following the Dunphys, Tucker-Prichetts, and Delgado-Pritchetts as they go about their quirky daily lives made them universally relatable. And like most mockumentary sitcoms, Modern Family began each episode with a cold open.
Cold opens are a way of integrating the viewers into the scene without much of an introduction or backstory. It's a quick and hilarious way to start the episode before the opening credits roll. And after 11 seasons and 250 episodes, Modern Family was full of iconic cold opens. But they're not created equal. Some cold opens fell flat and failed to make an impact.
Best: "Thanksgiving Jamboree"
Season 8's "Thanksgiving Jamboree" kicks off with Cameron and Mitch preparing their house for Thanksgiving. Unlike years prior, Cam made the theme "country jamboree." There was hay all over the place, Cam wore a cowboy hat, and there were farm animals in the backyard. As always, everyone judged the theme.
As each family entered the house, viewers learned what was going on behind-the-scenes. Phil was upset that Haley was dating his friend, Jay had to wear a monitor that checked his pulse, and Mitchell was coerced to wear overalls. But Cam was the star of the show as viewers love when he lets his Midwest side shine.
Worst: "Clash Of Swords"
The cold open for season 9's "Clash of Swords" was a hard flop. The camera starts in the Delgado-Pritchett household where Manny is gearing up for a cross-country drive for the Martha Stewart Bed and Breakfast Tour of America. Jay gives him a knife for protection, which freaks Manny out.
Meanwhile, Gloria is giving Joe a haircut for his kindergarten party. But after Gloria makes a wrong snip, she ruins Joe's hair. Joe grabbed the mirror and cried that his hair was "his identity" and the show switched to the intro. All in all, the show had better cold opens.
Best: "A Year Of Birthdays"
"A Year of Birthdays" was season 10's finale. It was perfectly written and filmed as the cold open showed what the episode was going to be about. It started with Phil celebrating his 50th birthday. He thanks everyone for being there and tells them all that he's going to learn Spanish, how to play the piano, and learn how to ride a unicycle. He's also regifted a book about wine from Jay that was originally given to him by Mitch and Cam. It was the perfect introduction to the rest of the episode that showed what everyone's birthday was like that year.
Worst: "Good Grief"
"Good Grief" was a dark episode that had good intentions but missed the mark. The cold open begins with Claire and Phil decorating the inside of their home for Halloween. She was dressed as a spider and he was dressed as a fly.
They were ironically hanging a fake web when Claire runs away to grab a phone call and Phil gets stuck in the web. When Claire re-enters the scene, she tells Phil that her mother died. As she embraces Phil, the two are then stuck in the web like an actual spider and fly. However, considering how dark death is, it felt odd making a joke of it.
Best: "When Good Kids Go Bad"
"When Good Kids Go Bad" shows off how wildly competitive the original Prichett clan is. Their competitiveness is so strong that it often makes the rest of the family feel uncomfortable.
At the start of the episode, Phil and Claire are grocery shopping when Phil hits Claire's foot with the cart. After Phil sees a beautiful woman, he accidentally pushes Claire into a mountain of canned goods while she was fixing her shoe. The scene then cuts to the Tucker-Pritchett household where Cam and Mitch plan on telling their family about the possible adoption of a new baby. The only problem is that Lily hates the idea of a new baby. Both scenes hilariously set up the episode for conflict in both houses.
Worst: "Under Pressure"
Season 5's "Under Pressure" was more concerning than funny. It proved that Alex was overworked and overstressed.
As Claire brought out Alex's birthday cake in front of the whole family, Alex has a small meltdown over the fact that she should be studying instead of celebrating because there were kids far younger than her doing extraordinary things in science. She ends up punching the cake, shoving it in her face, and screaming as her family watched in horror. Alex clearly needed some help and viewers felt bad for her.
Best: "Caught In The Act"
"Caught in the Act" starts with Jay encouraging Gloria to hurry up with her email because they were running late for their flight. There was a bake sale coming up at Manny and Luke's school and Gloria wanted to chip in. The only problem is that Claire's controlling nature wasn't allowing Gloria to help in any way.
Jay helps Gloria write a scathing email to Claire, professing her true feelings on the matter, but as soon as Gloria takes control of the laptop from Jay, the email accidentally sends. She sat in horror, wondering what her fate would be and why the email "sended."
Worst: "Alone Time"
In the eighth season, Mitchell needed some alone time to recharge. Lily was at a sleepover, which made it the perfect time to escape for a night. The only person who could get in his way was Cam. Mitch told his dad that he knew Cameron would be offended by Mitch's desire to be alone. But as Cam entered the room, Mitch had no choice but to come clean. As predicted, Cameron was upset that Mitchell wanted to leave. He became even more upset when Mitchell already had his bags packed.
While there were subtle hints of humor between Mitch and Jay, the scene was more disappointing than funny.
Best: "The Day We Almost Died"
In "The Day We Almost Died," viewers got the point of view of the entire Dunphy clan (plus Manny) when they were almost in a deadly accident.
The cold open begins with the Dunphy family and Manny in the car. As always, the mood is hectic and no one is getting along. Phil is blaring the music, Claire is trying to talk to Mitchell on the phone, Haley and Alex are annoyed with each other, and Luke and Manny are in their own world. As they were driving, a massive truck went through a stop sign and almost came crashed into their car. The rest of the episode showed how life had changed for the better for those in the car.
Worst: "The Graduates"
"The Graduates" was the finale of season 8 and followed Luke and Manny on the day of their graduation. In the cold open, Phil and Claire are proud of their only son and give Luke a watch as a graduation gift. However, Luke flips the switch and gives a car to his parents as a thank you gift for raising him. Claire and Phil deny the hideous car and tell him to keep it, which was his plan all along.
Meanwhile, at the Delgado-Pritchett household, Gloria is baking for Manny's big day when Javier unexpectedly shows up and whisks Manny away, leaving Gloria and Jay crushed. For such a big moment in their lives, the cold open was a little bland.