With 22 Emmy Awards and 80 nominations under its belt, it's not surprising that Modern Family is considered one of the most successful comedies of all time. From the talented cast to the hilarious scripts, fans loved to see what wacky hijinks the families got up to every week.
They also loved spotting the hidden details that could be littered throughout the episodes - ranging from gags, cultural references to the costume design. However, some fans may not have noticed but a lot of things happen in the background when one isn't paying much attention.
Cam Smashing Jay & Gloria's Window
Over the 11 seasons, Cam and Mitchell provided viewers with some memorable moments. However, one that goes largely under the radar has to be Cam's accidental breakage in "A Year of Birthdays." As fans remember, the families held a talent show for Manny's birthday.
Here, Cam and Mitch perform a rendition of "Carolina in the Morning," complete with matching vests and canes. Just as they got to the end of the performance, some fans spotted Cam accidentally smashing Gloria and Jay's front window from throwing his cane. It largely goes unnoticed due to fans focusing on the couple's harmonizing.
The Baby Jesus
In "The One That Got Away," fans spotted several running gags and references to previous episodes. However, one of their all-time favorites had to be Gloria pulling numerous mementos out of the kitchen drawer while she looked for birthday candles. First, she pulls out the FruitLoop necklace Manny made her for Mother's Day ("Mother's Day").
Then, she pulls out several baby Jesuses, which was a reference to the time Jay's secretary ordered several figurines in a misunderstanding ("Halloween"). Finally, she pulls out Manny's BB gun and her spare set of car keys, which referenced "Manny Get Your Gun." It was a nice homage to the previous episodes.
The Doggy Door In The Dunphy Household
There are some interesting details in the Dunphy household. However, the most bizarre moment that some fans can't figure out is the dog door that was in their kitchen. In "Regrets Only," Claire and Phil ended up getting into a fight after the realtor forgot Claire's suggestions.
When Claire realizes she cannot get back into the house after storming off, she decides to creep back in using the pet door. Yet, what people don't understand is why do they have this in the first place? They haven't had a dog long enough for it to be in use. In fact, it should really be boarded up or locked since Claire proved a person could fit through it.
Claire & Phil's Bedroom Is Alex & Haley
Eagle-eyed fans also spotted a hilarious continuity error when they noticed the similarities between the girls' bedroom and Phil and Claire's. As fans know, Alex and Haley's bedroom was located on the far left, while Claire's and Phil's was on the stairs, next to the right.
However, the episode "Up All Night" contradicts this when fans see Haley, Luke, and Alex enter their parents' bedroom, coming from the right. If fans look closely, they would notice the guardrail outside the door that is usually outside the girls' room. It turns out that the directors always use the girls' bedroom to shoot scenes in Claire and Phil's room.
Errors In The Fizbo Newspaper Clipping
Over the 11 seasons, there have also been some iconic and hilarious episodes. However, if fans had to choose one of their favorites, it would have to be "Fizbo." Not only was this the first time fans were introduced to the notorious clown, but the overall storyline was quite funny and cleverly scripted.
Yet, this doesn't mean there haven't been any mistakes. For one, if fans look at the newspaper clipping where Cam talks about Fizbo's origin, they would notice that the text has been duplicated a couple of times to fill out the page. There also seems to be an eccentric story about people eating toothpaste and drinking their own urine, too. Who knows what that was about ...
Family Portrait In The Pritchett-Delgado House
While the Dunphy household is seen to have some interesting details, many fans have also spotted a few in the Pritchett-Delgado house too. Back in season 1, the viewers saw Claire organize a get-together so the families could get a photo taken ("Family Portrait").
As fans know, the day didn't get off to the smoothest of starts since Claire ran into a few issues and Mitchell destroyed his house. However, Claire managed to get the picture she wanted in the end. While it can later be seen in the Dunphy dining room, fans were also delighted to see it hanging in Jay and Gloria's living room, too. It just goes to show that this day had been just as important for them, too.
Phil's Friend Ling's Last Message
One of the more obscure details that many fans noticed was the references to Phil's friend, Ling. At the very beginning of the show, Phil revealed that he had a friend called Ling, who died in a helicopter crash. This was subtly confirmed on two separate occasions and tends to get glossed over if one isn't paying attention.
First, it was referenced in "Message Received" when the Dunphy children stumble upon Phil's old answering machine and found a message from Ling saying he was going to test his helicopter out. This must have been canceled because Phil later gives Ling a shout out in "Lifetime Supply" and wishes him well on flying his new helicopter. It's nice that the writers still manage to pay homage to Ling.
Alex's Hidden Message
In "Connection Lost," there were quite a few hidden details and easter eggs found throughout the episode. One that particularly caught the eye of fans was the hidden message in Alex's essay. As fans remember, this episode focused on the search for Haley after Claire grew concerned that her eldest had eloped with Andy.
While she was trying to track her down, Alex asked Claire if she had had time to read through her essay. When Claire says yes, she quickly opens the document and skims it before losing interest. Funny enough, fans were able to spot the trap Alex had placed to catch Claire out and prove she wasn't paying attention. It's quite clever when one thinks about it.
Croctopus & Other References
Season 6 was also seen to pay homage to several other episodes when fans noticed many ads were hidden easter eggs. When Claire is on FaceTime with Phil, fans noticed an advertisement for Croctopus IV. Hardcore fans remembered that this was a throwback to "Our Children, Ourselves," which was the episode where the film was first introduced.
Fans also spotted several other tailored ads, including one for Kilty Pleasures (the dance group Cam wanted to see in "Las Vegas") and Flipside Records (from "Sleeper"). It was quite funny to see that all these still existed years later. It was another great piece of nostalgia.
Zack Barbie Reference
While many fans are aware that Haley's Facebook friends are actually the names of some of the crew, some may have failed to notice the callback to the season 4 episode "Flip Flop." In this episode, fans will remember that the Dunphy-Pritchett-Tuckers banded together to help sell the house that Claire and Cam had flipped.
One of the potential buyers was Zack Barbie, who was a rich, computer department volunteer. Realizing this was their only chance, the family tasked Haley to research and learn everything about him (which she did by friending him on Facebook). It turns out that Haley's antics didn't put him off completely, as one can see he is still listed in her 'Friends' list ("Connection Lost").