ABC sitcom Modern Family will be coming to an end after its 11th and final season, which is currently airing. The mockumentary family sitcom follows the story of a modern family that includes Jay Pritchett and his two children, Claire and Mitchell, and their respective families. Jay is married to Gloria, his much younger second wife, and they live with Manny, her son from a previous marriage and their new son Joe. Claire is married to Phil Dunphy and they have three children, Haley, Alex, and Luke, and twin grandchildren from Haley. Mitchell, meanwhile, is married to Cameron and they have an adopted daughter Lily.
While so much has changed from the beginning of the series, including the birth of Joe, the adoption of Lily, Claire going back to work, and all three of her kids graduating from school, there is lots more story to tell. And while there are a lot of ways the series could end, there are some things we don’t want to see happen.
Phil and Claire Get Divorced
Phil and Claire have a wonderful marriage, and they got married when they were young after Claire got unexpectedly pregnant with Haley while they were in college. Claire is the uptight, stressed out housewife who has returned to the career world now that her kids are grown, while Phil is the goofy, free-spirited dad who works as a realtor and has a passion for magic.
They perfectly balance one another out, and while the family has had their share of stress, we’d love to see Phil and Claire be able to relax as empty nesters, vacationing and focusing on themselves for once.
Mitch And Cam Adopt Another Baby
Mitch and Cam longed to be parents, but now that their daughter is a teenager, thanks to an unexplained time jump that saw her grow much older than the other kids, they seem to be clueless about parenting. Often consumed by their own lives, they forget about her and don’t quite know how to deal with parenting issues.
While we could see the story take them down the road of adoption once again, we really don’t think they should adopt another child. They’re ready to live on their own once Lily graduates and moves on with her own life as a young adult.
Mitch and Cam Move to Missouri
The latest episode suggests that Cam and Mitch might be considering a drastic move to Missouri where Cam grew up on a farm. While it’s something that would clearly make Cam happy, we can’t see Mitch, or even Lily, being able to hack it in farm country.
They are both very much city people, and it wouldn’t seem right for them to upend their lives. What’s more, viewers would want to know that the extended family was still very much together, close by to continue their adventures and misadventures even as the kids grow up and move on.
Luke Becomes Rich
Another recent development in the series is that Luke, often considered the unintelligent, drifter child who would never really make anything of himself, might be on track to start his own successful business with the backing of a wealthy investor.
It would be an interesting twist of fate for Luke to hit it big and become a millionaire who sells his invention to a major corporation. But is that really what we want to see of the series? It’s not a completely impossible storyline, but it seems like far too drastic a turn for the character.
Alex Declines That Big Job Offer
Alex’s latest storyline sees her struggling with what to do now that she has graduated with top honors. She received a really amazing job offer but feels like accepting it would go against her morals and she would be selling out.
Alex has all of the potential to be the most successful of the three children, and we’d love to see her take that job, move away, and start her own life. Every time she has had the opportunity to spread her wings, she has ended up back home. We’d love to see the character finally come into her own instead of being defined as the sarcastic, often ignored, middle child.
Phil Quits Real Estate
Phil seems to adore his position as a realtor and takes his job really seriously. But he has also has a long-time passion for magic and recently purchased a magic shop, which he is running alongside his real estate career.
While we’re all for following your dreams, we’d hate to see Phil abandon a job he’s really good at to start performing magic. It’s a great hobby, but even without kids at home, and with Claire having a great executive job running her father’s closets company, Phil and realtor go hand-in-hand.
Claire Quits Her Job
Lately, Claire has seemed wound up and unable to handle the pressures of balancing her high-powered executive job with her hectic home life. But with three adult children, she should be able to focus on her career and not have to give it up again in order to help with her grandchildren.
Then again, maybe years out of the workforce as a stay-at-home mom made Claire appreciate the time she had with her family and realize what’s most important in life. Still, she worked so hard to have her father trust in her to take over the business. It would be a shame for her to leave.
Haley and Dylan Keep Living In The House
Haley and Dylan lucked out in that, when she discovered she was pregnant with twins, her parents let them move into their house. Now helping their eldest daughter raise her babies, it seems like Claire and Phil will never get to enjoy some time on their own as empty nesters. But we’d like to see it, not only for their sake but for Haley’s as well.
Dylan seems to be on track to start a good career as a nurse, while Haley has a good job, too. We’d love to see them finally be able to afford their own place and begin adulting.
Manny Gets Back With Sherry
Manny fell hard for Sherry, who he met while in college, though his mother and Jay didn’t quite take to the girl. She overstayed her welcome in their house, then broke Manny’s heart when she declined his marriage proposal.
We’d love to see Manny find happiness, but not with her. She seemed too much like a female version of him, when it’s clear that Manny needs someone who can keep him in check and appreciate him for who he is.
Jay Goes Back To Work
We like the idea of Jay sitting back with a scotch and playing golf while Gloria becomes the family breadwinner, working hard at real estate, for which she appears to have a natural talent.
Jay has appeared to have a hard time letting go, working on a new business developing creative dog beds. Clearly, he needs something to do. But the man has worked hard for decades to support his family and now has a new young son to worry about. It would be great to see Gloria work alongside Phil and bring in big bank in real estate while Jay plays the daddy role and connects with his new son in a way he never could with his two eldest children.