Credit: ABC via MovieStillsDB
Published Jul 26, 2026, 8:30 PM EDT
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
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Modern Family is one of the most influential and beloved sitcoms of the 2010s, producing dozens of memorable and Emmy-winning episodes and performances throughout its stellar 11-season run. Using the decade's popular mockumentary structure, Modern Family explored the dysfunctional, loving dynamic between three very different, interconnected households. As a result, no two episodes were ever the same, with the show experimenting with different family relationships, solo outings, jokes, and narrative styles every season.
In total, Modern Family produced 250 episodes. The show's lowest user rating on IMDb is a respectable, if somewhat average, 6.4/10 (based on well over 2,000 reviews) for season 8, episode 20, "All Things Being Equal," in which most of the family show up at their local Women's March. The show's highest-rated episode, on the other hand, earned an incredibly impressive 9.5, based on at least 10,000 reviews. There are plenty of other great episodes in between these two extremes, though. These are Modern Family's 15 highest-rated episodes on IMDb.
15 Season 10, Episode 22 "A Year Of Birthdays"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (2.4K Reviews)
ABCIn the season 10 finale, "A Year of Birthdays," the family remembers how they all spent their birthdays in the past year, as the birth of Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Dylan's (Reid Ewing) twins draws near. Of all the birthdays, Manny's (Rico Rodriguez) celebration is definitely the most traumatic, as his girlfriend, Sherry, refuses his proposal in front of his entire family. The episode ends with everyone gathered at the hospital, as Jay (Ed O'Neill) hands over his "World's Best Grandpa" mug to Phil (Ty Burrell), and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) recreate their season 1 The Lion King entry with the twins.
Haley's pregnancy and her relationship with Dylan became a real point of controversy for the show; even Hyland openly criticized the Modern Family writers' decision to have her character settle down into family life rather than focusing on her professional career or letting her balance both work and parenting. Still, it's a solid episode, one that highlights the entire family before their lives are changed forever. "A Year of Birthdays" works perfectly as a season finale and as a lead-in for the 11th and final season.
14 Season 11, Episode 18 "Finale: Part 2"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (3K Reviews)
ABC via MovieStillsDBIt's hard to ignore that the finale is the only episode from Modern Family's last season ranked in the show's top 15 episodes on IMDb. Still, it's a classic sitcom farewell, as the family embarks on new adventures, splitting up for the first time in over a decade. Mitch, Cam, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), and baby Rexford are gearing up to move to Cam's beloved home state of Missouri, the Dunphy kids are finally ready to fly the nest, and Jay and Gloria (Sofía Vergara) are planning a trip to Colombia.
Despite its emotional ending, the finale includes a few genuinely funny moments, especially when the Dunphy sisters play a prank on their baby brother in the house one last time. Modern Family's finale might not be as inventive as Seinfeld's or as culturally significant as M*A*S*H's. Even so, it's a well-rounded, wholesome ending for this one-of-a-kind family-oriented sitcom. That final group hug really gets you in the end.
13 Season 7, Episode 18 "The Party"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (3K Reviews)
ABCTied with Modern Family's very last episode is season 7, episode 18, "The Party," in which Luke (Nolan Gould), Manny, and even young Lily attempt to throw a party at the Dunphy house while the adults are out for the night. Cam and Phil are off to see a movie (high on gummies), while Claire and Gloria make a valiant attempt to relax at a spa. When the smoke alarm is activated at Claire and Phil's house, all hell breaks loose.
There are a lot of great scenes in this episode, including when the partygoers all hide upstairs in a room with Lily trying desperately to keep the teenagers quiet — what happens when one of their cell phone batteries dies? — and Mitch and Phil's increasing paranoia as the weed from the gummies kicks in. Claire and Gloria are always a good pairing as well, both equally stubborn but in entirely different ways. It's always fun when the kids and the adults are pitted against each other, and "The Party" perfectly showcases why.
12 Season 7, Episode 7 "Phil's Sexy, Sexy House"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (3.1K Reviews)
ABCSeason 7, episode 7, "Phil's Sexy, Sexy House" is one of the best "the whole family is in the same place, yet everyone's hiding from each other" episodes ever produced for the small screen. Phil's been selected by one of Cam and Mitchell's friends to sell a "sexy house," and (inadvertently) shares the security code with everyone in his family. Naturally, they all take advantage, culminating in a hugely awkward meetup that no one is emotionally prepared for.
Haley gets stuck in a romantic scenario with the currently spoken-for Andy (Adam Devine), Claire tries to join Phil for a seductive roleplaying rendezvous, and Cam and Mitch try to spice up their relationship. The episode proves just how fun it can be for a story to be largely confined to one set, especially one as ridiculous and gimmicky as this.
11 Season 3, Episode 24 "Baby On Board"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (3.3K Reviews)
ABCSeason 3, episode 24, "Baby on Board" is one of Modern Family's more emotional episodes. Cam and Mitch get word that they've been chosen to adopt a baby, only for the adoption to fall through when they've already reached the hospital. Gloria feels sick on the ride over and later realizes she's pregnant. It's a turning point in Mitchell and Cam's relationship as partners and parents, as they try to figure out whether they want to continue trying for another baby or settle for the life they have now.
Meanwhile, this episode also features one of Jay's best storylines, as he and Manny are left to care for Lily while her dads are on their way to pick up the new baby. Jay shows his softer side in this episode, listening to Lily's insecurities and even dancing ballet with her on stage during her recital, a scene that's as funny as it is endearing.
10 Season 1, Episode 24 "Family Portrait"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (4K Reviews)
ABCModern Family's season 1 finale, "Family Portrait," is an absolute classic. As Claire desperately tries to corral the family to get the perfect family portrait, things inevitably go awry. The outfits are wrong, people are late, the photographer needs to leave; everyone's frustrations with each other boil over until they end up having a massive mud fight in Jay and Gloria's backyard, ruining Claire's carefully curated, pristine white outfits.
It's a great learning moment for Claire, and the episode has a ton of genuinely hilarious scenes, too, especially Luke's clingfilm-protected walk across the yard to turn off the sprinkler system. It's a quintessential Modern Family episode, a fantastic end to a strong first season and a great indicator of everything still to come.
9 Season 1, Episode 9 "Fizbo"
IMDb Rating: 8.6 (4.7K Reviews)
ABCRated 8.6 based on nearly 5,000 reviews by IMDb users, season 1, episode 9, "Fizbo" introduces one of the show's longest-running jokes, with Cam's clown alter ego taking center stage during Luke's birthday party. Predictably, the entire party devolves into chaos, as Claire and Phil try to throw their youngest the best birthday bash of all time. Bouncy houses deflate, poisonous scorpions get lost in the house, Phil's clown phobia rears its ugly head, and Luke even breaks his arm, forcing everyone to go to the hospital to celebrate the rest of his big day.
"Fizbo" uses the classic "a few days earlier..." structure to its advantage, switching between the past and the present with great effect. The way the madness builds in Claire and Phil's house is genius; every choice, action, and snappy comeback adds to the chaos, before all the most important people in Luke's life gather together to support him in the hospital and deliver his well-deserved birthday cake. It's a sweet, quiet ending to one of the show's most impressively wild episodes.
8 Season 6, Episode 24 "American Skyper"
IMDb Rating: 8.7 (3.2K Reviews)
ABCOnly Phil Dunphy could get away with rolling around a graduation party on a mounted tablet. In season 6, episode 24, "American Skyper," Phil is forced to miss Alex's graduation party, so he joins the festivities via Skype instead. Claire, meanwhile, spirals about how to show Alex how much she loves her, while Cam wrongly believes that Mitch is having an affair with someone named Spencer. This is a great episode for Alex and Claire's dynamic, in particular, and their eventual bonding moment is genuinely heartfelt.
This episode also includes a major turning point for Haley and Andy's will-they-won't-they romance, as Phil gets Haley to admit her feelings for Andy, and he realizes Andy feels the same way. Aside from Dylan, Haley's romance with Andy was one of the most significant relationships she had on the show, so this was a big episode for her character, setting up their storyline in season 7.
7 Season 5, Episode 24 "The Wedding, Part 2"
IMDb Rating: 8.7 (3.3K Reviews)
Courtesy: Everett CollectionThis episode was a long time coming. Cam and Mitchell's two-part wedding extravaganza made for revolutionary television, but it's also genuinely one of the funniest double features of the season, perhaps the entire show. Between Pepper's (Nathan Lane) micromanagement of the wedding festivities and Jay and Gloria's misunderstandings with Cam's parents, there's a lot to love here.
Still, the best part is undoubtedly the way Jay eventually shows his love for Mitch, offering to move the wedding to his private golf club and walking him down the aisle. Mitch and Cam deserved the wedding of their dreams, and that's what they got, despite losing their venue, breathing in wildfire smoke, and their officiant running off to have a baby. The best episodes are when the whole family comes together to celebrate each other.
6 Season 4, Episode 2 "Schooled"
IMDb Rating: 8.7 (3.6K Reviews)
ABCSeason 4, episode 2, "Schooled," is about new beginnings, as Lily attends her first day of kindergarten and Claire and Phil drop Haley off at college. Meanwhile, Manny sends Jay and Gloria off to a baby class, admitting that he's worried about them all raising the new baby together and how that will change their lives. It's a heartfelt episode featuring some of Phil Dunphy's classic yet ultimately meaningless wisdom.
While the episode largely keeps the three families apart on-screen, the way the writers connect each of their storylines thematically is one of the reasons Modern Family works so well as a sitcom. There's always a leading thread, no matter how the characters are paired up or separated, making every installment feel like a genuinely cohesive and hilarious whole.
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