‘Modern Family’ Says Goodbye In A Time That We Kind Of Need It The Most

It’s officially goodbye and lights out for the Dunphy/ Delgado-Pritchettclan. “Modern Family,” the ABC series which had an 11-year run will air a final one-hour retrospective of episode the program’s 250-episode series.

In late February, the Dunphys said their final farewell to fans.

After 11 seasons, the beloved ABC sitcom Modern Family finally is near its conclusion. The sitcom made a star (and a multi-millionaire) out of Sofia Vergara, resulting in her frequently* being named the “highest-paid actress on television”. Not only that, but the television show earned an incredible five consecutive Emmy wins for Outstanding Comedy series, tying with the record previously set by “Frasier” in the ‘90s. Although the series will be returning tonight from the holiday break to resume its final season, it is one of the last time viewers will see the show on their TV screens.

Although ABC had announced back in February of 2019 that the upcoming 11th season would be it’s last, the premiere date of the series’ finale was heartbreak for fans.

Naturally, the “Modern Family”’s farewell episode sparked some sadness among the cast.  “I will probably miss the people the most,” Sarah Hyland, who plays the peppy and boy-crazy Haley Dunphy, told People magazine. Our crew is amazing and, of course, I love our cast, they are very special people.” According to series’ co-creator, Steve Levitan, the show’s ending had been a long time coming, with the writers plotting the finale for the past year and a half.

As for the Latinx community, what they will ostensibly miss the most is Sofia Vergara’s hilarious and affectionate portrayal of maternal Colombian bombshell, Gloria Delgado.

Although Vergara had appeared in small bits in movies and television shows, her turn as Gloria Delgado is what truly solidified her as a household name. Critics praised her performance for being “tonally perfect”, and she established herself as what The Hollywood Reporter called a “formidable comedy actress”. She was even nominated 4 times for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. As for the criticism that her character was feeding into harmful stereotypes as the “fiery Latina”, Vergara paid it no mind, saying, “I am Gloria, my mother is Gloria, my aunts are Gloria. [Gloria is] colorful, she’s honest, she’s out there, she cares about people. She’s loud, but I am loud. She’s crazy, but I am crazy.”

Vergara, for her part, is confident that Gloria’s story will end exactly how it’s supposed to. “Gloria has such a great life and such a beautiful family that I think anything that the writers have prepared for her, I’m going to be happy with,” Vergara recently told BuzzFeed. “I’m sure that it’s gonna be great, like all the seasons’ finales.”

“Modern Family” will air its series finale April 8 at 9 p.m. on ABC, after a one-hour retrospective.