One of the most successful sitcoms in television history will soon be coming to an end. During her panel discussion at the 2019 Television Critics Association winter press tour on Tuesday, ABC President Karey Burke announced that Modern Family has been renewed for its 11th season. Hooray, right? Yes, but before you pop open that bottle of champagne: It has been renewed for its 11th and FINAL season. Referencing so-creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, Burke gushed over the series that has won Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys five times. “So proud to announce that Modern Family is returning for its 11th and final season,” Burke said, adding in her statement: “Chris and Steve have created one of the most seminal and iconic comedies in television history. “In its final season, there will be more milestone events that anyone who has been a fan of the series won’t want to miss.” Lloyd and Levitan released their own statements on the end of their show’s incredible run as well. First, from Lloyd: For 10 years, our characters have bravely faced turning points in life and moved through them to great personal enrichment; we have chosen a different path by doing one more season of Modern Family. And now from Levitan: Even after 10 years together, we realized there are still some things our writers don’t yet know about each other’s sex lives. As would be the case for any series that has aired for a full decade, ratings have been trending downward of late for the sitcom. Modern Family is averaging 5.1 million total viewers for Season 10, along with a 1.4 rating among 18-49-year olds; down 10 and 15 percent from Season 9 … … yet ranking as ABC’s number-two comedy (behind The Conners) and number-four series overall. Over the years, Modern Family has won 22 Emmys. The comedy has also picked up a Golden Globe… four SAG Award wins for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series… a Peabody Award… two GLAAD Media Awards… two NAACP Image Awards… six WGA awards… four PGA awards… a Television Critics award. And this list doesn’t even include all the individual honors earned by the show’s cast members. It will go down as one of the most decorated programs of all-time. (And it will end a year after another all-time sitcom great, The Big Bang Theory, airs its final episode on CBS this spring.) Modern Family tells the story of the Dunphys and the Pritchetts — and it has maintained a very steady cast through the years. All of the original actors and actresses remain in their roles, in fact, including: – Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett – Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy – Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy – Sofia Vergara as Gloria Pritchett – Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett – Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker – Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy – Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy – Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy – Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado. Will you miss Modern Family? Or is this the right time for the show to say goodbye?
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Modern Family: It’s Coming to an End!