‘Modern Family’ promises satisfying end to its 11-season run

Writer-producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd were mulling ideas for 2009 TV season when y landed on an intriguing sitcom approach, one revolving around an extended family and done in “mockumentary” style made popular by “ Office.”

“All se things are familiar eugh, but different eugh that we have a shot with this one,” Lloyd recalled thinking as he and Levitan tackled first “Modern Family” script. “Having said that, I didn’t believe in it. I was at a party with one of my ‘Frasier’ friends, and said, ‘I think it’s a good piece of writing, but I’d sell thing to you for 10 bucks because I don’t think it’s going anywhere.’”

n ensemble cast of familiar TV faces such as Ed O’Neill (“Married ... With Children) and Julie Bowen (“Lost,” “Ed”) and relative newcomers was gared. Once first episode was shot, Lloyd moved “all way to hopeful,” as he put it.

ABC’s “Modern Family,” which ends its 11-season run with an hour-long finale (9 p.m. EDT Wednesday), went on to earn five best comedy Emmy Awards to equal record set by “Frasier,” which counted Levitan and Lloyd among its writers. critically lauded series proved to be an increasingly rare TV bird: It gently pushed at social boundaries while remaining a treat that kids and parents could enjoy toger, even as explosion of screens and edgier fare drove solitary viewing.

Largely living up to its title, “Modern Family” built its comic storytelling around a mix of characters and couples — young and older, straight and gay, mostly white but t entirely — that reflected change in American households while ackwledging that tolerance and understanding still lagged.

show’s creators tip ir hats to “Will & Grace” for being first to bring gay characters to forefront, but “Modern Family” had a different perspective than that NBC show’s rowdy riff on single life. Cameron and Mitchell, played by Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, were a devoted couple and loving parents to Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons).

“As someone who’s a LGBTQ equality activist, it was a job that I took very seriously,” said Ferguson. “And I am so proud to say that Mitch and Cam have become pop culture touchstones for fight for marri equality, and brought a gay couple into so many people’s living rooms.”

mess he’s gotten from fans: “I don’t actually have any friends who are gay, and it’s like I do w because I kw Mitch and Cam.”

Rico Rodriguez, who played precocious son Manny to Sofia Vergara’s exuberant Gloria, also takes pride in what he helped bring to TV.

“Portraying a Lati on screen was biggest hor. Growing up, you didn’t see too many people who looked like me or who related to my family. I have a bunch of Glorias and a bunch of Mannys in my family,” Rodriguez said.

“Modern Family” didn’t escape criticism, including for its portrayal of Claire (Bowen) and Gloria as stay-at-home moms overshadowed by ir husband’s career success, although Claire ultimately proved her workplace prowess.

Wrapping a long-running show may t be hardest thing to do in TV but it’s got to be close, given weight of fan expectations and hovering ghosts of great endings (“Cheers,” “ Mary Tyler Moore Show”) and widely panned ones (“Seinfeld”).

“I personally like finales where re is some sense of characters experiencing what audience is experiencing, which is having to say goodbye.” said Levitan, who wrote finale’s first half-hour. “It’s an emotional thing for many people. y spend a lot of time with se characters .... so giving m emotionally satisfying ending that y seek/want is, for me, best way to go.”

For Lloyd, who wrote part two, ending of a family show “really needs to be a beginning.”

“It felt like a better approach to me was to set people off on new journeys and sort of turn stewardship of se characters over to audience at that point,” he said. “Hopefully, audience will be happy imagining characters off on new adventures, new challenges ... audience provides ir own futures for se characters.”

“Modern Family” wrapped taping before coronavirus forced a halt to movie and TV production. finale will be preceded at 8 p.m. EDT by documentary “A Modern Farewell,” a look back at show’s creation and run, which included five seasons among 30 top-rated series.

Levitan said he never regretted mockumentary approach, which was intended to make “Modern Family” feel true-to-life and appeal to adults as more than a “cutesy kid’s show.” It also allowed cast to punctuate a scene with a spontaneous “can you believe what that person just said?” look and or wordless commentary, Bowen said.

“re’s times in my house, I’m embarrassed to say, my children will say something so ridiculous and I find re’s this impulse to look at camera,” she said. “That’s an 11-year habit I’m going to have to break.”

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Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber.