# How Will 'Modern Family' End \[Poll\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070 "2018-01-20T20:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/21 "2018-01-22T17:09:10Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > What other shows compare to MF in terms of began great, stumbled to the finish? Maybe Andy Griffith to Mayberry RFD? But that had major cast changes. Come on. What other shows that ran for 9+ years and more than 200 episodes didn’t stumble to the finish? _Cheers_ and _Frasier_ both had strong final seasons but had sagged seriously in later years. _Murphy Brown_ ran out of things to mock, and we’ve hammered on _The Simpsons_ and _M_A_S_H\* right here since before many of our current posters were born! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/22 "2018-01-22T19:29:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I could see them killing off Jay and continuing the show. > > Ed O’Neill is 71 and talking about retirement. > > Why should the much younger cast stop? The article in the OP talks about a possible spin-off, so that might well happen. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/23 "2018-01-22T19:34:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Ed O’Neill is 71 and talking about retirement. [Ed O’Neill to announce shock retirement from acting?](https://en.mediamass.net/people/ed-o-neill/retirement.html) > [@](#): > > Sad news for O’Neill fans. Speculation had been rife that the American actor best known for his roles in Married… with Children or Modern Family, will announce his retirement from acting, at age 71, with immediate effect. > > UPDATE 22/01/2018 : This story seems to be false. (read more) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/24 "2018-01-22T20:32:34Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > [Ed O’Neill to announce shock retirement from acting?](https://en.mediamass.net/people/ed-o-neill/retirement.html) That’s a satire cite. They create rumors and debunk them all in one article. It’s no more real than the Onion. Click on the link that says “read more”. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/25 "2018-01-22T23:09:26Z")
Negative comments aside (sure, the show is not as strong as it started, but it’s still solid), I really hope they don’t kill Jay. That would just be a big bummer, and very difficult to milk for laughs. Let’s watch little 6-year-old Joe make sarcastic remarks at Daddy’s funeral! Ha ha! In the last episode they telegraphed Haley getting married; I think that will happen. Other than that, it would be nice to just have everyone’s lives go on as they are. It would strain credulity to have _everybody_ going through some major life transition all at once just so they can close out the series. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/26 "2018-01-22T23:18:43Z")
I vote for some other thing: We all get so busy watching _Life In Pieces_ that we never even notice that\* Modern Family\* has ended. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/27 "2018-01-22T23:52:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > It’s so hackneyed at this point that I completely forgot that the show’s conceit is a documentary. So instead I’ll vote for an “_x_ years later” reunion episode. That was the original premise for the show (the documentarian was a Dutch exchange student who stayed with the Pritchetts; he had a crush on Claire and Mitchell had a crush on him), but that was dropped after the pilot and the “couch confessionals” are the only relic. Unlike **The Office** there hasn’t been any suggestion since the pilot that there’s a camera crew following the characters around all the time. It’s just a mockumentary-style show, not an actual mockumentary. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/28 "2018-01-22T23:53:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > People get old and die. The family grieves, adjusts, and continues. Gloria would raise Manny on her own. The other characters would help too. Better yet, Benjamin Bratt steps up and reunites with G and M. (I just want to see BB!) I voted for a Haley wedding with the professor. With Nathan Fillion showing up trying to win her back. (I just want to see NF!) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/29 "2018-01-23T00:01:01Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > I vote for some other thing: We all get so busy watching _Life In Pieces_ that we never even notice that\* Modern Family\* has ended. I love Life In Pieces. I’m surprised I don’t hear about it more. As much as I like having it all to myself, I know if I it doesn’t get more recognition it’ll disappear. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/30 "2018-01-23T00:54:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That’s a satire cite. They create rumors and debunk them all in one article. It’s no more real than the Onion. Click on the link that says “read more”. Right, they created a rumor that Ed O’Neill was retiring. Googling “Ed O’Neill retirement” yields just that article and one from two years ago where he jokes with Ellen about retiring after 8 more seasons. So, when someone says: > [@](#): > > Ed O’Neill is 71 and talking about retirement. either that person personally knows Ed O’Neill and has inside information _or_ we just sourced where the talk about Ed O’Neill’s retirement came from. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/31 "2018-01-23T02:25:33Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Right, they created a rumor that Ed O’Neill was retiring. Googling “Ed O’Neill retirement” yields just that article and one from two years ago where he jokes with Ellen about retiring after 8 more seasons. So, when someone says:either that person personally knows Ed O’Neill and has inside information _or_ we just sourced where the talk about Ed O’Neill’s retirement came from. So far as I can tell, every article on that cite does exactly that. The wiki page for that site says that it’s all they do. I assume it’s just someone’s hobby. Perhaps Aceplace can give us a cite for where he heard this. In fact, I’m not sure what any of that post is about. Nothing I’ve read even mentions them stopping the show because Ed is looking to retire. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/32 "2018-01-23T20:24:36Z")
Hopefully they do an homage to “Six Feet Under,” and show a montage of every single character dying, but in a comedic fashion. I might watch that. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/33 "2018-01-23T20:42:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > So far as I can tell, every article on that cite does exactly that. The wiki page for that site says that it’s all they do. I assume it’s just someone’s hobby. > Perhaps Aceplace can give us a cite for where he heard this. In fact, I’m not sure what any of that post is about. Nothing I’ve read even mentions them stopping the show because Ed is looking to retire. I saw a interview with Ed last year. It was on YouTube. I didn’t keep the link. He casually mentioned that he planned to do another season or two of Modern Family. He mentioned his age and slowing down. He has a home in Hawaii. Nothing definite. Just an older man that’s worked hard for decades and is ready to relax. They announced plans to end the show. I assume Ed’s plans had something to do with it. Perhaps not. He’s only one member of an ensemble cast. But he is the most famous face. Either way, the show could continue with a smaller cast. It would open up a lot of new stories for the writers and perhaps keep the actors interested in continuing. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/34 "2018-01-23T22:07:07Z")
They wont kill-off Jay - that would be too predictable, and was already done when they killed-off the patriarch in the final episode of _Parenthood_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/35 "2018-01-23T23:00:35Z")
Even before that, we learned in the voiceover narration that the father in The Wonder Years died sometime after the events of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/36 "2018-01-23T23:15:31Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > I liked the professor for Haley, and I especially liked that she used his approach to land the ridiculously shallow and vapid job for herself. If he becomes her love interest it would be great, and would be nicely balanced if some stud Alex is tutoring becomes her love interest after he meets Haley. Haley could arrive early for a prearranged meeting with Alex at the school library and catch her helping the pretty boy. Both girls could assume he will be interested in H., but he will admit he has feelings for A.; that he dated girls like H in high school and is totally passed the type. The sisters will pursue the separate relationships over the course of this season and be helped by the other. Then next season when the relationships are firm, they will start double dating and they can tease that the two types “pretty” and “smart” are better suited for each other and might switch (perhaps because they get to speak in their ‘native’ tongue to their girlfriend’s sister). But then it will be revealed they are all happier across the board with the other type. Opposites do attract and the sister’s have each other to thank for being prepared to share a room with a version of the other. > > Meanwhile, Manny finds a perfect match in a woman who is a version of his mother with a twist, and Luke finds a perfect match for himself who is a version of his father (the twist being she is a female). I suppose ideally Luke’s match should also be a competent woman who likes her wine and supports the family either by raising the kids while they are young or running a small empire when they are older, so she is a version of Clair too. But she needs to be a juggling, mediocre armature magician who studies and reveres circus skills and makes goofy movies with Luke. That way he can spend the rest of his life with his best friend “Phyllis”, and Phil can move to Florida to help his dad recover when he breaks a hip. (A minor sub- plot will be that Claire will find herself lonely and start making her friend Temporary keep her company. In a short period of time she realizes she has always admired his long, verbose ramblings and now that she is an empty nester whose husband refuses to leave Florida—she makes him her boy toy [well, her overweight, post-middle aged toy] and seduces him using excellent dinners and staring adoringly into his eyes by candle light while he drones on and on. To seal the deal, she will tell him how insightful and keen his observations are— but those details might have to remain off screen.) > > That leaves Manny and Joe; Joe will become a Teen Beat cover boy acting and singing in TV and movies. They can ramp it up as the B or C story for the rest of this season with everyone excited at his opportunity. It will be a particularly interesting interaction with Cam as he considers that his turf. But everyone will end up mildly resenting him when he gets managers and agents and makes more money than all of them even though he is basically a clueless kid. It would be really funny to watch him breeze into Jay’s house and run a massive empire as he collects his birthday presents or childhood keepsakes while secretaries and agents travelling in his wake get him tables for business meetings at places booked up for months, and asking him if he wants to take a call from [someone impressive to the others]. His whole family can be both remarkably proud of him—and mildly jealous or resentful. The kid seems to be a good enough actor to pull off a Bieberesque character, at least to me. > > I mentioned above how Manny needs a version of his mother with a twist. Perhaps instead of a busty Latina with street smarts and handgun skills . . . . we can pair him up with a beautiful, stylish Asian Doctor. Still an ethnic sexpot, but with a different focus and skill set. Forced by her upbringing to become a doctor, but she has a passion for opera and spoken word poetry and fedora hats (and pan flutes and all the other goofy stuff Manny loves). These passions have always made her an outsider, an odd ball like Manny, and like Manny she has been the treasure of a parent who didn’t quite understand her but always supported her. Being similar enough to share many interests and different enough to make it in fun and challenging they make each other better while fitting together like puzzle pieces. > > Lily, being more mature than either of her fathers, exerts her leadership and becomes the de facto parent of an attorney and teacher/coach. She dates a string of guys about whom her fathers have endless opinions, and later she reveals she has had a steady relationship with a great guy for quite some time but she wisely keeps him away from her family. Mitch and Cam are particularly upset in late episodes that she has introduced him to Jay and Gloria, and Claire and Temporary- I mean Phil, but then they agree it was the smartest thing for her to do. > > The previous generation are resolved to all be empty nesters, puttering around their own homes with their perfect mate and well established neurosis which would drive anyone else nuts (and does whenever the kids visit). Two of the storylines above will become spinoffs and feature guest appearances by the MF cast. One falters, barely gets the back nine in its first season and doesn’t get renewed for season two. The other goes three to five seasons but change the characters so much they have no resemblance to Modern Family characters. I guess that makes me a vote for ‘Some other thing!’ Really? So you’re not willing to put any thought into this at all, huh? #SAD > [@alphaboi867](#): > > … Haley may or may not be pregnant too. Though Alex getting pregnant would be a much bigger surprise than Haley; especially if it’s after a one night stand… The funny thing is, between the two actors, I almost feel like it would be likelier that Ariel would turn up with an unexpected pregnancy than Sarah. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/37 "2018-01-24T00:59:08Z")
Luke finally has enough and snaps and wipes out the rest of them. “Hey manny, remember when I said I’d kill you last? I LIED!” ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/38 "2018-01-24T20:48:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > _Modern Family_ actually ended a couple of years ago. What’s left is the stale carcass of what used to be a great show. I can’t watch it anymore. Agreed. At this point, I wouldn’t mind (perhaps even root for) the show to end with a nuclear warhead detonating in their neighborhood and vaporizing every last one of them. They’ve all gone from quirkily flawed to insufferably irritating now. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/39 "2018-01-25T00:21:52Z")
Speaking about insufferable and irritating, how about a spin off called _Lily and Young Sheldon_? ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070/40 "2018-01-25T00:35:41Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > Really? So you’re not willing to put any thought into this at all, huh? #SAD The sad thing is that is how I think about everything; sitcoms, politics, philosophy, the best way rinse a cup before putting it into dishwasher… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-modern-family-end-poll/807070.md?page=3)