https://jacksonupperco.com/2026/06/02/the-ten-best-modern-family-episodes-of-season-four/

Now would be a good time to reiterate that when I refer to Modern Family as a solid, consistent show, that’s because you can trust that it will seldom be bad. At least, not during the first half of its run. This is a testament to its baseline compared to others in the genre. However, I don’t mean that it’s solid or consistent in terms of every season being equal. No, every season after the novelty-laden first has shed some series-specific originality, and this year sees another drop. What’s that mean? Well, despite well-defined characters, the stories are just getting more familiar and less exciting as the years progress, capitalizing less and less on the most unique aspects of the situation — those non-traditional family set-ups within the premise. In their place are ideas more common within the family subgenre. Notions that, frankly, other sitcoms could do. For instance, Season Four boasts an arc where Gloria is pregnant. Oh, it’s not a terrible thought, as it’s another wrinkle to the status quo that emphasizes Jay and Gloria’s “non-traditional” dynamic (second marriage, age gap, culture clash), and it’s therefore one of the things that could highlight Modern Family’s individuality in weekly sitcommery. Unfortunately, this season isn’t thinking that way; it’s ultimately just adding a baby, delivering much of the same stuff we’ve seen before on other family shows. That’s because everything about this family is becoming more “normal”; so, even with clear and funny characters, the storytelling is becoming more normal too — less personal, less special…