Due to the significant success of The Office and the fact that the series’ power couple, Jim and Pam, captivated audiences everywhere, the concept of a spinoff series featuring primarily Jim and Pam and their own growing family was casually tossed around.
That same year, Modern Family premiered on ABC in September of 2009. The Office creators would later refer to this series as exactly what they would have envisioned for a spinoff, and praised Modern Family for making such good use of the mockumentary genre.
Modern Family saw almost instant success and it is now one of the most loved and talked about shows on TV. The series is nearing its final season and has had countless episodes that were iconic and memorable. But every show has its share of bad episodes that we’d rather try to forget about, so let’s take a look through what IMDb ranked as the 10 worst episodes of Modern Family.
10. CHIPS AND SALSA (SEASON 9, EPISODE 19) 7/10
“Chips And Salsa’s” main theme is actually chips and salsa, so that’s a fitting title. The episode revolves mainly around Haley discovering that her eccentric boss is on the search for a product that has the magical power of peppers. She knows that Gloria has a special, beloved salsa recipe and tries to convince Gloria to sell her salsa to the company.
Meanwhile, Mitchell goes to great lengths to get Cam on a police ridealong — which is apparently something Cam has dreamed of experiencing for a long time.
9. SEX, LIES, AND KICKBALL (SEASON 9, EPISODE 4) 7/10
This episode’s concept was about as basic as it gets, with Jay’s old friend, Shorty, visiting from Costa Rica. Soon it becomes obvious that Shorty doesn’t really care about visiting with Jay; he just wants to be around Gloria. The storyline is predictable and fairly shallow.
In this episode, we also have the show tirelessly trying to force stereotypical sexuality onto Alex, as she tries to convince her mom that her friendship with Ben is more than just a friendship.
8. RED ALERT (SEASON 10, EPISODE 16) 6.9/10
“Red Alert” does not leave much room for subplots, as it revolves almost completely around the concept of Lily getting her first period. The fact that she has reached this “womanly milestone” sends Cam and Mitch into panic mode, and they result in calling for back up (aka the rest of the family).
The episode tackles a sensitive issue — something that Modern Family has never been particularly good at. The whole thing could have been handled a lot better, and that probably contributes largely to “Red Alert’s” low score.
7. SPANKS FOR THE MEMORIES (SEASON 9, EPISODE 15) 6.9/10
“Spanks For The Memories” is a recent episode and is completely riddled with all the cringe and heavy-handed writing that so many recent episodes suffer from. The episode revolves around Jay hearing Gloria on the phone and misinterpreting a conversation she’s having.
Meanwhile, Mitch and Cam throw a party to gloat about Mitch’s new job. These two provide the comic relief for this episode—as they so often do—but “Spanks For The Memories” still falls flat.
6. WHANEX? (SEASON 10, EPISODE 13) 6.8/10
When the local mall holds a photoshoot for their newest campaign, Gloria takes it upon herself to trick Phil and Joe into participating. Meanwhile, Cam has to find it in himself to face-off with a notorious bully at Lily’s school.
“Whanex?” is a fairly empty-feeling episode. It suffered from the same thing that other later-season episodes did: a heavy-handed style and ludicrous storylines that didn’t even feel remotely real. It’s episodes like “Whanex?” that really makes one think that maybe Modern Family coming to an end won’t be such a bad thing after all.
5. FINDING FIZBO (SEASON 8, EPISODE 15) 6.8/10
Cam’s Fizbo costume has been a hilarious aspect of Modern Family for quite some time, but in this episode, even the memory of this becomes somewhat tainted. Finding Fizbo revolved around Cam becoming enraged when he is sent a video of someone destroying his beloved Fizbo costume.
From there, the episode is pretty much completely about Cam going on a mission to protect and honor Fizbo’s good name.
4. BLASTS FROM THE PAST (SEASON 10, EPISODE 12) 6.7/10
“Blasts From The Past” opens with Claire and Phil cycling in their living room and discussing their excitement regarding their upcoming Italy trip. Their happiness is short-lived, however, when Haley and Dylan announce that Dylan’s mom will be visiting.
“Blasts From The Past” reveals that Dylan’s mom reminds Claire a little too much of her own late mother, Cam discovers that Mitchell used to collect old magazines, and we hear some interesting stories about Great Uncle Albero.
3. I LOVE A PARADE (SEASON 10, EPISODE 1) 6.7/10
“I Love A Parade” was the premiere of Modern Family’s 10th season, and it has one of the lowest scores on IMDb, so that’s saying a lot. This episode was much anticipated but ultimately wound up disappointed pretty much the entire Modern Family fanbase.
“I Love A Parade” takes place on the 4th of July and presents Mitchell, Phil, and Cam conspiring to have the ultimate display of fireworks. Jay acts as “grand marshal,” and Haley has more drama with her many boyfriends.
2. CLASH OF SWORDS (SEASON 9, EPISODE 22) 6.5/10
“Clash Of Swords” actually had a promising, decently funny concept in which Mitchell and Phil bring out their secret fanboy sides to attend a convention called Hero-Con. This is a funny idea, but Modern Family inevitably taints it with that signature, unmistakable late-season feel.
Meanwhile, Gloria and her arch-nemesis, Donna Duncan, clash and fight over several trivial things.
1. ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL (SEASON 8, EPISODE 20) 5.9/10
“All Things Being Equal” is the ultimate lowest-rated episode on IMDb, and it definitely deserves that title. It was a season eight episode, and it’s worth mentioning now that every episode on this list either took place in seasons eight, nine, or 10.
“All Things Being Equal” revolves around a women’s movement, and features all the kids—and Gloria—being equally eager to support their gender in different ways. Considering the subject matter of this episode, it of course had some poorly thought-out and just plain offensive jokes that definitely contribute to its low score.
