The BEST episodes of Modern Family season 1
Every episode of Modern Family season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Modern Family season 1!
This mockumentary explores the many different types of a modern family through the stories of a gay couple, comprised of Mitchell and Cameron, and their daughter Lily, a straight couple, comprised of Phil and Claire, and their three kids, Haley, Alex, and Luke, and a multi-ethnic couple, which is comprised of Jay and Gloria, and her son Manny.
#1 - Hawaii
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/12/2010
Jay's plans to do nothing but relax on vacation are interrupted by an unwelcome reality check. Meanwhile, Phil tries to make the trip romantic for Claire, Mitchell and Cameron disagree on whether they should go sight-seeing, and the kids get themselves into trouble.
#2 - My Funky Valentine
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/10/2010
Phil and Claire break from their traditional Valentine's Day dinner date and plan a little "role play" excursion. Meanwhile, Jay and Gloria's ideas of romance clash when he takes her to a comedy show, and Mitchell and Cameron play cupid for Manny.
#3 - Family Portrait
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/19/2010
Claire makes an effort to take a new family portrait, but everybody is too busy to cooperate: Gloria and Manny go with Phil and Alex to a Lakers game and share an awkward moment on the jumbotron, Cameron gets a job as a wedding singer while Mitchell takes care of Lilly and a stray pigeon, and Luke interviews Jay for a school project.
#4 - Coal Digger
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/2009
A family barbecue gets uncomfortable for Gloria and Claire after an incident at school involving Manny and Luke.
#5 - Fizbo
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/2009
Nothing is too big when Phil and Claire decide to throw Luke the biggest and best birthday party a boy could ever want, but when Cameron shows up as Fizbo the Clown, it sets off a chain of events that ends with someone in the hospital.
#6 - Airport 2010
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/2010
For Jay's birthday, Gloria gives him the best surprise -- a romantic birthday getaway to Hawaii -- the only kicker is she invited the whole entire family to come along. Everyone arrives at the airport, and it's a maddening scene with forgotten I.D.'s, security breaches and flying phobias.
#7 - The Incident
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/2009
Claire and Mitchell's mother makes a surprise visit to make amends for what has been termed "the incident" at Jay and Gloria's wedding. Everything comes to a head when the whole family shows up to dinner at Claire's house.
#8 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/2009
Jay is having trouble keeping up with his new young Colombian wife and her son. Claire is having trouble with her husband Phil, who thinks he can be hip with their kids. Mitchell and his partner Cameron adopt a Vietnamese baby.
#9 - Fifteen Percent
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/20/2010
Mitchell plants the seed in Jay's head that he thinks one of Jay's old buddies might be secretly gay. Jay doesn't believe it for a second... except for all the questionable signs he now keeps noticing. Meanwhile Gloria gives Manny's date a makeover and Claire faces off with Phil's universal remote.
#10 - Travels with Scout
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/28/2010
Claire is caught off guard when Phil's father shows up in an RV with a little four legged friend, and she becomes suspicious that he might be hiding a larger reason for the visit. Meanwhile, when Cameron hears Dylan is down a drummer in his band, he enthusiastically offers to fill in, and Jay and Gloria have to pay the consequences of accidentally taking Manny to see a traumatizing horror movie.
#11 - En Garde
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/4/2009
The whole family comes out to support Manny's newfound interest - fencing. It turns out he's quite masterful in the sport, but Jay's proud enthusiasm triggers an old childhood wound for Mitchell. Meanwhile Phil is determined to find where Luke's hidden talents lie.
#12 - Undeck the Halls
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/9/2009
The Dunphy kids are in trouble again, but this time Claire and Phil are threatening to take Christmas away. Gloria and Manny want to incorporate some of their Colombian practices into Jay's holiday traditions, but he wants to keep it his way. Meanwhile Cameron and Mitchell take Lily to the mall for her first picture with Santa, however this Santa isn't very jolly.
#13 - Game Changer
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/31/2010
iPad release day falls on Phil's birthday, giving Claire an opportunity to finally score an ideal gift for her technophile husband. Manny and Gloria humor Jay—a sore loser at board games—by suppressing their superior chess skills. Mitchell questions his ability to protect his family, while crossed baby monitor signals compel Cameron to secretly intervene in the love life of a neighboring couple.
#14 - Fears
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/3/2010
Phil and Luke go into crawlspace under the house, Hayley takes her drivers test, Manny tries to get over his fear of roller coasters and Lily says "Mommy" which upsets Cameron and Mitchell.
#15 - Up All Night
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/2010
Gloria does not like Jay's reaction to the arrival of Manny's father; Phil is rushed to the hospital; Mitchell and Cameron try to sleep train Lily.
#16 - Come Fly with Me
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/2009
Phil pushes Jay to go out with him and fly his new model plane. While Manny takes time out to play with Luke, Gloria accompanies Alex in shopping for a dress. Manny has a heart-to-heart talk with his sister Claire.
#17 - Run for Your Wife
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/2009
Claire is happy to have the house to herself on the first day of school, but Phil does not share her enthusiasm.
#18 - Truth Be Told
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/10/2010
Phil meets an old girlfriend on Facebook. Jay accidentally kills Manny's turtle. Mitchell tells his boss the truth.
#19 - Benched
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/14/2010
During an intense basketball game, Luke and Manny's coach quits, which leads to Jay and Phil stepping in to help out. Meanwhile, Mitchell helps Cameron find a prospective employer.
#20 - Great Expectations
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/2009
With a history of giving bad gifts, Claire is determined to surprise Phil with an amazing anniversary present: a private performance by one of their favorite musicians, Izzy LaFontaine (Edward Norton). However, it turns out to be unexpected in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Cameron call up their "party-girl bestie", Sal (Elizabeth Banks), for a long overdue night out on the town.
#21 - Starry Night
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/24/2010
Jay and Mitchell go on their traditional father-and-son outing to see the meteor showers, but Mitchell is upset when he finds out that Manny will be joining them. Cameron and Gloria spend some quality time together, with some minor incidents, while Phil and Claire both take on one of their child's school projects.
#22 - The Bicycle Thief
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/2009
As Phil helps his son show Claire he can be trusted, Phil turns out to be the irresponsible one at the sight of a hot neighbor. Mitchell and Cameron take Lily to their Mommy & Me class. Manny and Jay uncomfortably spend time together.
#23 - Moon Landing
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/3/2010
Claire is upset to find that her friend Valerie is better than her. In the meantime Mitchell helps Gloria with legal issues and Jay had a hard time in the locker room.
#24 - Not in My House
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/2010
When Claire finds a dirty picture on the computer and assumes it's Luke's doing, a guilty Phil doesn't necessarily correct her. Jay and Gloria disagree over his beloved life-sized dog butler statue, and Cameron gets sucked into their gardener's woes.