The Worst Episodes of Modern Family

#1 Worst Episode
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6.4/10(2522 votes)
#1 - All Things Being Equal
S8:E205/3/2017
Gloria, Claire, Haley, Alex, Lily, Luke and Manny are equally committed to showing their support for gender equality and the women's movement in very different ways. Meanwhile, Jay and Phil are at odds on how their parking lot attendant, Joan, should be running their lot, and jealousy ensues when Pam prefers Mitchell's help over Cam's with her baby.
Director:Michelle MacLaren
Writers:Christy Stratton, Ryan Walls
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Director:Michelle MacLaren
Writers:Christy Stratton, Ryan Walls
6.6/10(2108 votes)
#2 - New Kids on the Block
S11:E19/25/2019
Haley is determined to follow the advice in her parenting books with the twins, but Phil and Claire think their old methods are better. Meanwhile, Manny is set to direct Jay’s dog bed commercial in the hopes of winning his ex-girlfriend back.
Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
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Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
6.7/10(2148 votes)
#3 - I Love a Parade
S10:E19/26/2018
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan are going to be setting off more than a few fireworks when they get together at the annual Fourth of July parade where Jay will be acting as the grand marshal. Haley's goodbye with Arvin before his trip to Switzerland doesn't go as planned when she's distracted by the return of an old flame.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
6.7/10(1806 votes)
#4 - Blasts from the Past
S10:E121/16/2019
Phil and Claire decide to take a cycling tour through Italy before they become grandparents, and Dylan introduces them to his mom who has an interesting past. Meanwhile, Cameron and Mitchell discover some interesting reading material in Lily's room and decide to confront her about it, while Gloria and Jay discover their respective great uncles may have fought on opposing sides of a war.
Director:Fred Savage
Writers:Stephen Lloyd, Vali Chandrasekaran
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Director:Fred Savage
Writers:Stephen Lloyd, Vali Chandrasekaran
6.8/10(2063 votes)
#5 - Finding Fizbo
S8:E153/1/2017
Cam is enraged when he receives an online video showing someone has been desecrating his beloved Fizbo costume, which sets him on a quest to restore Fizbo’s good name. Meanwhile, Phil is in for quite the surprise when he finally meets his new soon-to-be step-brother at Frank’s bachelor party. Finally, Manny’s newest play hits a little too close to home for Gloria, Claire and Haley when he enlists them to do a read through before he submits it to a young playwright festival.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Chuck Tatham
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Chuck Tatham
6.8/10(1903 votes)
#6 - Clash of Swords
S9:E225/16/2018
Mitchell sneaks out to “Hero-Con” with fanboy Phil, dressed as their favorite characters from the show “Clash of Swords.” It's great until Phil commits the ultimate fan faux pas. In a clash of another kind, Gloria's dinosaur party for Joe is ruined when her nemesis, Dr. Donna Duncan, upstages her with a far bigger and better party right next door.
Director:James Alan Hensz
Writers:Elaine Ko, Stephen Lloyd
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Director:James Alan Hensz
Writers:Elaine Ko, Stephen Lloyd

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6.8/10(1815 votes)
#7 - A Game of Chicken
S11:E611/6/2019
Gloria is using her alone time with the twins as an opportunity to secretly baptize them before Haley and Dylan get home. Meanwhile, Claire is still dealing with the fallout from the smart closet fiasco, and Cam is at war with his school's mascot who is threatening his chance at securing a new college coaching job.
Director:Helena Lamb
Writer:Vali Chandrasekaran
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Director:Helena Lamb
Writer:Vali Chandrasekaran
6.8/10(1767 votes)
#8 - Whanex?
S10:E131/23/2019
While preparing a presentation for his students about their future goals, Cam must also contend with a bully at the school and Jay is having a little technical trouble during his video conference. Meanwhile, the local mall is holding a photo shoot for its new ad campaign and Gloria tricks Phil and Joe into participating.
Director:Elaine Ko
Writer:Bill Wrubel
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Director:Elaine Ko
Writer:Bill Wrubel
6.8/10(1734 votes)
#9 - Dead on a Rival
S11:E121/22/2020
Mitchell learns a valuable life lesson when Murray, a former resident of the house, shows up unexpectedly. Meanwhile, the Dunphy's old neighbor-turned-tech-titan, Kenneth, comes to visit with a big surprise for Phil. Then, Manny's dad, Javier, shows up with a big opportunity for his son.
Director:Jason Winer
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Ryan Walls
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Director:Jason Winer
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Ryan Walls
6.9/10(1912 votes)
#10 - Spanks for the Memories
S9:E153/7/2018
When Jay overhears Gloria on the phone talking about spanking, he assumes she is frustrated in the bedroom. When he attempts to light the spark again by giving her exactly what she wants, he realizes he might have made a mistake. Meanwhile, now that Mitchell has an amazing new job, he and Cam throw a party to rub it in Cam's friends' faces so they can no longer give him “the look of pity”.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
6.9/10(1788 votes)
#11 - Red Alert
S10:E162/27/2019
Lily has reached a womanly milestone that Cam and Mitch are not prepared for – at all – so they call in reinforcements.
Director:Julie Bowen
Writers:Ryan Walls, Jessica Poter
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Director:Julie Bowen
Writers:Ryan Walls, Jessica Poter
7.0/10(1829 votes)
#12 - CHiPs and Salsa
S9:E194/11/2018
When Haley hears that her loopy boss is looking for a product with the magical properties of peppers, she tries to gain favor by convincing Gloria to sell her salsa to NERP; Mitchell gets Cam the police ride-along he's always dreamed of.
Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Paul Corrigan
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Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Paul Corrigan
7.0/10(1787 votes)
#13 - A Moving Day
S10:E111/9/2019
Claire and Phil aren't convinced that Haley and Dylan can make it on their own as they move them into their new apartment before the baby arrives. Meanwhile, Pameron gets out of prison early and has a bone to pick with Mitchell.
Director:Iwona Sapienza
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
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Director:Iwona Sapienza
Writers:Brad Walsh, Paul Corrigan
7.0/10(1761 votes)
#14 - Tree's a Crowd
S11:E812/4/2019
The Dunphy house is bursting at the seams when Dylan's hippie mom moves in and Claire's lonely stepdad, Jerry, wants to pay them a visit. Meanwhile, Jay and Gloria attempt to help Manny get over his big breakup with Sherry.
Director:Julie Bowen
Writer:Ryan Walls
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Director:Julie Bowen
Writer:Ryan Walls
7.1/10(1923 votes)
#15 - No Small Feet
S9:E1012/13/2017
When Claire lands a big opportunity for Pritchett's Closets, Jay expects a little validation for his contribution; and Pam's ex-boyfriend Bo shows up and Mitchell sees this as the perfect opportunity to get Pam out of the house. Meanwhile, Luke and Alex stumble upon a successful online business that finally gets them on their feet.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Ryan Walls, Matt Plonsker
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Ryan Walls, Matt Plonsker
7.1/10(1906 votes)
#16 - He Said, She Shed
S9:E111/3/2018
Claire's request to build a “She Shed” in their backyard is denied by the homeowners association and only Luke and Phil know the real reason why. Meanwhile Pameron lets Cam in on a family secret that forces him to visit Mitch's therapist to work through this new information.
Director:James Alan Hensz
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Ryan Walls
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Director:James Alan Hensz
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Ryan Walls
7.1/10(1843 votes)
#17 - Pool Party
S11:E410/16/2019
Mitch and Cam help Lily overcome her insecurities about wearing a bathing suit to a pool party but discover their own. Meanwhile, now that Gloria's new internship is taking up so much of her time, Jay is feeling particularly neglected.
Director:Abraham Higginbotham
Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Jon Pollack
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Director:Abraham Higginbotham
Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Jon Pollack
7.2/10(2161 votes)
#18 - Grab It
S8:E611/9/2016
Jay's favorite place in the world, and only refuge, may be losing some of its charm when Phil considers becoming a member. At the Dunphy house, Claire mistakes her influence on Alex's life choices, and Hayley cares too much about what Alex thinks about hers. Meanwhile, when Cam doesn't give Mitchell the full story on what his play is really about, it really puts Mitchell in the spotlight.
Director:Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer:Jeffrey Richman
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Director:Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer:Jeffrey Richman
7.2/10(2127 votes)
#19 - Sarge & Pea
S8:E111/11/2017
Cam is incensed that an anonymous and rude parent robbed him of a precious Lily moment during her recent dance recital. While he and Hayley visit Alex at her coffee shop the next day, he thinks he recognizes the culprit and goes to extremes to uncover her identity, and give her a peace of his mind. Meanwhile, Jay, Claire and Mitch attend a family wedding and unexpectedly run into Dede at the reception. Afraid their parents are going to once again make a scene, Mitch and Claire devise a plan to keep them apart. Finally, Phil and Gloria are on a college tour with Luke and Manny, and have very different ways of getting the boys ready to head out on this new adventure and also learning to let go.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writer:Abraham Higginbotham
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writer:Abraham Higginbotham
7.2/10(2038 votes)
#20 - Sex, Lies & Kickball
S9:E410/18/2017
Jay's best friend, Shorty, is back from Costa Rica and stays at the house so they can catch up and reconnect. However, Shorty is spending more time with Gloria and seems to be avoiding Jay. Meanwhile, Alex is ready to shed her good-girl image and is going to prove to Claire that her relationship with Ben is definitely a sexual relationship.
Director:John Riggi
Writer:Abraham Higginbotham
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Director:John Riggi
Writer:Abraham Higginbotham
7.2/10(2007 votes)
#21 - Heavy Is the Head
S8:E142/22/2017
Despite their lofty hopes, Phil and Jay's property investment might turn out to be a bust, forcing Phil to rethink his original dream. Meanwhile, Cam lands in the hospital due to a head injury and refuses to have an MRI thanks to a traumatic incident with a well when he was a child. Determined to finally impress Claire and keep her from re-gifting her birthday present, Gloria surprises her with a day of luxury at the office. However, after Claire had to implement some rather harsh budget cuts at work, a massage at her desk may not be sending the right message.
Director:Ken Whittingham
Writer:Danny Zuker
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Director:Ken Whittingham
Writer:Danny Zuker
7.2/10(2006 votes)
#22 - A Sketchy Area
S10:E310/10/2018
Phil stumbles into an exciting new career after dropping by Luke's college. Claire deals with her dad, and the merger of Pritchett's Closets with a tech-savvy, hipper company. Mitch's new high-profile case as an assistant district attorney is marred by an unflattering courtroom sketch by the resident artist.
Director:Jeffrey Walker
Writer:Elaine Ko
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Director:Jeffrey Walker
Writer:Elaine Ko
7.2/10(1932 votes)
#23 - Tough Love
S9:E912/6/2017
After leaving his real estate firm to strike out on his own, Phil decides a solo camping trip in the wild will be just what he needs to boost his confidence. Meanwhile, Mitchell's plan to teach Cam a lesson in gullibility and Lily a lesson in responsibility backfires.
Director:John Riggi
Writer:Stephen Lloyd
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Director:John Riggi
Writer:Stephen Lloyd
7.2/10(1884 votes)
#24 - Kids These Days
S10:E811/28/2018
Haley needs a little motherly advice from Claire as she considers her future with Dylan and her career. Jay and Cam's less than politically correct coaching style earns them a class on sensitivity from Manny and Phil. Mitch runs into Phil's nemesis at an unlikely place.
Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Danny Zuker, Jon Pollack
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Director:James Bagdonas
Writers:Danny Zuker, Jon Pollack
7.2/10(1859 votes)
#25 - Royal Visit
S9:E173/28/2018
Haley's brilliant astrophysicist boyfriend comes to meet the family, setting Claire and Phil off in a competition about which one of them is smarter, making Alex feel self-conscious about her dim but handsome firefighter boyfriend, Bill. Mitch and Cam go on a yoga retreat, but when Cam finds out his dream team, the Kansas City Royals, is having spring training next door, he can't resist sneaking out.
Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Jack Burditt, Jessica Poter
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Director:Gail Mancuso
Writers:Jeffrey Richman, Jack Burditt, Jessica Poter