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The Worst Episodes of Modern Family

Every episode of Modern Family ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Modern Family!

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The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Modern Family Season 8 Episode 20 - All Things Being Equal
    6.4/10(2341 votes)

    #1 - All Things Being Equal

    S8:E20

    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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  2. Modern Family Season 11 Episode 1 - New Kids on the Block
    6.6/10(1943 votes)

    #2 - New Kids on the Block

    S11:E1

    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:Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh

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  3. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 1 - I Love a Parade
    6.7/10(1986 votes)

    #3 - I Love a Parade

    S10:E1

    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 R. Bagdonas
    Writers:Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh

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  4. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 12 - Blasts from the Past
    6.7/10(1655 votes)

    #4 - Blasts from the Past

    S10:E12

    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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  5. Modern Family Season 8 Episode 15 - Finding Fizbo
    6.8/10(1891 votes)

    #5 - Finding Fizbo

    S8:E15

    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 R. Bagdonas
    Writers:Abraham Higginbotham, Chuck Tatham

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  6. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 22 - Clash of Swords
    6.8/10(1753 votes)

    #6 - Clash of Swords

    S9:E22

    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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  7. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 13 - Whanex?
    6.8/10(1618 votes)

    #7 - Whanex?

    S10:E13

    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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  8. Modern Family Season 11 Episode 6 - A Game of Chicken
    6.8/10(1667 votes)

    #8 - A Game of Chicken

    S11:E6

    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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  9. Modern Family Season 11 Episode 12 - Dead on a Rival
    6.8/10(1589 votes)

    #9 - Dead on a Rival

    S11:E12

    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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  10. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 15 - Spanks for the Memories
    6.9/10(1755 votes)

    #10 - Spanks for the Memories

    S9:E15

    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 R. Bagdonas
    Writers:Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh

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  11. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 19 - CHiPs and Salsa
    6.9/10(1680 votes)

    #11 - CHiPs and Salsa

    S9:E19

    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:Paul Corrigan, Bill Wrubel, Brad Walsh

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  12. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 16 - Red Alert
    6.9/10(1633 votes)

    #12 - Red Alert

    S10:E16

    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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  13. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 11 - A Moving Day
    7.0/10(1643 votes)

    #13 - A Moving Day

    S10:E11

    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:Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh

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  14. Modern Family Season 11 Episode 8 - Tree's a Crowd
    7.0/10(1614 votes)

    #14 - Tree's a Crowd

    S11:E8

    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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  15. Modern Family Season 8 Episode 14 - Heavy Is the Head
    7.1/10(1850 votes)

    #15 - Heavy Is the Head

    S8:E14

    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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  16. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 4 - Sex, Lies & Kickball
    7.1/10(1882 votes)

    #16 - Sex, Lies & Kickball

    S9:E4

    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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  17. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 10 - No Small Feet
    7.1/10(1766 votes)

    #17 - No Small Feet

    S9:E10

    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 R. Bagdonas
    Writers:Ryan Walls, Matt Plonsker

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  18. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 11 - He Said, She Shed
    7.1/10(1745 votes)

    #18 - He Said, She Shed

    S9:E11

    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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  19. Modern Family Season 11 Episode 4 - Pool Party
    7.1/10(1697 votes)

    #19 - Pool Party

    S11:E4

    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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  20. Modern Family Season 8 Episode 6 - Grab It
    7.2/10(1994 votes)

    #20 - Grab It

    S8:E6

    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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  21. Modern Family Season 8 Episode 11 - Sarge & Pea
    7.2/10(1958 votes)

    #21 - Sarge & Pea

    S8:E11

    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 R. Bagdonas
    Writer:Abraham Higginbotham

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  22. Modern Family Season 8 Episode 16 - Basketball
    7.2/10(1901 votes)

    #22 - Basketball

    S8:E16

    After choking at last year's charity basketball game, Phil has been training all year to redeem himself. However, when NBA stars Charles Barkley and DeAndre Jordan attend the game and start making bets, Phil tries to not buckle under the pressure. Meanwhile, Gloria has to step-up at Manny's school when her nemesis, Donna Duncan, tries to shame her for her lack of support at the school. Finally, Claire does whatever it takes to keep a work mistake secret from Jay, while Jay's concerned that Joe doesn't have a healthy fear of him at all.

    Director:James Alan Hensz
    Writer:Elaine Ko

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  23. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 9 - Tough Love
    7.2/10(1775 votes)

    #23 - Tough Love

    S9:E9

    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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  24. Modern Family Season 9 Episode 17 - Royal Visit
    7.2/10(1703 votes)

    #24 - Royal Visit

    S9:E17

    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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  25. Modern Family Season 10 Episode 3 - A Sketchy Area
    7.2/10(1846 votes)

    #25 - A Sketchy Area

    S10:E3

    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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Worst Episodes Summary

"All Things Being Equal" is the worst rated episode of "Modern Family". It scored 6.4/10 based on 2341 votes. Directed by Michelle MacLaren and written by Christy Stratton, Ryan Walls, it aired on 5/3/2017. This episode scored 0.2 points lower than the second lowest rated, "New Kids on the Block".