Despite season 10 originally being announced as the end, Modern Family is approaching a season 11 renewal, with the cast finalizing new contracts. While lots of long-running sitcoms take time to find their footing in the crowded TV landscape, Modern Family wasn't one of them, premiering on ABC in 2009 with lots of critical buzz suggesting it would be a hit. Those predictions turned out to be correct, with the single-camera comedy quickly carving out its place as one of the most popular programs airing on a big four broadcast network.
While Modern Family's viewership is far from what it once was - which says more about the general downward trend in live TV viewing than it does about this particular show - it's still ABC's third-highest rated series of the 2018 fall season, with only long-running drama Grey's Anatomy and Roseanne spinoff The Conners outperforming it in that regard. Considering that fact, it's not hard to see why ABC isn't in any hurry to remove Modern Family from its programming line-up.
Related: 20 Things That Make No Sense About Modern Family
In early 2018, Modern Family co-creators Christopher Lloyd (no, not *that* one) and Steven Levitan made it known in interviews that season 10 would likely be the series' final outing. However, some observers began to doubt that season 10 would be the end by the time the new fall season rolled around, as ABC wasn't promoting season 10 as the final one, and it would be an incredibly odd decision not to heavily market the final season of a long-running show. Sure enough, in October, reports surfaced that a season 11 renewal might be coming, and now Deadline reports that said renewal just got much more likely, as the six main adult cast members (Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara) are currently finalizing new contracts.
Once the aforementioned group of six all sign on the dotted line, it'll be time to finish working out new contracts with Modern Family's original "kid" cast, who are all of course now young adults due to the length of the series' run. The talks with Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez are said to be in the early stages, but Deadline's report makes it clear that all are expected to come to terms on new deals. Creators Lloyd and Levitan - and key members of Modern Family's writing staff - are also currently in talks to return, and are seen as likely to do so. After all, why would Lloyd and Levitan bail out this close to the finish line?
Interestingly, if Modern Family returns for season 11 - and that certainly seems to be more likely than not - it'll be the first time the show hasn't had to compete with CBS' The Big Bang Theory for the title of most popular comedy on network TV. Big Bang Theory will end following its currently airing season 12, after spending most of its run on the top of the comedy ratings chart, with Modern Family often taking the #2 spot on that list. Of course, with Big Bang spinoff Young Sheldon likely to continue - and the possible continuation of The Conners - Modern Family may still not be able to go out on top.
More: 15 Secrets Behind Modern Family You Had No Idea About
Modern Family season 10 airs Wednesdays on ABC.
Source: Deadline