Modern Family is currently airing its eighth season on ABC. Eight seasons is a long time for a comedy to air, although it certainly doesn't place the show among the longest-running comedies yet. Still, after eight seasons on network TV the cast is looking at the future, and recently Modern Family lead Eric Stonestreet revealed what is going on with the end of the series. Here's what he had to say:
All of the cast, we're now sort of in the twilight of the show... We've shot more than we're going to shoot in the future. We're at the end of the series, in a sense, and I think what keeps us going now is that we want to go out as strong, and positive, and great as we possibly can, whether that's one or two seasons, three seasons, I have no idea.
So, unfortunately Eric Stonestreet doesn't have an exact time for when the series will end, although he seems to have the feeling it will be happening sooner rather than later. If you know anything about how contracts work on TV shows, you may already realize that casts on TV make more money over time. Back when the Modern Family cast renegotiated back in 2012, they worked out a deal that would increase the amount of money they $350,000 an episode for the leads on the series during Season 8, which just so happens to be the season airing in 2016-2017.
Why is this important? One issue that networks face with popular but older TV shows is that the profit margin for the network isn't as high. Because shows get more expensive as they get older, they sometimes end prematurely, at least in terms of popularity. And according to what Eric Stonestreet told People, Modern Family is already in its twilight, peaking in popularity and maybe even in terms of creativity; therefore, now it is just about when it makes sense to wrap up the comedy. Although, Stonestreet also says he believes that with age, Modern Family has gained consistency.
For me, it's just going and constantly being surprised by what the writers come up with after seven years. People think the show has slipped, or whatever, and I think it's absolute craziness! I think the show has been so consistent.
Of course, this doesn't mean Modern Family is ending tomorrow. During Season 8 so far, the show has been averaging more than 7 million total viewers. ABC's Wednesday night lineup is actually extremely solid in its current amalgamation, and it's hard to see ABC canceling this one, at least at the end of this season. Still, Eric Stonestreet is right that the show has seen better days in the ratings and as its kids have aged, the show has aged, as well.
Modern Family airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, although most network shows are currently on midseason hiatus or will be heading into hiatus next week. You can find out when your favorite shows are returning with our TV premiere schedule.
