Modern Family Foreshadowed Its Most Annoying Twist All the Way Back in the Pilot
Forewarned is forearmed, they say.
More often than not, successful TV shows tend to last for numerous seasons, sometimes resulting in them becoming dragged out and far-fetched in many respects.
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that if a show's writers adhered to the original canon to the end, it would be great, but would it, though?
The 2000s saw a surge of mockumentaries, such as The Office and Parks and Recreation. So, when Modern Family appeared in 2009, no one could have anticipated it would become the hit sitcom it is today. The idea of documenting the lives of a large, albeit fictional, family seemed rather unorthodox. Even the show's creators weren't sure if the concept would resonate with viewers, as they initially only shot a pilot.
The sitcom eventually spanned eleven seasons, featuring many changes within the Pritchett-Dunphy family. However, there was one storyline hinted at in the pilot that we should have kept an eye on.
When we first met Phil and Claire Dunphy, we couldn't help but notice their chaotic lives. As a nuclear family with three children, they seemed constantly troubled by their daily challenges. Their other daughter Alex had little idea what she was saying when she asked if Haley was going to get pregnant now that she was dating Dylan.
It happened ten seasons later, even though Haley and Dylan were no longer dating and had only spent a night together after breaking up with other characters. However, not only did Alex's accidental prediction come true, it was fulfilled twofold as Haley had twins.
This twist annoyed many fans tired of Haley and Dylan's stale romance. Sarah Hyland, who portrayed the mother of the twins, admitted that she didn't like this plotline either because it set her character back professionally and personally, confining her to motherhood.
Although it had been a joke in the pilot, we were forewarned. The question remains: had the writers been planning to use this twist all along, or did they come up with it on the spur of the moment? Unfortunately, we may never know for sure.