How much longer will "Modern Family" remain on the air? ABC renewed the series for season 9 and 10 back in May, but co-creator Steve Levitan revealed his team’s plan to end the series already.
Speaking with Deadline, Steve Levitan confirmed that he and Christopher Lloyd had no expectations on how far "Modern Family" could go in the beginning. As seasons passed, however, they both felt that ten seasons was a "nice round number" to end the show.
ABC could renew the series beyond this, but Steve Levitan also said they are already discussing the ending with their team of writers on “Modern Family.”
Ending under their terms
One good thing about getting renewed ahead is that Steve Levitan and his team can properly map out what will happen on “Modern Family” in the next two years.
They can end stories under their own terms and give each character their well-deserved closure.
"We’ve talked about areas that we want to go and tonally what we want to do," the executive producer said. "I think we will end the show the way we started it in the pilot, with a big family event."
It began with a family affair
"Modern Family" debuted in September 2009 with a surprise party. Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) invited Mitchel's (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) family without his knowledge because he wanted to introduce Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), the baby the gay couple adopted from Vietnam.
"Modern Family" season 9 already started production of the first episode this month, which will premiere on Sept.
27 on ABC. Steve Levitan told a press panel in May that the new season will likely have a political tone to it, according to Variety.
"It’s so much a part of our life now in a really big way that I wonder if it will seep in more in next season with what we’re all going through," the show creator said.
An Emmy-winning series
Aside from Stonestreet, Ferguson and Anderson-Emmons, "Modern Family" also stars Ed O'Neill (Jay Pritchett), Sofía Vergara (Gloria Pritchett), Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy), Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy), Sarah Hyland (Haley Dunphy), Ariel Winter (Alex Dunphy), Nolan Gould (Luke Dunphy) and Rico Rodriguez (Manny Delgado) and Jeremy Maguire (Joe Pritchett).
Since its premiere on ABC, the series has earned a number of Emmy nominations and awards. It won Outstanding Comedy Series for five straight years from 2010 to 2015. Most of the adult actors were also nominated for actor trophies year after year.