Modern Family has been one of the most beloved sitcoms on television ever since it first hit our screens way back in 2009. Every week millions would tune in to follow the Pritchett, Dunphy, and Delgado family members go about their bizarre and wacky lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles. As well as being a huge hit with critics and winning numerous awards, including Emmys, the show is also known for its Easter eggs.
Throughout the run of 11 seasons, the team behind the scenes liked to include as many hidden references and secrets as they could. Avid viewers would regularly watch back every moment to find the Easter eggs they had missed the first time around, even analyzing behind the scenes pictures from the show.
13 Hayley’s Facebook Friends Are Secretly Members Of The Crew
In the 2015 episode “Connection Lost”, much of the action takes place on a laptop screen. This allowed a huge array of hidden references to prior episodes to be displayed on television screens. For example, several of Hayley’s friends on Facebook are actually members of the crew, such as director Jim Bagdonas and editor Christian Miglio.
12 Ling’s Helicopter Mishap
In the Season 5 episode “Message Received”, the family go through Phil's old answering machine. One of the messages that plays is from a character named Ling. He explains that he has just gotten a new helicopter and is going to fly it for the first time today. This references an earlier episode where Phil mentions he has a friend who has died in a helicopter crash.
11 The Pilot Episode Is Replicated In Season 9
The first episode of Season 9 starts with Claire shouting at her children to tell them that their breakfast is ready. She screams“Kids, breakfast!” so that they will come down to the table. This is in homage to the pilot episode, which plays out in exactly the same way.
10 Alex’s Essay Contains A Hidden Message
Alex is pretty certain that her mom has never read her essay that she wrote to try and get accepted into college. If you look closely at the essay in “Connection Lost” when it appears on screen, you can see why. It actually contains a sentence within the first paragraph that specifically mentions her mother, proving she was not aware of its existence.
9 A Commercial On Television In Season 2
The 24th episode of Season 2 shows a commercial that Hayley and Alex are watching. If you pay close attention you will notice that Lily is actually in this commercial. That’s because it is the commercial that Lily starred in during an earlier episode in the same season.
8 A News Story That References Adele
Another “Connection Lost” Easter egg involves a link to Adele. Previously, Claire had thought that the famous singer had added her on Facebook. However, it turns out this was not the case. But an article discussing an arson attack includes the phrase “I will set fire to the rain” which is a direct reference to a song by Adele.
7 Alex’s Video Montage Contains Lots Of Easter Eggs
In the episode "The One That Got Away", Alex creates a video montage of many of his family members as a gift for Jay on his birthday. This montage actually contains many Easter eggs. Almost every moment is a reference to an earlier episode in the series, including Mitchell training for his dance routine in the flash mob.
6 A Yahoo Advert For A Film Mentioned In Season 2
The episode “Connection Lost” includes a reference to a film called Croctopus 4. It shows up as an advert on the Yahoo home page on the laptop. This is a reference to a film that Phil and Claire mentioned seeing at the cinema in the “Our Children Ourselves” episode from the second season of the show.
5 Phil’s Robotic Gutter Cleaner
During season 1, Phil and Luke have a conversation about things they would like to buy in the future. One of the gadgets they mention is an electronic robotic gutter cleaner. This is again referenced in Season 5 of the show when Phil claims that he has such a device, referencing back to the earlier conversation.
4 The Yahoo Page Also Mentions Many Other Characters
The Yahoo homepage from “Connection Lost” shows a number of news stories. A closer inspection of these reveals they feature characters from previous episodes. These include city councilor Duane Bailey, Stephen Merchant’s guest role, and Fred Savage who has directed a number of Modern Family episodes.
