When Did Modern Family Jump the Shark?

Today, we look at when (or if) you folks believe that Modern Family “jumped the shark.”

This is “Just Can’t Jump It,” a feature where we examine shows that launched in 2006 or later and whether they “jumped the shark.” Jumped the shark means that the show had a specific point in time where, in retrospect, you realize that show was going downhill from there. Not every show DOES jump the shark. Some shows just remain good all the way through. And some shows are terrible all the way through. What we’re looking for are moments where a show that you otherwise enjoyed hit a point where it took a noticeable nose dive after that time and if so, what moment was that?

The great Jon Hein had a website devoted to this topic, but he sold it off in 2006 and after being maintained for a couple of years it was then merged into TV Guide in 2009, so I figured it’d be fun to look at shows that launched after the sale and see what we all think about whether they jumped the shark and, if so, when did it happen? After we do a few, I’ll start an archive listing each show along with the current answer for each one.

Today, we look at the longrunning American family sitcom, Modern Family, about two siblings and their father and their respective families.

So first…DID IT JUMP THE SHARK? This is a tough one, as the show definitely dipped in quality towards the end, but I vote that it was likely not enough to call it an actual “shark jumping.”

WHEN DID IT JUMP THE SHARK Chris Martin’s appearance in Season 9 is often pointed to as the moment the show jumped the shark. I suppose a good argument could also be made for Season 8, where Joe became a regular, talking character on the series.

But I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic!

Feel free to e-mail me at brian@popculturereferences.com for suggestions for shows for us to do in future installments!