When Modern Family won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2010, it was a huge milestone for ABC.
Ending a Long Drought
The show became the network’s first series in 22 years to take home the award. The last ABC comedy to win had been The Wonder Years, back in 1988.
For a network that had once been home to many of TV’s biggest sitcoms, it was a long wait, and a welcome return to the top.
Five in a Row
It was only the beginning. Modern Family went on to win Outstanding Comedy Series five years in a row, from 2010 to 2014.
That run tied the record for the most consecutive wins in the category, previously set by Frasier, putting the show in very rare company.
Why It Connected
Its mockumentary style, with characters talking directly to the camera, gave it a fresh feel compared with traditional sitcoms. Its memorable characters and relatable family chaos helped make it one of the defining comedies of its era.
Audiences loved seeing three very different households, tied together by the same family patriarch, Jay Pritchett, dealing with everything from school projects to holiday disasters.
A Cultural Moment
The show also stood out for its portrayal of Mitchell and Cameron as a loving same-sex couple raising a daughter, which was groundbreaking for a mainstream network sitcom at the time.
A Network Turning Point
For ABC, that first Emmy signaled that the network finally had a comedy powerhouse again. Modern Family anchored its schedule for years and helped launch a wave of family comedies.
It ran for 11 seasons and remains one of the most successful sitcoms of the 21st century.