In this year’s Thanksgiving episode of “Modern Family,” the second generation of Dunphys attempts to handle turkey day. Haley (Sarah Hyland) intends to cook dinner for eight as a thank you for Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil’s (Ty Burrell) support with the twins. Meanwhile, Jay (Ed O’Neill), who is hosting the extended family at his house, invites Phil and Haley’s partner Dylan (Reid Ewing) out to fly his model plane. Phil thinks this is his chance to reclaim his dignity after their first outing 10 years ago went so wrong.
Series co-creator Christopher Lloyd talked to The Post from LA, where the series films on the 20th Century Fox lot.
The writers on Modern Family draw inspiration from their own lives. Was that the case in the storyline where Cam and Mitch’s trip to the mall snowballs into a situation where their friends think they have split up?
A few of us experienced a misunderstanding of how a relationship was going and then your friends take the opportunity to say awful things about your partner and you’re very much together with that partner. And we thought, “What’s the furthest we can take that?” So we arrived at this premise where they’re trying to get things together for Thanksgiving and they decide to split up at the mall and Mitch says [to someone], “We needed different things,” and that sounds like they needed different things in life.
Who winds up with sympathy from their friends, Cam or Mitch?
Very much Cam. It comes down to the friends thinking Cameron would need more supporting the event of something like that. Mitch tries to prove them wrong by showing he’s not a cold fish. He fails miserably by trying to be emotional in front of them. They don’t know what’s happening with his face.
Disaster usually strikes when a sitcom does a Thanksgiving episode. Has anyone ever successfully cooked a turkey on “Modern Family”?
We once had an episode called “Three Turkeys,” where Phil is going to cook Thanksgiving but Claire cooks a whole separate turkey in the garage. That’s probably the only time it went well.
Phil’s feeling a little put out these days. What’s his deal?
He loves his family and he loves his kids, but he feels like they’re getting a little more formidable and he’s staying in the same place. His ability to face the world with a smile has been challenged this year. There are episodes where he reasserts his position in the family and this episode is one of them.
What are your personal thoughts as you and Steve Levitan begin to wind down the show?
It’s still a busy job and that’s a good thing more than ever this year. It takes your mind off the fact that it’s all winding up. Eleven seasons is a long time. It’s a tough goodbye. We’re still doing the show and don’t have too much time for hand-wringing and the wetting of tissues.
What are you personally grateful for?
I’m grateful that the fires out here didn’t come any closer to my house. I can honestly say that when we set out do Modern Family, we never dreamed that we’d do 250 shows and do the show that we loved for that long, and work with people that I loved working with for that long. That’s very much the focus this year.