ABC has announced that award darling Modern Family has been renewed for an eleventh and final season, which will consist of at least 18 episodes and could expand to as many as 22.
“Chris and Steve have created one of the most seminal and iconic comedies in television history,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “In its final season, there will be more milestone events that anyone who has been a fan of the series won’t want to miss.”
The move isn’t a surprise considering rumors in the trades that the show was gearing up for one final run. Not only does the move give a victory lap to a show that changed the ABC comedy landscape when it premiered in 2009, it adds more episodes to the show’s syndication package, as Modern Family is the rare single camera comedy to find a foothold in traditional syndication. Plus the series being produced by 20th Century FOX in a year where the merger with Disney should close allowed ABC to keep a strong performer just a little longer.
Thus far this season, Modern Family has continued its reign as ABC’s top comedy in Live + 3 ratings, averaging a 2.1 in the 18-49 demo.
Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9:00 on ABC.
