Errors are going to happen in any series, especially ones that last 11 seasons like Modern Family. The writers, actors, and production team may be all-in but mistakes in continuity happen quite frequently.
When it comes to the Dunphy, Delgado-Pritchett, and Tucker-Pritchett families, there are inconsistencies in their backgrounds, their interests, and even mistakes with editing. Let's take a look at 10 of these continuity errors below!
The Car That Left And Then Came Back
In the episode "Run For Your Wife," Phil and Claire are going head-to-head to see who the fastest of the two of them were. Claire ran every day and enjoys running races. Phil, on the other hand, is more into cheerleading, gymnastics, and the "trampoline arts."
While the two are stretching in the front yard for their big race, Alex and Luke arrive home from school. A mini-van pulls up, drops the kids off, and drives away while Phil and Claire watch on. However, when the camera jets back to Alex and Luke, the van is mysteriously still sitting there like it never left.
The Famous Family Portrait
In the sixth season, Mitchell and Cameron are preparing to take a new family portrait for above their mantle. Now that Lily was old enough to smile and pose, she was jealous of not being in her own family portrait.
Cam gets Mitchell and Lily together for the picture and as they say "Cheese!", Lily appears to be making a strange smile. They take the picture again and when we see the result (on the left) it's different than the end result (on the right) he shows Mitchell. Lily's goofy face is just slightly different than the image before.
Phil's Current Headshot With A Scene From The Past
In one episode, Phil is telling the camera crew that Haley has real estate in her blood. She used to help Phil sell houses when she was younger and the two were a great tag-team.
In the flashback image we see, Phil and a young Haley are high-fiving in front of his real estate sign. However, if you take a closer look, his headshot on the sign was his current headshot. Continuity wise, the headshot should have been dated, matching the silly hair Phil used to have
Two First Kisses
Phil and Claire's background story has been messed around with a lot. It's not certain if writers were testing fans with how much they ed about their past but it doesn't always add up.
In the first season, Claire and Phil both claim that their first kiss was in her car but in the eighth season, Phil buys the exact chair-swing where he and Claire shared their first kiss. So, was it the car or the swing? Considering Claire's reaction to the swing, maybe they liked the swing idea better?
Does Pepper Know How Many Kids He Has?
Pepper is one of Mitchell and Cameron's best friends. He's super judgmental and constantly makes fun of their "poor" lifestyle but he's a friend nonetheless.
In the fourth season, Mitchell and Pepper team up to play golf with Jay and Phil. The day of golf went great but ended in everyone talking about their sons and relationships with their own dads. Pepper claimed to have a son in the military and needed to call him. But if you fast forward to season six's baby shower for Sal, he's adamant about taking Sal's son because he never had children of his own and saw it as a sign. Did Pepper forget he had an older son in the military or did the writers decide to scratch that idea?
When Exactly Did Claire Get Pregnant With Haley?
It's a running gag on the show that Phil and Claire got pregnant with Haley early on in their relationship and got married because of it. Their decision to marry after their accidental pregnancy has made Phil question if they'd still be together if that hadn't happened.
When Claire and Phil talk back to their pregnancy, they refer to themselves being young and in and out of college. But in the episode "Moon Landing," Claire connects with her old co-worker Valerie. It's said that Claire had to quit working due to her pregnancy, which is why Valerie is so successful because she took Claire's position. But this didn't add up with the "young and dumb" timeline we've heard countless times.
Haley's Been Drinking Long Before Her 21st Birthday
Haley has been sneaking out of the house and throwing house parties since we've met her in season one. She's a very pretty, popular girl who has had her fair share of drinks by the looks of it. We saw her get drunk in Hawaii during their family vacation and she appeared hungover after prom (which Claire detested and made her a gross hangover smoothie). But when we finally get to Haley's 21st birthday, she takes her "first" shot of alcohol with Claire, Gloria, Mitchell, and Cameron and the family looks shocked that Haley took the shot like a pro and didn't gag. There's no way the family really believed that was Haley's first drink, could they?
Manny And The Mud Fight
At the end of the first season, Claire plans a group photo with the entire family. The day is a stressful one as she's trying to find the perfect location for the picture and making sure everyone looked their best in white. But by the end of the day, Claire's anal personality got on everyone's nerves and ended with a mud fight. While they're splashing mud on each other, Manny is covered and smeared with mud all over his shirt but by the time the picture is taken, he only has a small spot on his pocket.
I thought Cam Had A Dog Allergy?
This continuity error was so bad it's surprising the writers even used it at all.
In the first season, Phil's dad comes to visit in an RV and brings a dog named Scout with him. Everyone loved Scout, including Cameron, but his dad ended up keeping him instead of giving him to the Dunphys (who didn't want a dog in the first place). Later in season six's "Rash Decisions," Jay gives Stella to Cameron and Mitchell because baby Joe seemed allergic to her. Cam was so excited to have Stella and even bought a t-shirt with her face on it. Stella eventually went back to Jay and Gloria's house but in season seven, Cam is all of a sudden allergic to dogs! He asks Mitchell if he reiterated "no pets" on the rental agreement because he's very allergic. We then see a bunch of dogs run into their living room and Cameron is sneezing uncontrollably. Uh, when did this happen?
The Wedding That Never Happened
In season one's "Great Expectations," Phil tells Claire that they danced to "If You Leave" at their wedding. Funny enough, it's been said throughout the series that the pair never had a real wedding due to their surprise pregnancy. Even by the end of the season when the families were vacationing in Hawaii, Phil planned a small ceremony for them because they never had one of their own.