After 11 years and 250 shows on Stage 5 where they filmed Tora! Tora! Tora!, it's sayonara to one of the greatest family sitcoms ever, right up there in the pantheon with Leave It to Beaver, I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, All In the Family, Happy Days, Good Times, Family Ties, The Cosby Show, The Wonder Years, Home Improvement, Frasier, and Everybody Loves Raymond.
And like Eight Is Enough, it always had something rather important to say between perfectly delivered one-liners.
Modern Family was beautifully written, wonderfully acted, and consistently 12-18 months ahead of its time.
The two-part series finale didn't quite pack the wallop of, say, Parenthood's last outing, but it still left me teary-eyed.
Beyond that, my heart goes out to the cast and 130 crew members, whose family has—in most every way imaginable—now evaporated.
Life goes on, but I find that one of the most painfully poignant moments is the final time a sweaty, fatigued, bloodied team gathers in the huddle, places their hands on top of one another's, and shouts break.
Try as we might, there's no re-capturing the magical first time, the lightning in a bottle twice, or going home again.
Some things, once gone, will never be recaptured, and Modern Family is one of 'em.
God speed, guys.
