the height of the mockumentary sitcom era, Modern Family introduced us to three "modern" families, each with vastly different relationships, character dynamics, and first-world problems to solve. Phil and Claire were raising three stubborn children, Jay was still figuring out how to be a step-dad six months into his second marriage, and Cam and Mitch adopted a baby from Vietnam.

Individually, each unit represented a unique perspective on modern family living, and their pilot storylines were undoubtedly funny and served as great character introductions. The true magic of Modern Family showed itself when each family unit interacted with the others, though, as their different lives clashed in hilarious, and sometimes unfortunate, ways. Knowing what we know now, the pilot episode's major twist is all the more satisfying.

Modern Family's Episode 1 Twist Was The Show's Cleverest Joke

They Really Were The Ultimate "Modern Family"

In the Modern Family pilot episode, each family unit is introduced in their own homes. There's no sense that they're part of anything bigger. Each couple and their children could all be used to define the concept of a "modern family," after all. It's only near the end of the episode that it's revealed they're all part of one bigger whole, creating the ultimate blended, 21st-century family.

At the time, it was an undeniably great twist. They could just as easily have been connected through friendships or work, as was the case in many other sitcoms of that era. You'd only have known that they were one big, happy, messy family if you'd watched the show's promotional trailer beforehand, or someone else told you about it.

When you watch the pilot now, it's clear the writers took great care to avoid making the characters' true connection to each other obvious. When Claire is planning Luke's punishment, she casually mentions that they're going to a dinner, and later, after Cam and Mitch arrive at home, Cam reveals that he's planned a dinner to tell Mitch's family that they've adopted a baby. Other than that, there are no real clues. They never mention each other's names until they're all in the same room together.

Not only did this give the writers a chance to properly introduce viewers to each individual family's storylines, but it also helped set a precedent for what to expect from the show moving forward. Modern Family excelled at miscommunication jokes and storylines that hid the truth in plain sight, and it proved that from the very first episode.

Modern Family's Original Twist Doesn't Work If You're Starting The Show Now

The Joke No Longer Lands, But It Doesn't Affect The Pilot's Quality

By this point, even the most casual viewers will likely have seen an episode or heard by word of mouth that the real titular modern family is made up of all three family units. The twist isn't a twist anymore. It's so easy to overlook what the writers were trying to do at the time, and how cleverly they were hiding the show's primary premise.

The Modern Family pilot perfectly represents the rest of the show, and as a viewer, that's all you can reasonably ask for.

That being said, the pilot doesn't suffer from the loss of this joke. If you already know the twist, the transition from the individual storylines to the massive family dinner is incredibly natural. They greet one another, they bicker, and they meet their newest family member, and we learn even more about the characters and what they mean to each other. 16 years after it first premiered, Modern Family's pilot holds up extremely well.

Rewatching Modern Family's Pilot 16 Years Later Is A Hilarious Experience

Meeting These Characters Again Is So Fun

Watching the pilot now, especially if you've seen the whole show, is genuinely hilarious. The writers and actors did a great job of building these characters. They all develop in different ways throughout the seasons, but the core of who they are is so incredibly apparent in that first episode. Their personalities shine through, and the conflicts between the family are introduced subtly, too, like the underlying tension between Jay and Mitch, for example.

Manny was, and always will be, a hopeless romantic. Phil and Luke are the ultimate goofy father-son duo – that shooting scene still gets me every time. Claire is high-maintenance and practical, just like her brother, and while Alex and Haley have their (very obvious) differences, they are a great representation of what it means to be sisters. The Modern Family pilot perfectly represents the rest of the show, and as a viewer, that's all you can reasonably ask for.