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Season 3 for Modern Family premiered on September 21, 2011 with "Dude Ranch" and released it's finale on May 23, 2012 with "Baby on Board". Season 3 aired Wednesdays 9/8c in the United States and consisted of 23 episodes. The DVD was released on September 18, 2012.

This is the first season to feature Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily, who was formerly played by Ella & Jaden Hiller in Seasons 1 and 2.

Cast and Characters[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Please add Characters here when they appear in 3 or more episodes.

Guest Cast[]

Please add Characters here when they appear in less than 3 episodes.

Episodes[]

Image Title Writers Directors Airdate No. in
Season
No. in
Series
3x01-Dude-Ranch "Dude Ranch" Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh & Dan O'Shannon Jason Winer September 21, 2011 01 49
The three families take a vacation to a Dude ranch in Wyoming; Mitchell tries to be more masculine, Phil tries to impress Jay with his 'ranch' skills and Gloria tries desperately to pop her ears.
WhenGoodKidsGoBad "When Good Kids Go Bad" Jeffrey Richman Michael Spiller September 21, 2011 02 50
Lily begins acting out against the idea of having another baby in the house and frightens Mitchell and Cameron, who were planning on telling the family their good news. Meanwhile, both Claire and Jay find themselves desperate to prove they're right.
3x03-Phil-on-Wire "Phil on Wire" Bianca Douglas & Danny Zuker Jason Winer September 28, 2011 03 51
Gloria becomes upset by Jay and Stella's close connection and tries to bond with the dog herself. Phil and Luke try to learn how to tightrope, while Claire teaches Haley and Alex a valuable life lesson. Meanwhile, Cameron goes on a juice fast, much to the dismay of Mitchell and Lily.
Doortodoor1 "Door to Door" Bill Wrubel Chris Koch October 5, 2011 04 52
Claire recruits her family to help gather signatures for a petition to get a stop sign, Gloria loses the family dog, Jay helps Manny try to sell wrapping paper for school, and Cameron leaves a mess in the kitchen for Mitchell.
Hitandrun "Hit and Run" Elaine Ko Jason Winer October 12, 2011 05 53
Claire leaves Phil at home to watch the kids while she applies to run for public office, Mitchell and Cameron are victimized by a hit-and-run driver, and an annoying client asks Jay to "wow" him.
Gobullfrogs5 "Go Bullfrogs!" Abraham Higginbotham Scott Ellis October 19, 2011 06 54
While Phil takes Haley on a tour of his Alma mater, Claire goes out on the town with a man she mistakenly assumes is Mitchell and Cameron's gay friend. Meanwhile, Gloria is alarmed and curious about Manny's mail-order package.
Treehouse "Treehouse" Steven Levitan Jason Winer November 2, 2011 07 55
Phil tries to build a tree house,; Haley struggles with writing a college admissions essay, Cameron hits on a single woman to win a bet with Mitchell.
3x08-After-the-Fire "After the Fire" Danny Zuker Fred Savage November 16, 2011 08 56
As the family collects goods for a family whose house burned down, Jay makes an embarrassing remark to Phil during a massage, Claire is jealous of Mitchell's friendship with Gloria, and Cameron struggles with a moving van in a parking lot.
MF 3x09 "Punkin Chunkin" Ben Karlin Michael Spiller November 23, 2011 09 57
Phil is upset that Claire is stifling his creativity, Mitchell doesn't believe Cameron's "punkin chunkin" story, Gloria won't let Jay tell Manny that his Thanksgiving centerpiece is horrible, and Claire and Alex get in an accident.
Modern Family 3x10 "Express Christmas" Cindy Chupack Michael Spiller December 7, 2011 10 58
Phil proposes that the entire family celebrate "Express Christmas" together on December 16, when they discover that they won't be spending Christmas Day together.
S3E11 "Lifetime Supply" Jeffrey Richman & Bill Wrubel Chris Koch January 4, 2012 11 59
After having a doctor's visit but then missing the call with the test results, Phil automatically jumps to conclusions and starts saying his goodbyes; Javier pops up unannounced and takes Manny for a belated birthday celebration, and a subtle competition ensues when Mitchell brings home an environmental law award and it becomes a game of who has the bigger trophy.
3x12 "Egg Drop" Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh Jason Winer January 11, 2012 12 60
While Jay and Claire become hyper-competitive while working on their boys' science project, Gloria tries to help Phil with his real estate seminar. Meanwhile, Cameron and Mitchell interview a potential birth mother.
S3E13-Little-Bo-Bleep "Little Bo Bleep" Cindy Chupack Chris Koch January 18, 2012 13 61
The family helps Claire prepare for her upcoming televised debate with Duane Bailey for the town council seat, but will they do more harm than good? Lily is going to be a precious flower girl for the first time, but the problem is she’s just discovered her first expletive and Mitch and Cam don’t know how best to deal with this new parenting test. And Jay is very concerned with Stella’s recent strange behavior and puts the blame on Gloria.
MeJealous4 "Me? Jealous?" Ben Karlin Michael Spiller February 8, 2012 14 62
Phil is so preoccupied with impressing his new business partner, Tad, that he doesn't notice what Claire believes is Tad being overtly inappropriate with her. Meanwhile, Jay and Gloria let Mitchell and Cameron stay over while their house is fumigated, and it turns out four is a crowd.
3x15-Aunt-Mommy "Aunt Mommy" Abraham Higginbotham & Dan O'Shannon Michael Spiller February 15, 2012 15 63
After selling a house to Mitch and Cameron's friends, Claire and Phil plan a celebratory dinner; overindulging in drinks leads to over sharing.
Modern Family 3x16 "Virgin Territory" Elaine Ko Jason Winer February 22, 2012 16 64
It's a day of disturbing realizations when Mitchell manages to ruin one of Jay's proudest golf moments, Phil overhears something that may forever change how he sees his little girl, and Gloria stumbles upon Claire's dangerous little secret. Luke and Manny try to get Lily into trouble because she is too cute .
LeapDay "Leap Day" Danny Zuker Gail Mancuso February 29, 2012 17 65
Mitchell feels pressured to make Cameron's birthday extra special; people start to question Jay's manliness; the girls interfere with Phil's leap day plans.
SendOutTheClowns "Send Out the Clowns" Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman & Bill Wrubel Steven Levitan March 14, 2012 18 66
Cameron's former clown partner comes to town. Meanwhile, another real estate agent obtains a listing Phil was trying to land. Elsewhere, a new friend of Manny's has Gloria and Jay suspicious.
Electionday "Election Day" Ben Karlin Bryan Cranston April 11, 2012 19 67
On Election Day, the family does some last-minute campaigning for Claire; Claire experiences technical difficulties during interviews.
Tlw9 "The Last Walt" Dan O'Shannon & Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh Michael Spiller April 18, 2012 20 68
Claire tries to help Luke cope with the death of their neighbor, Walt; Phil and Alex spend some time together; Haley throws a pool party without permission at Jay and Gloria's house; Cameron's father visits.
Pts5 "Planes, Trains and Cars" Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh Michael Spiller May 2, 2012 21 69
Phil buys a car without consulting Claire; Jay is on a mission to get to his high-school reunion with Gloria and Manny; Lily loses her favorite toy on a train.
Disneyland "Disneyland" Cindy Chupack James Bagdonas May 9, 2012 22 70
When the family travels to Disneyland, Phil struggles to keep up with Luke; Claire is stunned when they run into Dylan; Cam and Mitch must curb Lily's new penchant for running.
Tableau Vivant1 "Tableau Vivant" Elaine Ko & Jeffrey Richman & Bill Wrubel Gail Mancuso May 16, 2012 23 71
Gloria and Jay bicker while trying to order lunch at a diner; Claire and Cam have different theories on how to discipline kids; Luke accepts an award under false pretenses; Phil has a hard time firing Mitchell from his temporary job at the real estate agency; the entire family participates in Alex's living art display of Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving painting, entitled "Freedom from want".
BabyOnBoard "Baby on Board" Abraham Higginbotham Steven Levitan May 23, 2012 24 72
While Gloria helps Cam and Mitch pursue an adoption opportunity, Jay and Manny baby-sit Lily; Alex attends her first prom; Haley makes a shocking announcement about her plans for the future.

Character Appearances[]

Characters

Episodes (This Season)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total
Jay Pritchett 24
Gloria Pritchett 24
Manny Delgado 24
Joe Pritchett X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 0
Phil Dunphy 24
Claire Dunphy 24
Haley Dunphy 24
Alex Dunphy X X 22
Luke Dunphy 24
Mitchell Pritchett 24
Cameron Tucker 24
Lily Tucker-Pritchett X X X X X 19

Viewing Rates[]

# Title Views
01 "Dude Ranch" 14.52 million
02 "When Good Kids Go Bad" 14.54 million
03 "Phil on Wire" 13.45 million
04 "Door to Door" 13.24 million
05 "Hit and Run" 13.65 million
06 "Go Bullfrogs!" 13.04 million
07 "Treehouse" 13.37 million
08 "After the Fire" 12.91 million
09 "Punkin Chunkin" 12.72 million
10 "Express Christmas" 12.20 million
11 "Lifetime Supply" 14.03 million
12 "Egg Drop" 12.12 million
13 "Little Bo Bleep" 11.89 million
14 "Me? Jealous?" 12.90 million
15 "Aunt Mommy" 11.23 million
16 "Virgin Territory" 11.54 million
17 "Leap Day" 11.63 million
18 "Send Out the Clowns" 10.60 million
19 "Election Day" 10.35 million
20 "The Last Walt" 10.21 million
21 "Plains, Trains and Cars" 10.06 million
22 "Disneyland" 10.58 million
23 "Tableau Vivant" 9.36 million
24 "Baby on Board" 10.07 million

Reception[]

Season 3 scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average episode score of 8.0 on IMDb. The critic's consensus was Modern Family settles into a well-oiled groove, consistently delivering inspired farce and making it look effortless..

Trivia[]

  • This is the only season to have Cindy Chupack as a writer and producer.

Character Storylines[]

The Pritchett Family[]

Jay[]

Gloria[]

Manny[]

Joe[]

The Dunphy Family[]

Phil[]

Claire[]

Haley[]

Alex[]

Luke[]

The Tucker-Pritchett Family[]

Mitchell[]

Cameron[]

Lily[]

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