Dude Ranch (Modern Family)

The episode originally aired on September 21, 2011, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and ran back-to-back with "When Good Kids Go Bad".

"Dude Ranch" received positive reviews from critics with many praising Nolan Gould's performance as Luke Dunphy, with Alan Sepinwall calling him the MVP of the episode.

[2] The episode was viewed by more than 14.54 million viewers and received a 6.1 rating/15% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, marking an 18-percent rise from the second season premiere, "The Old Wagon".

This episode won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation.

In the Pritchett family storyline, Gloria (Sofía Vergara) experiences hearing difficulty following the plane ride while a cowboy, Hank (Tim Blake Nelson), flirts with her.

During the trip, a teenage boy named Jimmy (Matthew Gumley) flirts with Alex (Ariel Winter) and later kisses her.

Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) reveal that they are adopting a boy from the United States.

[8] Tim Blake Nelson guest starred in the episode as a cowboy who "intimidates the guys and sends the girls' hearts a-twitter".

"[1] Near the end of the second season, there were rumors alluding to the producers recasting the role of Lily, and changing her age from a baby to a toddler.

[11] Co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan stated that:[12] "It was a hard decision, and this was not remotely having to do with us wanting to upgrade the acting ability or jump the character in age.

"They eventually cast Aubrey Anderson-Emmons to play the toddler-aged, Lily, replacing twin sisters, Jayden and Ella Hiller.

[15] In its original American broadcast, "Dude Ranch" alongside the following episode, "When Good Kids Go Bad", was viewed by an estimated 14.54 million households and received a 6.1 rating/15% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

[2] Entertainment Weekly writer Sandra Gonzalez praised the episode, saying it proved the show deserved the second Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

[26] Paste writer Christina Ziemba said that the episode proved that the series deserved to win at the Emmy's saying it was "rife with great gags, jokes and one-liners".