Written by series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, it premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 23, 2009.
The episode is shot in a mockumentary style, with a cameraman following the characters around their everyday lives and interviewing them at various intervals.
Reviews for the pilot episode compared Modern Family to shows such as Married... with Children (which starred Ed O'Neill), Frasier (which the creators of Modern Family worked on), Malcolm in the Middle and, most strongly, Arrested Development.
The series begins at the home of Phil and Claire Dunphy and their three children: Haley, Alex, and Luke.
In side interviews, Phil calls himself a "cool dad", while Claire wants to prevent her children from making the same mistakes she did when she was growing up.
Back on the pitch, Manny misses a goal when he spots a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl riding by on a bicycle.
The scene shifts to Mitchell and Cameron, a gay couple who are on a plane returning from Vietnam after having adopted a baby, Lily.
Back on the plane, Mitchell threatens to make a speech and does so when a woman says "look at that baby with those cream puffs", which he believes is a reference to him and Cameron.
Back at the Dunphy residence, Haley has invited Dylan, a senior boy from her high school, over.
Before Lily is introduced, Jay, who is unsure if Mitchell and Cameron are ready for fatherhood, suggests that if they are bored, they should get a dog.
Cameron enters, holding Lily aloft before the family while "Circle of Life" from The Lion King plays.
[11][12] On January 12, 2010, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that Modern Family had been renewed for a second season.
[15] The episode was filmed in Los Angeles in the United States and is set in a nameless suburban neighborhood.
When Julie Bowen, who plays Claire Dunphy, read the script, she "desperately wanted to do it" but was pregnant with twins.
[16] Bowen "auditioned, begged and pleaded", eventually convincing the show makers to film around her stomach.
The smaller issues aside - the mildly unclear format, some forced clichés - the pilot episode of Modern Family is a must see comedy".