Modern Family season 8

The eighth season of Modern Family was ordered on March 3, 2016, by ABC. The season premiered on September 21, 2016. The season is produced by Steven Levitan Productions and Picador Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd as showrunners. The season concluded on May 17, 2017.

Main cast

 * Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett
 * Sofía Vergara as Gloria Pritchett
 * Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy
 * Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy
 * Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett
 * Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker
 * Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy
 * Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy
 * Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy
 * Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado
 * Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett
 * Jeremy Maguire as Joe Pritchett

Recurring cast

 * Fred Willard as Frank Dunphy
 * Winston Duke as Dwight
 * Nathan Fillion as Rainer Shine
 * Brianna Askins as April Shine
 * Joe Mande as Ben
 * Dana Powell as Pam Tucker

Guest cast

 * Stephanie Beatriz as Sonia Ramirez
 * Celia Weston as Barb Tucker
 * Ernie Hudson as Miles
 * Christian Barillas as Ronaldo
 * Martin Short as Merv Schechter
 * Andy Daly as Principal Brown
 * Robert Costanzo as Earl Chambers
 * Joely Fisher as Maggie Braithwaite
 * Kelsey Grammer as Keifth
 * Shelley Long as DeDe Pritchett
 * Elizabeth Banks as Sal
 * Peyton Manning as Coach Gary
 * Victor Garber as Chef Dumont
 * Rob Riggle as Gil Thorpe
 * Jane Krakowski as Dr. Donna Duncan
 * Charles Barkley as himself
 * DeAndre Jordan as himself
 * Faith Prince as Lorraine
 * Niecy Nash as Joan
 * Reid Ewing as Dylan Marshall
 * Benjamin Bratt as Javier Delgado
 * Lindsey Kraft as Joey
 * Jackie Seiden as Dr. Elaine Kolchek
 * Sedona Fuller as Betty Kolchek
 * London Fuller as Janice Kolchek
 * Nakia Seacrest as Vice Principal

Production
Modern Family was renewed for an eighth season on March 3, 2016, with several other ABC shows. Sofia Vergara shared a photo on Instagram of the cast doing a photo-shoot for the eighth season on July 26, 2016. The table read for the season occurred the same day, with filming beginning shortly after. The Hollywood Reporter announced on August 4, 2016, that Castle-alum Nathan Fillion had been cast in a recurring role of three episodes as the weatherman Rainer Shine. It was also announced that Martin Short will appear in a guest role in the third episode of the season as a promotional maven. A promotional poster was released on August 23, 2016. On September 26, 2016, Variety reported that Modern Family would feature the first openly transgender child actor on network-television. The 8-year old actor Jackson Millarker appeared in the second episode of the season as Lily's playmate Tom. "The Hollywood Reporter" reported on November 7, 2016, that Peyton Manning will guest star in the 12th episode of the season. "Manning will play Coach Gary, baby Joe's sports tutor, whom Gloria (Sofia Vergara) brings in to help teach Joe how to throw and catch. When Coach Gary also starts doing things around the house, Jay (Ed O'Neill) is left feeling a bit emasculated." Kelsey Grammer guest-starred in a January 2017 episode of the series, portraying Cam's ex-boyfriend Keifth. The Hollywood Reporter reported that NBA stars Charles Barkley and DeAndre Jordan will guest-star in a late January 2017 episode, playing themselves. The source stated "For their part in the show, Barkley and Jordan will be attending a charity basketball game that Phil (Ty Burrell) has been training all year for in an attempt to redeem himself after a disastrous turn at the previous year's game. When they both start getting a little too involved, Phil tries to not buckle under the pressure."