Over the eleven years of Modern Family, fans have watched many of the romances go from strength to strength. Phil and Claire have been married for 27 years, Cam and Mitch have been together for 16 and Gloria and Jay for over a decade. However, could there be someone else more compatible for them?
Surprisingly, there are quite a few characters who would have made a good romantic partner for the members of the Dunphy-Pritchett-Tucker clan. From the prospect of Jay and Maxine to Phil and Gloria, here are 10 couples that would have made a lot of sense (but never got together).
Manny & “Dorothy Parker”
Considering that Manny is always complaining about being single or not finding the right connection with a person, whatever happened to the girl he met at the Halloween party? In the episode “Halloween IV: The Revenge of Red Skyhook,” Manny was disheartened by the fact that no one could recognize his Halloween costume.
However, there was one girl at Luke’s party who was able to recognize that he was Dalton Trumbo. Not only that, but she also seemed to have the same maturity and interests as Manny, with the teenager attending the party as Dorothy Parker. This girl was literally Manny’s soulmate and yet she has never been seen since.
Phil & Gloria
Even though they are happily married to Claire and Jay respectively, no one can deny that there is a chemistry between Phil and Gloria. In the beginning, it became obvious to the viewer that Phil had a crush on her and would take any opportunity to hug or touch her. Gloria has expressed that she cares about Phil when she says she hates to disappoint him.
Over time, Phil’s crush has dissipated, and the pair have become close friends. However, the chemistry between them still remains, with Gloria and Phil going into real estate business together. Who knows, in another life they could have been that married couple who opened a family business.
Jay & Maxine
If Jay wasn’t happily married to Gloria then he would have probably ended up married to someone like Maxine. Fans may recall Maxine from the episode “Tableau Vivant” as the waitress who worked at Jay’s favorite diner. Gloria was seen to get jealous over the close friendship the two had, with Jay confiding in Maxine over the troubles he was facing.
Maxine also showed to be a hit with the whole family, with Manny expressing that he liked her a lot. With 30 years of friendship behind them, Jay and Maxine’s romance could have been the a story for the ages.
Javier & Sonia
Plot twist: imagine the next time that Sonia decides to stay at the Pritchett-Delgado house, she brought Javier along and introduced him as her new boyfriend. This could be her way of finally getting back at her sister since she still believes that Gloria stole her life.
The chances of Javier and Sonia becoming a couple are slim, but they still would make sense. Sonia always dreams of starting a life away from Colombia, and Javier has the connections to do so. She also seems to be attracted to wealth more than personality, so it’s possible she wouldn’t care about Javier’s womanizing ways. Let’s put these two together just to see what chaos erupts.
Gavin & Pepper
Imagine if Pepper split with Ronaldo and ended up getting together with Gavin. Fans may remember Gavin as Haley’s boss, who made most of his appearance in Season 6. While Haley was working for the fashion stylist, he would often take advantage and mistreat her until Gloria put a stop to it.
With that in mind, Gavin’s personality is certainly compatible with Pepper’s — who doesn’t refrain from keeping his thoughts to himself. Pepper has also been seen to make snide and sarcastic remarks about his friends’ fashion sense and their taste in décor. If you put these two together, they would be unstoppable.
Teddy & Dave
Out of all the characters on the show, Teddy and Dave have to be the nicest people you will ever meet. Fans may remember Teddy from “My Hero” when Cam got jealous over how close the physician was to Mitchell’s family. Dave made his appearance in “Mistery Date” as Cam’s close friend, who mistakenly believed Phil to be gay.
It’s not surprising that Cam and Mitch never set these two up, but they would have made a good couple. From what the viewers saw, Teddy was a kind and respectable guy. Even though his appearance was brief, Dave also proved to be a good man when he was hesitant to go any further on “his date” with Phil because he was married. They would have made a good couple.
Alex & Arvin
One element that fans couldn’t understand was why the writers put Arvin and Haley together when they had nothing in common. Where Arvin was fascinated with science and mathematics, Haley liked fashion and cosmetology. Arvin liked to have debates and Haley didn’t. There was literally no spark.
What would have made sense was Arvin and Alex. Both these characters had a passion for science and math. Alex even had a crush on him and was so upset when she found out he was dating Haley. It’s a shame that Arvin couldn’t see how compatible he was with Alex as their potential relationship would have lasted much longer.
Haley & Bill
Similar to the Haley and Arvin pairing, Alex and Bill didn’t make much sense either. Sure, Bill was a kind and considerate boyfriend, but when you take another look at their relationship, they came from two different circles. A key part to Alex’s identity is her interest in academics and Bill didn’t show an interest in that part of life — which is why their relationship wasn’t going to last.
If anything, Bill would have been more compatible with Haley. Not only are their personalities similar, but Haley and Bill do not judge/date people based on the number of accolades they have accrued. It probably would have developed Haley’s character more if she had married someone like Bill, who had no ties to her past.
Alex & Jason
Another relationship the writers of Modern Family glossed over was the brewing romance between Alex and Jason — the teenage student who befriended Alex when they attended the tour of Caltech university (“Do Not Push”). Both potential students end up hitting it off as they both quiz each other on the history of the institution.
The episode ends with Alex’s hopeful face telling the viewer that she and Jason were now friends on Facebook. Yet once again, nothing came of this romance. Considering that Alex did end up attending Caltech university, the writers had a chance of developing this into a relationship. Just another missed opportunity.
DeDe & Javier
Javier and DeDe may not look like a couple, but they do have a lot in common when you compare them on paper. For instance, they both like to travel and explore the world. They also have a way with words — Javier’s skill showing when he’s trying to charm someone and DeDe’s skills illustrated by her books.
Plus, if DeDe and Javier got together, how funny would it have been to see Gloria and Jay’s reaction? Both DeDe and Javier are seen to grate on Jay and Gloria’s nerves, so imagine what the tension would have been like if they were all under the same roof.
