The cast of “Modern Family”

In a cutthroat world where ratings reign supreme, everyone is trying to find something special to make their show stand out and withstand the dreaded early cancellations. In the packed comedy world, many show-runners have been moving away from a more standard family setting towards the workplace. But in 2009, producers Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan picked up some old sitcom ideas, spun them together with their own experiences and created the spectacular series we know as "Modern Family."

The show centers around three very different households who, together, form a large, close-knit family. Now in its sixth season, the mockumentary has depicted several significant milestones in each of the families' lives while consistently receiving glowing praise from critics and fans alike. Tune in to a new episode of "Modern Family" airing Wednesday, Jan. 28, on ABC.

The first family unit depicted in "Modern Family" is that of Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill, "Married with Children") and his much-younger second wife Gloria, portrayed by Sofía Vergara ("Four Brothers," 2005). Gloria has an adolescent son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez, "The Muppets," 2011), from her first marriage and Jay has two adult children, Claire (Julie Bowen, "Boston Legal") and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "The Class"). In season 4, Gloria reveals that she is pregnant and, despite trying to stop her contractions, eventually welcomes another boy into the family.

Claire, Jay's eldest, is actually a year older than her step-mother. Along with her husband, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell, "Dawn of the Dead," 2004), Claire has three children. The oldest of her siblings and cousins, Haley is played by Sarah Hyland ("Scary Movie 5," 2013) and is a typical wild child. Alex (Ariel Winter, "Phineas and Ferb") is the middle, nerdy daughter, and Luke (Nolan Gould, "Friends with Benefits," 2011) is an energetic, if not-so-smart young boy.

The last member of the Pritchett clan is Mitchell and his longtime boyfriend (now husband) Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet,"The Island," 2005). In the pilot episode, Cameron and Mitchell finalize the adoption of Lily, an infant from Vietnam. In the first two seasons, Lily was portrayed by twins Ella and Jaden Hiller before being recast for season 3. She is now depicted by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who is older and lends more to the show with a speaking role, unlike her predecessors.

While Lily is perhaps the most obvious example of the passage of time, she is far from the only character who has grown up over the years. Only introduced in season 4, Jay and Gloria's son, Fulgencio Joseph, was recast in season 5 and is now played by the young Pierce Wallace. Gloria's mother, Pilar (the late Elizabeth Peña, "Jacob's Ladder," 1990), visited soon after Joe's birth and insisted in having a hand in the naming of her grandson. Fulgencio was the name of Pilar's late husband and Gloria's father, but despite (eventually) agreeing to use the name, Jay insists they will call Joe by his middle name.

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as seen in “Modern Family”

Wild child Haley was in her second year of high school at the onset of "Modern Family" and struggled with her studies amidst trying to improve her peer relations. Despite confessing to being afraid of failing in college, Haley did eventually set off for higher education in season 4, with much embarrassing help from Claire and Phil. Unfortunately, Haley's foray into college only lasted a short time before she ran afoul of the authorities and got kicked out of school. By season 5, she had enrolled in community college, studying photography and business while also running a blog. Most recently, Haley celebrated her 21st birthday surrounded, as usual, by her large and loving family.

While Alex has arguably aged less obviously than her siblings, she is now undertaking the arduous task of choosing and applying to a university. As she is the most intelligent child in her family, Alex often helps keep the family from acting too immature. She's the polar opposite of her sister Haley, and her dedication to her studies typically makes her the butt of a lot of jokes.

Thick-as-thieves Luke and his step-uncle Manny were both around 10 during the first season of "Modern Family." Manny grew up with an irresponsible father, Javier Delgado (Benjamin Bratt, "Miss Congeniality," 2000), giving him a slightly skewed perspective on life. Manny has always acted older than his age, often writing poetry and claiming BB guns were too mature a toy for him to use. Luke, on the other hand, takes after his goofy father in many respects. A bright and cheerful boy, Luke is a bit of an air head and finds himself getting into hilarious shenanigans and precarious situations.

With many milestones behind them, the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan has many more ahead. Throughout it all you can be certain they will be there to love and support one another. Don't miss a new episode of "Modern Family," airing on Wednesday, Jan. 28, on ABC.