Television Christmas Specials Are Such A Joy: Why Do We Love Them So Much?

Justin Hartley‘s Tracker has gone through several shocking cast exits — and there could be more reconfiguration in the future.

During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, executive producer Elwood Reid defended the decision to shake up season 3 with Velma (Abby McEnany) and Bobby’s (Eric Graise) surprise departures.

“Justin has to carry so much of the show. So I don’t want the other characters that are in the show to just be phone-a-friend where whenever he’s in trouble, he just picks up the phone. The challenge in season 3 has been how do we build actual good story out of [it],” Reid teased ahead of the Sunday, October 19, premiere.

Reid pointed out that Reenie (Fiona Rene) and Randy (Chris Lee) are still in the picture.

“Reenie takes a lot of the guilt [from her season 2 case] on and she’s brought Randy up there to fix it. You get to see them in the office. That forms a good bond between those two. Then we’re going to bring in another character as she tries to expand her law office a little bit. That will be interesting,” he continued. “It’s just building out those story lines. The challenge we set up for ourselves this season was to build out those people’s world a little bit.”

Reid continued: “It’s about trying to get a little bit of lightness [into the show] because sometimes Colter is doing some really dark and heavy stuff. It’s life or death.”

Since Tracker premiered in February 2024, viewers have tuned in week after week to see Colter (Hartley) travel the country to help solve various missing persons cases. As Colter has gotten help, the ensemble cast has grown with characters such as handlers Teddi (Robin Weigert) and Velma, hacker Bobby and attorney Reenie.

Season 3 will pick up after Colter’s Velma and Bobby (Graise) exited the series. Overall, Weigert, McEnany and Graise have all left Tracker in the first two seasons. According to Reid, this doesn’t mean viewers shouldn’t be worried about more onscreen shakeups.

Related: Why Did ‘Tracker’ Lose 3 Cast Members Before Season 3? Shakeups Explained

Justin Hartley’s Tracker is easily CBS’ biggest hit show — so why has it gone through three cast shakeups in just two seasons? When Tracker premiered in 2024, it introduced Us to survivalist Colter Shaw (Hartley) as he travels the country to help find missing people, track down information on criminal cases and more. The […]

“You never know. The only person that is safe is Justin. It is Tracker and he’s on the poster. For any show — and it’s going into its third season — it has to grow. When I mean grow, I don’t mean bigger car chases or plane stunts. I mean grow the characters out in a meaningful way and in many ways,” he explained. “If I’m asking you to spend an hour of your life with this show, I do think you need to get some emotion and some connection to these characters. Part of that is making them three-dimensional characters that exist outside of helping Colter again. He got this whole dark history in the past and we mine that. But that means the other characters have to have some stuff in their life. Everyone has to have their thing. I think that’s super important.”

While addressing the casting shifts, Reid acknowledged mixed reactions from viewers.

“None of these people are gone. They’re not dead. We always try to build out and expand those characters,” he continued. “We’ve got a good team in place and we’re going to bring in another character.”

Tracker returns to CBS on Sunday, October 19, at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Paramount+.

The beloved ABC sitcom Modern Family, which aired for 11 seasons, came to an end in 2020, distressing many devoted viewers despite the show’s happy outcome. By the end of the show, viewers will feel like they are a member of the family because of how cleverly and creatively the show addresses a variety of topics that affect every family on a daily basis. Through its comedic characters and dynamics, the show explores scenarios that everybody can relate to in some way.

Thus, Modern Family is without a doubt one of the most popular sitcoms on television and is well-regarded by fans all over the world. Winner of multiple awards, and with a high score of 8.5 on IMDb, the show contains several episodes that fans and critics deem to be the best that deserve a rewatch.

35

“The Wedding, Part 1” (Season 5, Episode 23)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

The pre-finale of the series’ fifth season sees Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) going through preparations to tie the knot. In typical sitcom—and particularly Modern Family—fashion, things obviously don’t go as planned, after a wildfire pushes the wedding ahead of schedule and makes logistics a nightmare.

It’s episodes like this that make Modern Family one of the best sitcoms of the last 25 years. Wedding episodes are a staple of sitcoms, and although this first part might not be one of the best ever, it sure is one of the show’s funniest and most memorable episodes. It has various amazing guest performances and serves as a terrific set-up for the even-better episode that comes after. —Diego Pineda Pacheco

34

“Goodnight Gracie” (Season 4, Episode 24)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Modern Family was no stranger to exceptional season finales, and season four’s is no exception. “Goodnight Gracie” sees the family going to Florida for Phil’s (Ty Burrell) mom’s funeral, while Mitchell defends Gloria (Sofía Vergara) in court and Cameron makes some new friends.

“Goodnight Gracie” exemplifies everything that makes this show so beloved. It’s as funny as it is sweet and as heartwarming as it is deeply human, always giving each of its many characters the perfect amount of time to shine both dramatically and comedically. Deaths in comedy shows are usually hard to handle, but Modern Family does it beautifully. —Diego Pineda Pacheco

33

“Mistery Date” (Season 4, Episode 8)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

One of the show’s most iconic episodes, “Mistery Date” brings Matthew Broderick in for one of the show’s best guest appearances. Some have called Phil Dunphy one of the most overrated sitcom characters out there, but episodes like this one, where he’s by far one of the funniest characters in the show, make it impossible to outright hate him.

The character interactions and intricately structured jokes are the main attractions here. The performances are fantastic and complement the humor tremendously well, and the episode’s reliance on misunderstanding-based comedy never grows old. Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke’s (Nolan Gould) side plot isn’t exactly the show’s most memorable, but Phil’s storyline more than makes up for it. —Diego Pineda Pacheco

32

“The Musical Man” (Season 2, Episode 19)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Most sitcoms take a while to really find their voice and pick up steam, but Modern Family did so pretty quickly. As such, its second season already feels like a fully-realized version of the show. One of the last episodes of the season is “The Musical Man,” where Phil’s new real estate ad creates embarrassment for Claire (Julie Bowen)and Haley (Sarah Hyland), Cameron goes over the top while directing a school musical, and Jay’s (Ed O’Neil)brother (Jonathan Banks) comes to town with some surprising news.

“The Musical Man” received mixed reviews from critics, but fans on IMDb clearly love it, expressing their love for the episode’s big musical number and the comedic bits with Luke and Alex (Ariel Winter). All three storylines are full of memorable moments, and the whole episode is irresistibly hilarious throughout. —Diego Pineda Pacheco

31

“Boys’ Night” (Season 2, Episode 18)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

As it turns out, “The Musical Man” comes right after another one of the show’s best and funniest episodes: “Boys’ Night,” where Phil and Claire are dismayed to discover that Luke has befriended their crotchety old neighbor, Mr. Kleezak (Philip Baker Hall); Jay’s attempt to avoid sitting through a symphony concert with Gloria and Manny lands him in the middle of Mitchell and Cameron’s “boys’ night out”; and Haley has her own adventures in babysitting with Lily (Ella Hiller and Jaden Hiller).

Fans on IMDb love Hall’s and Nathan Lane‘s guest performances and the way the episode displays Modern Family‘s knack for twisting and toying with typical sitcom tropes. The scene with Jay hanging out with Mitch, Cam, and their gay friends is one of the show’s best, but there’s no shortage of excellent scenes in this unforgettable episode. —Diego Pineda Pacheco

30

“Bringing Up Baby” (Season 4, Episode 1)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

In the first episode of Season 4 of Modern Family, Jay Pritchett is in for more than one surprise on his birthday. While Phil and Jay’s pals Shorty (Chazz Palminteri) and Miles (Ernie Hudson) take Jay on an unconventional fishing trip, his wife Gloria tries to figure out how she will break the news to him that she is pregnant.

Haley’s boyfriend Dylan (Reid Ewing) also temporarily moves in with the Dunphys, while Cameron and Mitchell consider adopting a cat. The episode explores the anxiety unexpected news can cause, as Gloria dreads telling Jay about the baby and fears he will be unhappy. Things usually turn out to be okay, as demonstrated when Jay says that it’s the best news he’s ever heard.

29

“Airport 2010” (Season 1, Episode 22)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

In “Airport 2010”, Gloria organizes a surprise trip to Hawaii for Jay’s birthday. However, he isn’t too pleased when he learns the entire family is tagging along. When everybody starts arriving at the airport, chaos ensues. Claire has a strong fear of flying which causes her to panic, Mitchell forgets his passport, and Manny is on TSA’s no-fly list due to an identity mix-up.

Meanwhile, Dylan becomes trapped in the Dunphy household while they are away with their security system on. Large family trips can often lead to stress and mayhem, highly exaggerated here through humorous mishaps. Many can resonate with the stress of travel or fear of flying, making this a highly relatable episode of Modern Family and one that connects with its audience.

28

“Coal Digger” (Season 1, Episode 5)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

There has always been a level of tension between Claire and Gloria, considering the fact that Gloria is technically her stepmother, even though she is younger than her, and is a gorgeous younger woman who married her father, Jay, a much older man. This is brought to the surface in “Coal Digger,” which sees Manny and Luke get into a fight at school.

Protective over their sons, things become awkward between Claire and Gloria, especially when Luke reveals that Claire once called Gloria a gold digger (which Luke mishears as “coal digger). This brings jealousy and emotional baggage to the surface, but marks an important turning point for Claire in accepting Gloria as part of the family, and Gloria in finally feeling accepted. By the end, the pair have a much better understanding of each other, as do viewers.

27

“Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

In Modern Family’s very first episode, viewers meet the three related family units who are at the center of the show. Jay, recently re-married, is having trouble keeping up with his much younger Colombian wife, Gloria, and her sensitive son Manny. Claire is trying to take care of her own family with husband Phil, who thinks he’s a ‘cool dad’ but embarrasses his kids. Finally, Mitchell and Cameron decide to adopt a Vietnamese baby named Lily.

The pilot episode establishes the particular dynamics within each family and as a whole, and is integral in setting up the conflict and changes each family faces, which is the catalyst for the rest of the show’s plot. Featuring strong character introductions and lighthearted humor, it is clear Modern Family was going to be a hit from the beginning.

26

“The Day We Almost Died” (Season 6, Episode 11)

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

In “The Day We Almost Died”, Phil, Claire, Haley, Alex, Luke and Manny have a near-death experience while driving. Shaken by the incident, they reevaluate their lives and decide to make some major changes. Claire decides to be less uptight and more fun, Haley and Alex agree not to fight anymore, Manny refuses to get into a car ever again, Luke wants to complete his bucket list and Phil wants to take more action.

However, the rest of the family has to deal with the hilarity and consequences of these changes. Most episodes of Modern Family follow three main storylines, but this episode focuses only on one, and what stems from it. Most of the characters don’t even appear until later in the episode. It’s a diversion from the usual formula, but results in a highly entertaining and unique twenty-two minutes of TV.