Modern Family Fans Had A Picture Perfect Ending For Haley In Mind

Initially constrained within the beauty-deep façade of the ditzy sitcom teen daughter on "Modern Family," Sarah Hyland's Haley Dunphy evolves over the show's 11 seasons into a much more nuanced and interesting character. A regular presence on the show from its launch in 2009, Haley's early appearances build her comedy on the multiple skill sets of both the scriptwriters and the actress. This eminently entertaining synergy up-levels what could have been just another tired sitcom character trope into a performance that shines as one of the show's standout elements.

Admittedly, in the early seasons, Hyland's episodes do land their gags heavily in the usual clueless-teen-is-hilarious zone. But even when the jokes are made at her expense, Haley's blithe self-confidence elevates these moments into something comedically rare and exceptional. Then, when she briefly takes up fashion design and photography, the Dunphy's oldest child displays hidden talents in new and unexpected ways. The truth is, some viewers wanted more of this side of Haley, like series fan u/HappyCat2_0, who started a discussion titled, "I wish they continued with Haley being a photographer, I think it really suited her. What do you think?" Fans did indeed have thoughts.

As the above Reddit comment hints, and as Sarah Hyland herself noted, Haley Dunphy's fate on "Modern Family" doesn't involve a career in photography or fashion. The truth is, she settles down and has a baby with long-time boyfriend and inappropriate-song-lyrics-writer Dylan Marshall (Reid Ewing). And it's this narrowing of Haley's possible wider horizons that some fans found fault with.

Voicing their feelings about Haley's storyline, Redditor u/Adventurous-Ad-6792 also took to the show's subreddit to say, "Hayley's arc should've ended with the photography work." The poster then contrasted this option with what actually happens on the show, saying "Having [her] be a freelance photographer for a magazine, travelling and enjoying life would've been a better ending than being knocked up."

Redditor u/enchantedlife13 seemed to agree, writing that they enjoyed Haley's venture into photography, adding that they, "thought it would've been a great career for the writers to flesh out." Meanwhile, u/F3mk3V4nH4v3rm43t felt the same writers lost track of Haley's potential after she was booted out of school, saying, "They messed up with Hayley, they didn't know what to do with her when she fell out of college. I would have loved for her to become a photographer." Redditor u/WhereIsTheCaveman also felt Haley deserved more, writing "Yes! I loved her photos so much. Such a shame they didn't actually flesh out her talent more. Could have been a great storyline for her."