At last year's Emmys, after its first season, Modern Family received nominations in five categories, including Best Supporting nominations for five of its actors. Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cameron, won Best Supporting Actor, and the series won Best Writing and Best Comedy Series. So it wasn't a surprise when the 2011 Emmys nominations included Modern Family as a contender in five categories, with nods toward ten writers, directors or actors. In the Best Supporting Actor category, four of the six nominations went to Modern Family cast members; Ty Burrell, who plays Phil, won the Emmy. Overall the show took home five awards, including Best Comedy for the second year in a row.

The other shows nominated for Best Comedy were