ABC to air Modern Family documentary before series finale

ABC's legendary family comedy that was served up as a mockumentary will receive an appropriate send-off tribute: a documentary.

The network announced Friday that it will unveil a one-hour documentary about Modern Family on April 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The two-part, one-hour series finale will immediately follow. Titled A Modern Farewell, the documentary will reflect back on the 11-season run of the series via interviews with cast and crew, while taking viewers behind the scenes of the writing and casting of the pilot and into the table read of the final script.

Debuting in 2009, Modern Family has been one of the biggest and most-decorated comedies of the 21st century, nabbing 22 Emmys, including five consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series trophies, which tied Frasier's record. The series — which also netted Emmys for Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, and Eric Stonestreet — will end after exactly 250 episodes.

"It's kind of like when you're a kid and your best friend moves away — only it's 100 best friends," co-creator Christopher Lloyd tells EW of filming the grand farewell. Burrell sums it up this way: "It was like a beautiful torture. It was like being at a wedding and a funeral at the same time." Torture yourself with a first-look preview right here.

Related content:

• Modern Family boss breaks down Frank Dunphy's death
• Modern Family: Sarah Hyland, Steve Levitan break down Haley's birth episode
• Watch Modern Family cast react to their first interviews from 10 years ago