Which Modern Family Character is Dominating the Second Season (So Far)?

Who can watch a great ensemble cast and accept each player as an equal? Movieline believes rankings are always necessary. With the fifth episode of Modern Family's ebullient second season airing tonight, let's rank the show's cast members for their charm, wits, realism, and general hilarity so far. Using the scores from our feature "Modern Family Member of the Week," we'll count up who's been dishing the best confessionals and one-liners of season two -- and who we should expect more from in the future.

5th Place: Mitchell

Mitchell has been a solid player in all four episodes: He enjoyed a dainty kiss with Cameron that lit up "The Kiss," shaved a critical lock of beard last week in "Strangers on a Treadmill," and outperformed Nathan Lane (as Pepper) in "Earthquake," showing us a plummy-eyed disbelief that made his exasperation with social obligations hysterical.

4th Place: Phil

Phil's dynamite speechifying and knowledge of Claire's deceit last week killed me. But his greatest moment in season two happened in the premiere, when he built a "time machine" out of the family station wagon, a cardboard sign, some imagination, and a collapsed wormhole lingering in the time-space continuum. He's almost as resourceful as Manny.

3rd Place: Cameron

I've got two words for you: bike shorts. Last episode, Eric Stonestreet proved why he's an Emmy winner: He takes a highly sensitive character who might qualify as one of the 3 Biggest TV Stereotypes of the Week and saturates him with such un-cloying sincerity and restraint that you have to love him. For now, Fizbo's our bronze medalist.

2nd Place: Claire

Claire's the most realistic, versatile, and understated character on Modern Family. Her best moment occurred in the season premiere when she hollered at the hapless Mr. Dunphy, watching him jump on the family station wagon as it rolled down a ravine. "What's the plan, Phil?" she barked. And her reaction shots during Phil's successful speech at the realtor conference? Poignant!

1st Place: Jay

If Ed O'Neill's Emmy snub this year doesn't haunt voters, these first four episodes surely will. Jay's bequeathed us existential observations ("If God had a problem with me, he would let me know without shaking the whole city. He'd be a little more specific.") as well as an uproarious comment about building a bookshelf with Mitchell ("That was my Vietnam. And I was in Vietnam."). Going into tonight's episode, he's the patriarch of both the Pritchett clan and our countdown.

Which leaves...: Gloria.

Miss Delgado hasn't had a chance to shine much this season. But expect fireworks tonight: She's set to deal with a neighbor's pesky dog, hopefully with a lot of screaming.