Nathan Fillion is one of those guys you just sort of expect to be everywhere. One minute he's a space cowboy, the next he’s a mystery novelist, and then he’s a rookie cop. But back in 2016, he landed a role that still makes people do a double-take during their Modern Family rewatches on Hulu. He played Rainer Shine. Yes, that was the actual name. Like "rain or shine." Honestly, it’s the most Modern Family pun to ever exist.
Fillion didn't just pop in for a quick "hello." He stuck around for a handful of episodes across seasons eight and nine. He was the local TV weatherman—vain, hyper-focused on his hair, and surprisingly sensitive about whether or not his "seven-day forecast" was actually a "six-day with a look ahead."
It was weird. People loved Fillion, but they kinda hated Rainer.
The Cringe-Worthy Meeting of Rainer Shine
The whole thing started because Phil Dunphy is, well, Phil. He gets a chance to do a real estate segment on the local news and meets his idol, Rainer Shine. Phil is a total fanboy. He’s obsessed. He wants to be Rainer’s best friend so badly that he accidentally sets Rainer up on a date with his own daughter, Haley.
Phil thought he was giving Rainer a recommendation for a makeup artist. He wasn't.
What followed was a 22-year age gap relationship that felt... off. While Modern Family is built on the Jay and Gloria dynamic, there was something about Rainer Shine that felt way more "ick" than "aww." Maybe it was because we watched Haley grow up. Or maybe it was because Rainer was basically a mirror version of Phil, just with more hairspray and a tighter suit.
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Why the Haley and Rainer Arc Didn’t Quite Land
A lot of fans on Reddit and across the 2026 TV landscape still argue that this was one of the show's biggest missteps. In the episode "Weathering Heights," Phil is initially horrified. He calls Rainer "despicable" for dating someone half his age. But then, because the show loves a tidy ending, they make up and Phil becomes okay with it.
That’s where it gets bumpy.
The chemistry between Sarah Hyland and Nathan Fillion was actually pretty decent in a "comedy of errors" kind of way, but the plot felt forced. Rainer wasn't a long-term prospect like Andy or even Dylan. He was a caricature. He had a 14-year-old daughter who was a total nightmare, which added another layer of "why is Haley doing this?" to the whole situation.
The Five-Minute Engagement
If you need proof that the writers knew this relationship was a dead end, look no further than the episode "Five Minutes." Rainer proposes to Haley. She says yes. Then, in the span of literally five minutes, they both realize they have absolutely nothing in common and that Rainer is essentially dating a version of his own daughter’s peer group.
They break up because Rainer gets a weather forecast wrong.
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It was a meta-commentary on how fickle the character was, but it also felt like a relief for the audience. We didn't want Haley to be the step-mom to a middle schooler while her dad played Wii with her husband.
Nathan Fillion’s Performance Saved the Character
Let’s be real: if anyone else had played Rainer Shine, it would have been unwatchable. Fillion has this specific brand of "charming idiot" that he’s perfected over decades. He told the New York Post back when he was filming that he loved playing characters who are vain but don't know they're vain.
He leaned into the cheesiness. He made the "weather puns" work through sheer charisma.
- He appeared in a total of 7 episodes.
- Most of his screen time was in Season 8.
- His final appearance was a quick cameo in Season 9’s "The Escape."
Even if the relationship was creepy, Fillion’s comedic timing with Ty Burrell was gold. They played off each other like two over-caffeinated golden retrievers. Phil wanting to be in the "cool kids" circle of local news anchors was a great character beat for him, even if the cost was his daughter's dating life.
Is it Worth a Rewatch?
Looking back, the Modern Family Nathan Fillion era represents that "middle-age" period of the sitcom where they were trying to find new ways to keep the Dunphy kids relevant. Haley’s revolving door of boyfriends was a staple of the show, but Rainer Shine stands out because he was the most famous actor to play one of them.
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It’s a bizarre time capsule. It reminds us of that transition period for Fillion, too—right after Castle ended and before The Rookie started.
If you're going back through the series, don't skip these episodes, but maybe keep a pillow nearby to hide behind during the "sexy weather talk" scenes. They're rough.
How to watch the Rainer Shine episodes in order:
If you want to track the full rise and fall of this doomed weatherman romance, queue up these specific episodes:
- Season 8, Episode 4: "Weathering Heights" - The introduction and the accidental setup.
- Season 8, Episode 7: "Thanksgiving Jamboree" - Rainer deals with the Dunphy family holiday chaos.
- Season 8, Episode 10: "The Alliance" - Rainer tries to fit into the family "inner circle."
- Season 8, Episode 14: "Heavy is the Head" - Phil and Rainer's friendship is tested.
- Season 8, Episode 18: "Five Minutes" - The proposal and the immediate breakup.
- Season 9, Episode 21: "The Escape" - A brief, final look at what happened to him.
Pay close attention to the background details in the news station scenes; the fake news tickers and weather maps are full of jokes the writers clearly had way too much fun making. Usually, when a show brings in a big star like Fillion, they over-rely on them, but Modern Family used him just enough to make us remember him—and just enough to make us glad when Haley finally moved on.