While it may have ended its run four years ago, it still feels like Modern Family should be running on the 2024 TV schedule. In the wake of that feeling, you’d think a spin-off to one of the best sitcoms of all time would have been easy money; especially one centered around the beloved characters of Mitchell and Cameron. However, as actor Eric Stonestreet revealed, that prospect was passed on for some very specific reasons, with the result being a bit hurtful.
A recent interview on the program In Depth with Graham Bensinger saw the actor who played Cam freshly share that knowledge. Even if you’re not a fan with attachments to the long-running ABC sitcom, what Stonestreet had to say is pretty heartbreaking:
I don't think it's potential anymore. … Well, they had their chance. Chris Lloyd and a couple of the writers wrote a really great script that spun Jesse and I off in our life in Missouri, and they said, ‘No.’ They just said, ‘We don't want to do it.’ And I think it hurt Jesse [Tyler Ferguson] and I's feelings. I think it hurt Chris Lloyd's feelings.
Eric Stonestreet would go on to talk about how he thought this concept could have been successful if it had happened in the moment. But somehow, someone high up on the chain of command decided that this wasn’t going to work. Which, depending on how you look at Modern Family, either makes total sense or sounds absolutely ridiculous.
It’s no secret that after 11 seasons in the lives of Cameron, Mitchell, and the rest of their collective family, some consider this hit of the past to be one of those TV shows that went on too long. I mean, we’re only a handful of years past the Modern Family finale, and actor Aubrey Anderson-Emmons went to prom this year, and she was four when the show started! Not only does this fact probably leave fans wistful about the past, but as you’ll read in further remarks from Eric Stonestreet, his regard for the series continues on as follows:
I love my character. I love the show. I love Jesse. We had a great working relationship, we had amazing chemistry. We didn’t know each other, and we built these characters that Steve [Levitan] and Chris wrote, and our writing staff cultivated. I guess because we weren’t maybe done. … I think Jesse and I maybe felt like they thought of us as the old, old, old guys, or something like that, that didn't seem worthy of keeping those characters going. It felt a little hurtful.
Eric Stonestreet - In Depth with Graham Bensinger
I find it hard to believe that the potential of a Cameron/Mitchell-focused spin-off has passed, especially with the opportunity to show those men and their kids, who would be no longer that little. Of course, there’s still mileage in that concept as those hypothetical Modern Family revival talks regularly keep hope alive. Let’s just hope that if this return does come to pass, there’s room to revisit this spinoff, if only to make it up to Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.
Modern Family may be off the air, but you can relive the memories quite easily through the world of streaming. All 11 seasons continue to be available through access to a Hulu subscription, which continues to be good news for those who miss these characters. Who knows? If you start watching the series now, there might be more promising developments by the time you finish it off!