In the age of reboots, revivals, prequels, sequels, and spinoffs, you never know what film or show will be next to get the treatment. While some definitely don’t need it, it’s also fun to see what some fan-favorite characters are up to, and that almost happened with Modern Family. While the Emmy-winning sitcom ended in 2020, it nearly got a spinoff following Mitch, Cam, Lily, and little Rex. However, now Jesse Tyler Ferguson is opening up about it, and he did not mince words while sharing his take.
The potential spinoff would have centered on Mitch (Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and their new life in Missouri with their daughter, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), and their recently adopted baby son, Rex. Ferguson recalled finding out about the spinoff while speaking with guest Wendi McLendon-Covey on his podcast Dinner’s on Me and how he was looking forward to moving on with his life after Modern Family ended. So he was feeling a bit conflicted about the initial news:
During that time, they were brewing this idea of maybe doing a Modern Family spinoff with Eric and I, which I was interested in. But I was also supposed to do this play in New York. And it sort of felt like maybe the spinoff was actually going to happen, I literally felt like I was like ‘Oh my god, I want to date other people.’
Considering Modern Family ran for 11 seasons, it makes sense that Ferguson was feeling a bit hesitant to do the spinoff. However, at the same time, he was interested in doing a spinoff and exploring more about these characters. It probably didn’t help that he had already booked another role, and it sounds like it was a pretty difficult decision, especially since all signs were pointing to ABC moving forward:
I have to feel what it’s like to not do that.
I understand where Ferguson is coming from. Obviously, he sounded interested in doing the spinoff, but he also wanted to move forward and not have to stick to doing just one thing. Unfortunately, ABC ended up not moving forward with the spinoff, and Ferguson shared his thoughts on that matter:
Anyway, it ended up not working out.
Stonestreet, meanwhile, previously got candid about the spinoff, admitting how hurt he and Ferguson were when it didn’t get ordered. He also noted how much the show and these characters mean to him and his co-star, and how he thought the spinoff could be successful. It’s still unclear exactly why ABC didn’t want to do the spinoff, especially since Modern Family was successful, and even six years later, it still hurts.
As a Modern Family fan, I would have loved nothing more than to have a Cam and Mitch spinoff, and I’m still sad that it didn’t happen. At the very least, there are frequent Modern Family reunions, both big and small. And Ferguson and Stonestreet have reunited with Anderson-Emmons on numerous occasions, so that family will always be around, albeit in different ways. It’s possible we could still get some type of Modern Family spinoff in the future. The series is still one of the best sitcoms of all time, so you never know what could happen.
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