Modern Family blessed us with perhaps one of the most beloved characters in sitcom history in the form of the perpetually awkward but ridiculously optimistic father of the Dunphy family. Portrayed by Ty Burrell throughout the uproariously comical eleven seasons of the show, Phil Dunphy – a devoted family man by day and the genius inventor of Real Head Scratcher™ by night – has always been the life of the party.
After Burrell’s brilliantly indelible impact as the iconic character, it’s simply impossible to envisage the show without his corny jokes or his innocent gaffes as Phil. Surprisingly enough, however, there was a time when that almost didn’t happen.
Ty Burrell Nearly Severed His Career Before Modern Family
Before his remarkable breakthrough thanks to the ABC sitcom, Ty Burrell – like most of the industry thespians – was trying to climb his way up the grueling ladder of Hollywood. But the Dawn of the Dead star found himself in an interminable rut, save for guest appearances and supporting roles here and there which weren’t nearly enough to sustain his career in the long run.
Right before he landed a role in Modern Family as the goofy and affable yet naive father of three, Burrell, now 56, was on the verge of calling it quits. After relentlessly monotonous auditions, he couldn’t help but lose hope about his future (via Glamour Magazine).
That winter before [Modern Family’s] pilot season, my wife and I were talking seriously about how or if I could do something else. Auditioning was just getting the better of me. I had used up all my toughness getting to 40 and auditioning.
You go on five or six auditions a week, and most of them are all rejections. My wife got out early on. She still loves performing, but the business is so weird and hard. I was in a similar boat where I didn’t know if I could keep it up.
But, thankfully enough, Burrell secured a treasured part in the mockumentary sitcom for which he would go on to bag several Primetime Emmy nominations and win two of them. And the rest is history.
Is A Modern Family Reboot on the Horizon?
On May 23, Jesse Tyler Ferguson – who portrayed the high-strung and meticulous Mitchell Pritchett in the show – sparked a fuse of speculation (mostly hope) among fans after posting an Instagram story of the Modern Family set. “Haven’t seen this view in a while,” the award-winning actor wrote with a photo of the Dunphy family home in the background.
While this may just be an innocuous trip down memory lane, rumors about a potential reboot made a splash across the internet, especially after yet another cast member had also hinted at something similar a few months ago.
During her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Sofia Vergara, who played hot-headed Gloria Delgado, claimed that they’d need “a little more time” before orchestrating a Modern Family reboot. “Well, but we don’t have much time because Ed [O’Neill] is old so…” she joked before settling for, if nothing else, then at least a holiday special. “Yeah, we should,” she said.
Even if there is a reboot in the cards, ABC has yet to confirm anything on that front so we’ll just have to wait and hope for the best.
Modern Family can be streamed on Disney+ or Hulu.
