There are long running sitcoms, and then there's Modern Family. ABC's colorful mockumentary has cemented itself in pop culture history, as the series is set to run through its whopping tenth season on the network. While some viewership has lessened and the cast has stopped getting obligatory Emmy nominations every year, it's still a wildly successful show that is constantly on syndication. It currently looks like Modern Family will likely end after Season 10, but could one of the Dunphy/Pritchett clan get their own spinoff? Co-creator Christopher Lloyd recently addressed this possibility (as well as the show's ending), saying:
We went through these questions on Frasier, when we brought that around after 11 seasons and sort of said, 'Well, the Shakespearean route on that is a birth, a death or a wedding,' and we managed to effectively do all three in the final episode.' So it may be some conversation that starts there, but we haven't figured out the episode we're doing three weeks from now. It's just a little over a year and a half from now. We've got time to think about that.
It looks as though a Modern Family spinoff isn't off the table, but the creators and showrunners need to focus on the show's final two seasons first. This is probably the right call, as audiences will only be interested in a possible spinoff if the final episodes are of high enough quality.
Christopher Lloyd's comments to THR do make it seem like a spinoff of Modern Family could happen in the next few years. Given how massively popular the original series has bene, it stands to reason that ABC would want to ride the hype train and milk the property for all its worth. But now the question is: who from the show's colorful cast of characters would be the right subject of a new series?
If a Modern Family spinoff was going to focus on one of the kids of the family, smart money says it will be Sarah Hyland's Haley. Perhaps we could follow her as she attempts to finally become a full fledged adult, free from her crazy extended family. This could also leave room for various cast members to pop up to guest star, which may keep Modern Family fans interested in the potential new series.
And if Modern Family was going to give a spinoff to a character who isn't directly in the family, I'd honestly love to see more of Dylan (Reid Ewing). Dylan is one of the funniest recurring characters of all time, having the hots for both Haley and Claire at different points throughout the series. It would be great to see more of his dimwitted misadventures, and given more screen time than he ever had on Modern Family.
Modern Family airs new episodes Wednesdays on ABC. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, and our cancellation list to see if your favorite show got the chop last year.
