WandaVision’s tribute to classic American sitcoms has been unique for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series has delivered countless nods to sitcoms across the decades, from musical openings to suburban sets to the jokey dialogue, while still being very much a Marvel project. WandaVision's most recent comedy homage was tied to the ABC sitcom Modern Family, and one person who noticed was Claire Dunphy herself, a.k.a. actress Julie Bowen. Thankfully, the former Modern Family lead had an awesome response to the fun references.
WandaVision’s homage to classic sitcoms has been a sight to marvel for everyday fans, so it's awesome to see direct feedback from those connected to the series that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are calling back to. In entering the 2000s and 2010s, the Marvel series also featured nods to The Office and Happy Endings, but ABC’s Modern Family was certainly the big inspiration for the gamechanging seventh episode, "Breaking the Fourth Wall," and Julie Bowen took to Instagram to share not only her fondness for the heavily detailed tribute, but also to explain why watching the episode was a bittersweet experience for her.
One year to the day since we wrapped Modern Family, and tonight we were part of Wanda Vision. They’ve paid homage to I Love Lucy, Bewitched and The Brady Bunch among others...To see our show as a 'classic' through the eyes of an incredibly innovative Marvel show left me speechless. (Trust me, and anyone who has worked with me, that’s hard to do.) @wandavision from the breaking of the 4th wall to the fabric on the couch...wow. What a great way to celebrate a bittersweet anniversary.
With Modern Family having officially ended on ABC in April 2020, Julie Bowen’s words were quite timely and poignant, as well as distinct from most reactions. Even beyond appreciating just how meticulous the show (and the unnamed production designer Mark Worthington) were about recreating various elements from the Dunphys' lives, Bowen was touched by the acknowledgement that WandaVision and its creatives considered Modern Family as classic a TV representation as many of the older standards that were lovingly referenced earlier.
As Bowen pointed out, series star Elizabeth Olsen & Co. were able to tap into the essence of what made Modern Family such a long-lasting and impactful hit. Revisiting that headspace exactly a year after the cast first read the series finale was evidently quite touching for Bowen. Episode 7 falling on the anniversary of the final day of filming brought up all kinds of emotions for the series star. You can check out more of Bowen’s awesome Instagram post below:
As Julie Bowen mentioned, WandaVision’s Modern Family homage was bittersweet for her, though it was more plainly great for viewers in general. Modern Family was one of many series that ended its run in 2020, after 11 award-winning seasons. The road to the finale was well documented as evident by the cast’s final table read, and ABC and Modern Family creators touched fans’ hearts by releasing an emotional video of the cast and crew wrapping up the series. Despite the final season's existence being confirmed a year in advance, some of the Modern Family cast weren’t ready to let the series go.
Even after the series ended, the Modern Family cast has stayed connected and celebrated special occasions together. I guess it didn't make sense for everyone to watch WandaVision together and start debating the meaning of Nexus, all things considered, but maybe one day.
