Jesse Tyler Ferguson Shares His Thoughts on Why He Passed on the ‘Modern Family’ Spinoff Focused on Mitch and Cam: “I Want to Explore New Relationships”
Unmade "Modern Family" Spinoff Leaves Cast Disappointed
The potential spinoff of the beloved series Modern Family, featuring characters Mitch and Cam, faced an untimely end at ABC. Despite initial enthusiasm, the project fell through, leaving both cast and fans to ponder what might have been.
In a recent interview, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who portrayed Mitchell Pritchett, expressed his mixed feelings about reprising his role. While he was eager to take part in the new series, the surge of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic posed challenges. “Modern Family ended and then we had a pandemic, you know. I was so excited for this next chapter of my life, and then it was like, everyone go inside,” Ferguson stated on the Dinner’s On Me podcast, hosted by Wendi McLendon-Covey, who is known for her work on The Goldbergs.
Ferguson recounted that there were discussions among producers about a spinoff featuring both him and Eric Stonestreet. “I was interested in [the spinoff], but I was also supposed to do this play in New York,” he added, suggesting a conflicting schedule.
Had the spinoff proceeded, it would have portrayed Ferguson and Stonestreet’s characters as they settled into life in Missouri. They starred in Modern Family for 11 seasons before the show concluded in 2020. Reflecting on the project, Ferguson admitted, “It sort of felt like, as the reality of maybe the spinoff was actually going to happen, I literally felt like, Oh my god, I want to date other people.” After playing Mitchell for over a decade, he expressed a desire to explore different acting opportunities, stating he wanted to experience life without the character but ultimately acknowledged, “it ended up not working out.”
In a related development, Stonestreet shared his disappointment following ABC’s decision to halt the spinoff initiative. In 2024, he revealed the effort involved in scripting the series, emphasizing the quality of the work. “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,’” he noted in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
Reflecting on the decision, Stonestreet expressed affection for his character and the ensemble. “I love my character. I love the show. I love Jesse. We had a great working relationship; we had amazing chemistry,” he remarked. However, he felt the producers viewed them as “the old guys” whose characters were not worthy of continuation, a sentiment that he found somewhat hurtful.
Stonestreet concluded that the new series would have succeeded, stating, “We had the right people in place. It would have been great. If ABC would have said ‘Let’s do it,’ I think we’d be on right now.” The missed opportunity continues to resonate with its cast, leaving fans to dream of the adventures that could have unfolded.
