'Modern Family's Cam and Mitch almost had a spin-off
Actor Eric Stonestreet, who played Cameron Tucker on the hit ABC sitcom Modern Family, recently opened up about the network's decision to pass on a spin-off centered around his character and his on-screen husband Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Stonestreet said he felt "a little hurtful" by ABC's decision, but understood it was a business call.
Spin-off would've chronicled Mitch and Cam's life in Missouri
The proposed spin-off, co-written by Modern Family co-creator/executive producer Christopher Lloyd and longtime executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh, was set to follow Mitch and Cam's new life with their kids in Missouri. "Chris Lloyd and a couple of the writers wrote a really great script that spun Jesse and I off in our life in Missouri," Stonestreet revealed.
'I think it hurt Jesse and I's feelings'
Stonestreet said, "They (ABC executives) just said, 'We don't want to do it.' And I think it hurt Jesse and I's feelings. I think it hurt Chris Lloyd's feelings." He added, "I think Jesse and I felt like they thought of us as the old guys, or something like that, that didn't seem worthy of keeping those characters going."
'I think it would have been a slam dunk'
Despite the network's decision, Stonestreet believes the spin-off had great potential. He said, "I think it would have been a slam dunk, I don't think it would have not been successful." "You had one of the creators who had really taken such great care of making sure that show was great for so long, willing to do it."
Spin-off was scrapped due to lack of diversity, say sources
According to sources, the spin-off was scrapped because it didn't quite live up to the original series. There were also concerns about the lack of diversity in the setup. However, Stonestreet feels that with the right team in place, the show could have been successful. He said, "It wasn't like two ancillary writers that were just being like, 'Hey, we're looking for a money grab here.'"
