One of the most beloved TV sitcoms of all time, Modern Family was bolstered by its stacked ensemble cast, and quickly turned stars like Julie Bowen into household names. The ABC faux documentary kept its multigenerational tale going for eleven seasons, which is more than enough time for plenty of on-set drama to go down. But it doesn’t sound like that was ever the case for Bowen herself, who says she would have been happy to die on that set.
While perhaps not the most traditionally positive way to reflect on a treasured memory, Bowen has remained wholly positive about her entire experience as Claire Dunphy (a role she almost missed out on). What’s more, she’s welcoming all the ongoing rumors and conversations about a potential spinoff or revival as a sequel series, and sounds like she wouldn’t hesitate to get back to work with her former co-workers. Speaking with US Weekly, she talked about her affection for the ABC series, saying:
I would have died on that set happily, just gotten old and drifted off into the great beyond on that set. Happiest, best job ever. It was in LA; nothing is in LA, everything about it, the people I was working with, the proximity to my kids. It was just joyful.
While probably not the most cost-efficient way to fill a TV schedule, it would be quite the interesting experiment to have a documentary-esque series like Modern Family release annual specials or episodes that check in with the same characters year after year for far longer than scripted TV projects usually last. I’d imagine Bowen would be down for just such a regular update on the Dunphy clan, especially if it means getting to spend guaranteed time with her TV family. The Los Angeles-based filming is obviously also expected.
Despite rumors and stories coming out during Modern Family‘s run that pit Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara against each other, the former has addressed how disappointing that was, especially considering the actresses were and remain such good friends on and off the set.
Just in case it wasn’t already clear by the idea of her willingness to grow old and brittle-boned on Modern Family‘s set, Julie Bowen fully confirmed that she would be all in on returning to this universe in whatever context possible. In her words:
I have said, like anytime I get asked any questions about Modern Family reunions, movies, specials. I’m like, ‘Yes, where can I sign up?’
Surely, it takes more than just casual interest from fans and actors to get a TV revival officially in the works, and the fact that ABC passed on the Cam and Mitchell spinoff makes me curious about how much budgeting for the show’s massive cast has played into conversations about bringing the series back.
While it’s unclear if Julie Bowen will be popping up in any upcoming horror TV shows after showing off her talents in Peacock’s Hysteria!, we can always hope for it. Or maybe even a Halloween-based reunion special for Modern Family, to keep those vibes alive. Before we get to see Claire Dunphy’s possible return, though, we’ll be seeing a de-aged version of Bowen in Happy Gilmore 2 alongside Adam Sandler when the comedy sequel hits the 2025 movie schedule.
