No one is ready to say goodbye to Modern Family just yet. Currently in its 10th season, the sitcom is exploring some pretty serious themes this year: from death to unexpected pregnancy, the Dunphy and Pritchett families still have tons of stories to explore. That’s why Julie Bowen, who plays Dunphy matriarch Claire, hopes the show will return for at least one more season after season 10 wraps in the spring.
“It would give me an opportunity to cry at the beginning of every episode, every table read,” Bowen told Entertainment Tonight, while she and her children were volunteering with Celebrity Friends Volunteer with Feeding America at Para Los Niños’ Felices Fiestas Celebration in Los Angeles.
She explained, “This is the last time we do an episode 12. It would let us all properly grieve the end of the series as opposed to it being, right now we’re like, ‘No this can’t be it,’ because we’re all enjoying it. No one’s crying. No one’s sad. So we’re looking forward to being sad.”
Whether or not another season is even possible depends on a few factors. ABC’s contract for the series ends with season 10, though contracts can of course be renewed. Then, the cast and crew have to want another season, but that’s not a problem.
“We were approached. The cast gave a gleeful yes,” Bowen told ET. However, she added, the contractual stuff may take some time to sort out: “I think there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes action that has to happen with Fox, and ABC buying Fox. There’s an extra building worth of paperwork it has to go through. But I’m hoping it does. I really am.”
A rare full family moment. pic.twitter.com/7ast50hVzr
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his) (@jessetyler) December 14, 2018
She also reflected on the news of Haley’s (Sarah Hyland) pregnancy, which was revealed in the mid-season finale. “It’s appropriate,” Bowen told ET. “We watched these kids grow up. It’s kind of, at the end of the pilot, it was Elton John’s ‘The Circle of Life,’ granted with a very funny twist. We’re doing the circle of life. Babies making babies. We just keep going.”
If the series continues after season 10, the Dunphys truly will get to keep going. Bowen is not the first Modern Family member to express hope for another season of the show. In September, while teasing some major events for the current season 10, cocreator Christopher Lloyd noted that there are still tons of storylines to explore.
Lloyd told Entertainment Weekly, “They’re in many ways such different characters than they were five or 10 years ago when we started, and they’re just as interesting and just as funny. So our standpoint was, ‘Well, if we can do another season, we may as well. I’m hoping that we have some news on that [soon], and if it winds up that we tried and just couldn’t make it work, we will have a great final season for sure.”
From the sounds of it, the future of Modern Family hasn’t quite been decided yet, but the cast being approached is a good sign. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for good news.
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