‘Modern Family’ EP Steve Levitan On Final Season: “We Plan On Finishing Strong”
ABC started the countdown to the finale of its signature comedy series Modern Family at today’s upfront.
The entire cast of the Emmy-winning series and co-creator/executive producer Steve Levitan took the ABC upfront stage at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall one last time as the series heads into its 11th and final season.
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Levitan reminisced about Modern Family’s very first upfront.
“Ten years and four network presidents ago, when streaming was something you did in the bathroom, ABC told us that were not going to show a trailer, they were going to screen the whole thing at the upfront,” he said.
Levitan recalled how everyone was very excited until they found out that the previous show to have its pilot screened in-full at the upfronts “flopped and never recovered.” (He didn’t mention that show by name; it was the short-lived Friends spin-off Joey.)
“We were streaming in our pants!,” Levitan said. But then the pilot screened, and attendees of the ABC upfront laughed at all the right places and started cheering when Cam introduced baby Lily to the music of The Lion King in the pilot’s climax.
“In 22 minutes, all of our lives changed,” Levitan said. He thanked advertisers for supporting the show and ended his speech with a promise, “We plan on finishing strong.”
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