Ariel Winter Credits Modern Family's Relatability For The Series' Longevity
It can be argued closet company owner Jay (Ed O'Neill) is the linchpin of his family in the beloved sitcom "Modern Family." However, the series is not centered around one specific character. For instance, throughout the show's 10-year run, fans watched Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter) partake in significant scientific endeavors, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) devote his life to his children and learning magic tricks, and Cameron "Cam" Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) showing off his talents for both musical theatre and football.
While speaking to "Good Morning America" in 2019, Winter theorized the show's devoted fans have been consistently drawn to "Modern Family" as they find it easy to relate to the comedy's various characters. "What I hope is that when people watch our show, they can see themselves somewhere," said the Virginia native. She also claimed that many of the storylines on "Modern Family" were inspired by actual events. "It's very real. The stories come from real life, real people's families," shared Winter.
Ariel Winter revealed when she realized how popular Modern Family was
During the "Good Morning America" interview, Ariel Winter revealed that viewers within her age range shared that her portrayal of Alex allowed them to take pride in their academic achievements. "I've always enjoyed school and I've always thought it was cool, but it's a beautiful thing to see so many different things that are being accepted because of our show," Winter said. She went on to add, "While this has a small impact on the entire world, it means a lot to us because that's really what we want this show to be."
Winter acknowledged the popularity of "Modern Family" in a 2022 interview with Pop Culture. She shared she realized the series had reached its iconic status when she came across a marathon running on the USA Network. Winter also asserted that she appreciates the sitcom's passionate fanbase. She noted, however, that she does not believe the cast of "Modern Family" will film any more episodes, saying that the show had a satisfactory finale in 2020. However, while she is done with "Modern Family" for now, Winter wouldn't close the door on returning for a spin-off, if one was ever pitched.
"I think that it would need to be a spin-off of the show like where the characters are now because, you know, a continuation of where we left off would be difficult, you know, we've all gotten older," explained Winter.