Modern Family is back… but don’t expect a reboot.
Four of the original cast members of the ABC sitcom are returning to their roles, starring in a new commercial for WhatsApp, the chat platform owned by Meta.
The stars, Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy), Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy), Eric Stonestreet (Cameron Tucker), and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell Pritchett), are reprising their roles for the spot, which pokes fun at group chats in which some members have an iPhone and a blue bubble, and others have an Android phone with a dreaded green bubble.
The platform is pitching itself as a solution to that “divide,” using the ABC sitcom as a hook.
Watch:
Ferguson sparked online rumors of a Modern Family reboot when he shared a photo from the set of the sitcom, captioning the photo “Haven’t seen this view in a while.” He declined to share more when asked about it on The Talk a few weeks later.
Commercials, of course, have q long history of reviving classic TV shows and characters from campaigns. Just a few weeks ago Pop-Tarts brought back the Seinfeld characters Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris) and The Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas) for a commercial that also helped promoted Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix movie about the breakfast treat.
Last year Walmart brought back much of the original cast of Mean Girls for a series of commercial spots.
And this year’s Super Bowl delivered multiple ads featuring actors from the show Suits.
So, no, there’s no Modern Family reboot in the works (that we know of), but fans can enjoy at last 30 seconds of new material, even if it is trying to sell you on a chat platform.
