Posted in: ABC, Hulu, streaming, TV | Tagged: ABC, modern family, opinion

Modern Family Should've Given Us More of These Supporting Characters

ABC's Modern Family had a "deep bench" when it came to supporting & guest characters. Here's who we wanted to see more of...

On my days off, I like to surround myself with treats and shows I have binged on over and over, ABC's Modern Family being one of those shows I will leave on in the background playing while I get stuff done. It is definitely one of those shows that feels like an old friend that will calm down my anxiety and warm me up the way a hot chocolate would. It never ceases to bring a smile to my face and make a hard day more bearable. Granted, while a lot of things have become harder to watch as time goes along, like Claire being a total Karen, how each character became an exaggerated cliché after season 9, as well as how wrong they did to the women in the show as the seasons went along… I mean, Haley had so much potential yet ended up like her mom; Alex became a total uptight businesswoman; Claire fucked up the closet business left to her; and Gloria became a total caricature of a femme fatale. But those first 5-7 seasons? Priceless!

One of the things that I have come to appreciate watching Modern Family is that the series had a supporting cast of characters who deserved more screen time, if not spinoff consideration. It has been one of my favorite parts to focus on when I watch the episodes again, and makes me realize how under-utilized they were. Here are just a few of my favorites that we deserved to see more of:

Andre (Kevin Hart) was a good counterpart to Phil and definitely deserved to be peppered throughout the show in more than just a couple of episodes. I would have loved to see Phil and Andre on adventures dodging Claire's nagging, not to mention I will always welcome diversity.

Duane Bailey (David Cross) was the one person that has put Claire in her place. Despite being so overwhelmingly douchey, I wish he and the council would have gotten their own show. Even if the character had many asshole qualities, it was clear his colleagues and constituents cared about him.

Ronnie and Amber LaFontaine (Steve Zahn and Andrea Anders) were definitely my favorite out of all the guest appearances. Another great counterpart to Claire. I hate that they just were so unwelcoming to them from moment one with all the crazy prejudices. While I expect it from Claire, it was weird that Phil joined in on this weird rivalry, even after his dad told him he was a good man. Definitely deserving of their own show – I think they would have been hysterical.

Dr. Arvin Fennerman (Chris Geere) was a great character from the second he was introduced. Definitely would have preferred to have seen him with Alex from the start instead of having her end up with Haley's leftovers. Another instance in which they shortchanged the women involved, but at least I am glad he ended up with Alex. Though I wish we would have gotten a bit more of them.

Haley's bosses, Gavin Sinclair (Michael Urie) and Nicole Rosemarie Page (Mira Sorvino): By this point, you are all aware of how I feel about Haley and how dirty she was done toward the end of the show. We had seen multiple instances of her potential in fashion, and I wish we would have seen more of her in her element. While quirky in each of their ways, each of the bosses made me laugh and were deserving of more screen time. I would have loved to have seen more of Haley's professional growth.

Trish (Paget Brewster) was Javier's new fiancé and a great addition for just one episode. It would have been nice to see Javier get himself together and finally see him happy with someone as well. Trish clicked with Manny, Jay, and even Gloria, and it would have been nice to see her interact with the extended family, too.

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