Modern Family Boss Talks Ed O'Neill Emmy Snub and Season Two

Stop the presses! There will be "more of the same" and that's, um, a very good thing

By Kristin Dos Santos Jul 20, 2010 5:20 PMTags
Modern Family, CastABC/MARIO PEREZ

One season. Fourteen Emmy nominations. Five castmembers competing in the supporting categories. One man vs. pigeon battle. Modern Family definitely has the stats to prove that come August 29, they'll be the ones to beat. 

And while the show's cocreator and executive producer Steve Levitan is still reeling from the Ed O'Neill diss (the TV vet is the only main character not to get a nod), Steve admits something he did know:

That it was Emmy nomination morning. While most stars and producers give us the old "I was asleep" spiel for the big announcements (puh-lease!), Steve says he was all about it.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, I knew. I did wake up early," he tells us. "I've never done that before, because in the past I had great fear that I would wake up and then be disappointed and then not be able to go back to sleep and then just want to stick my head into a blender. This year I felt a little bit more optimistic."

We don't blame Steven for feeling all warm and fuzzy about his show and the stellar cast he gets to work with. We'd be spitting rainbows and sunshine if Ty Burrell was at our disposal, too. Sadly, not all of the Modern Family cast got the recognition they deserved. "Very disappointed about Ed O'Neill," Steve says. "I don't want to say he got robbed. He makes it look so effortless that perhaps he got overlooked or perhaps people thought he was in the wrong category." Steve reminds us that it was Ed's decision to put his name in the supporting category, despite being the best-known name among the cast, and his costars followed suit—an all-for-one approach that may have backfired.

Last night, we got the scoop on season two from the writers themselves when The Paley Center for Media honored the minds behind Modern Family. So, what can we look forward to? The mantra is clear from all the executive producers: "More of the same!" Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And Modern Family is most certainly not broke.

"The stories are very similar to the first season, but we just keep digging deeper and putting new characters together and searching for new dynamics. It's going to feel just like season one, but hopefully much better," Steve spills. Viewers will be welcomed back with the family experiencing an earthquake, and later on in the season, we'll be meeting Cameron's mother. Steve & Co. stayed mum on any other storylines, but they've already penned 14 (!) of the 24 episodes for next season, and shooting gets under way the first week of August.

So, will Steve take some of that confidence from all those Emmy nominations with him to the big night? "I'm going to be terrified," he says with a laugh. "I'm going to have a lot of angst."  Maybe we can get Fizbo the clown to spread a little cheer before winners are announced.

—Reporting by Jenna Mullins

Are you all missing Modern Family as much as we are? Who do you think they should cast as Cameron's mom? You know exactly what to do, so go have a little chat with the comment section down there.

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