The New WhatsApp Commercial Is A Modern Family Reunion With 4 Cast Members
"Modern Family" may be over, but that doesn't mean the characters have stopped their bickering. A new commercial for WhatsApp brings back Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen), Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet), and Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) from the ABC sitcom, doing what they do best: getting caught up in mundane real-life situations.
The clip features Phil, Claire, and Cam admiring a photo an offscreen Hayley (Sarah Hyland) sent in the family group chat, and an incensed Mitchell finding out that he's been left out of the group because his unfamiliarity with his new phone makes things weird, causing him to like strange things and post awful photos. The situation is ultimately resolved when a guy working outside overhears the quarrel and recommends WhatsApp, which the family promptly starts using and greatly enjoys.
While its events are dramatic — at least, as far as Mitchell is concerned — the ad's tone is very similar to that of the show. It even features a fun ending where Cam calms the still-upset Mitchell down by reassuring him that he remains in the family's hearts even though they have to cut him from the chat on occasion.
The many faces of Modern Family
Though the WhatsApp clip is effectively just members of the classic "Modern Family" cast in an advertisement setting, it's far enough removed from the show that it invokes memories of what could have been. This particular show, as it happens, has plenty of those.
"Modern Family" could have been a completely different show had its stars been differently aligned. Early drafts of the show tinkered heavily with the number of characters and families on the show, and some of the early casting ideas were pretty wild, especially when it came to Phil and Claire Dunphy. "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc almost played Phil before the actor decided that he wasn't a great fit for the role, and David Harbour ("Stranger Things," "Black Widow") was also in the running. As for Claire, in some other timeline, she could've been played by Leah Remini or Lisa Kudrow, whose names were on the table at one point.
Even the show as fans know it offers plenty of potential for shaking up the status quo. The entire "Modern Family" timeline ends in 2020, but the final season sets up youngsters like Manny (Rico Rodriguez) in a way that creates plenty of potential for a sequel series. The WhatsApp commercial is a tantalizing sign that the "Modern Family" universe is still very much around and able to entertain, and as such, a spin-off would quite possibly be well-received by the fandom.