Conception
What was the original name of Modern Family?
Modern Family
As creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan retold stories about their families, they realized that the stories could be the basis for a show. They started working on the idea of a family being observed in a mockumentary-style show. They later decided that it could be a show about three families and their experiences. It was originally called "My American Family". The creators pitched it to the Big Three television networks (they did not pitch it to Fox because of issues Lloyd had with the network over "Back to You"). CBS, which was not ready to use the single-camera style of filming nor ready to make another large commitment, rejected the series. The network had recently aired "Welcome to The Captain" and "Worst Week", two single-camera sitcoms that lasted only one season (CBS would not attempt another single-camera series until 2013, when it picked up both "We Are Men" and "The Crazy Ones" for its fall lineup; "We Are Men" was cancelled after two episodes). NBC, already broadcasting "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation", decided against taking on a third mockumentary-style show. ABC accepted the series and picked it up for a full season.