After 11 seasons, Steven Levitan didn’t quite get what he expected for his hit series “Modern Family”. As the world began to shut down amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the series ended – which was disappointing and a relief for the showrunner.
“Weirdly, it took the lead. ‘Modern Family’ wasn’t my biggest concern. It wasn’t going to go over my head when the world was closed. But it did give me time to think and figure out what I really wanted.” What I wanted to do and what I don’t want to do anymore, and that’s how I ended up here,” he told TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman during Wednesday’s The Grail conference.
Now, Levitan has launched his next comedy series, “Reboot.” The Hulu comedy about a revived sitcom explores complex relationships with friends, family, and coworkers while poke fun at the entertainment industry.
The series was born out of several revelations that Levitan made during the pandemic, including the idea that it might no longer be possible to create a show with such wide appeal. As viewing habits change and the TV industry becomes more fragmented, Levitan saw an opportunity for experimentation.
“You have to change the expectations now. So I didn’t want to chase something that made it look like I was doing another version of it.” [‘Modern Family’], I wanted to expand creatively,” he said. “It was a chance for me to know what I was doing during the day. And it didn’t start that way. It just started out as an idea for a bunch of people coming back to a show and that’s how interesting it is. It’s like going to a high school reunion or something where everyone’s left with all kinds of expectations and behaviors, and then you’re coming back years later and things might just be the way you expected. Maybe they didn’t.”
The “reboot” gave Levitan a chance to turn the lens inward toward his own industry, removing the veils from how cultural conversation is affecting the writers’ room and giving audiences a humorous look at the discussions. Well, how far is comedy when it comes to it? Is there a line and how do you know you’ve crossed it?
Comedy has taken more than a few hits in recent years, as more creators and comedians are held accountable for the jokes they tell, particularly those targeted at marginalized communities. Instead of running away from those conversations, Levitan wanted them at the forefront of his show.
“I can pretend it doesn’t happen, or I can pretend it does and then it leads to discussions. I’ve been in those discussions,” he said. “I’ve been in those discussions Where a room full of smart, forward-thinking people is sharply divided over whether it’s okay to do something. So, I’m in a unique position with this show to be able to have those conversations, and it allows us to illuminate them in a way that you can do when you’re completely different about a show. can not do. ,
You can watch Levitan’s full Spotlight conversation above.
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