Modern Family Execs Almost Made a Huge Mistake in the Beginning (By Hating Ty Burrell)

Some things in life cannot be questioned. Water boils at 212F. The earth is round. Ty Burrell is the perfect Phil Dunphy for Modern Family.

Well, more than a decade earlier (oh my, are we all that old?), when Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd came up with what would be known and loved as Modern Family, studio executives begged to differ when it came to the fact number three.

In fact, they were on the verge of rejecting Ty Burrell's candidacy to play the Dunphy family patriarch.

As Ty himself revealed in the throwback documentary on season 11 of Modern Family, the studio actually "hated" him, almost personally, and didn't want him as one of the main — and most beloved — characters.

"I got word that it was basically over," recalls Burrell in the documentary. "They're not finding you appealing, charming, funny. You know, like, all the basic things about you, personally, that they don't like."

First of all, wow. That was harsh. Luckily, Steve Levitan wasn't going to give up so easily, and he suggested that they should show the ABC executives how charming Burrell could be as Phil Dunphy by filming a little scene from Levitan's life with his son.

It was a short scene where Phil accidentally shot his kids with a toy gun. Now that's one way to convince the studio executives...

Well, it worked, because after the network saw it, their response was, "Okay, we get it now."

Burrell's only reaction to that somewhat unpleasant throwback was a humble "Thank you, Steve." Honestly, what more do you need?

Thank you, Steve, not just from Ty, but from literally every Modern Family fan, who got to follow Phil's (mis)adventures for over ten years.

Many fans consider Phil their favorite character, with his awkward humor, magic tricks, love for his job and his family, and best puns ever.

Yes, sometimes he was truly cringe-worthy, but didn't it only make us love Mr. Dunphy even more?