Mere days after "Modern Family" co-creator Christopher Lloyd saw Ty Burrell in "In Good Company," Burrell came in to audition for "Out of Practice," a sitcom co-created for Lloyd prior to "Modern Family." It may come as a surprise to fans of the latter show, but, at the time, Burrell didn't have any sitcom experience which made him an unlikely candidate to land the part he was after on "Out of Practice."
Lloyd explained in the book, "Ty was a knock-around New York stage actor. He was 36, offbeat. That scares studios and networks because they get leery of anyone approaching 40 who hasn't made their mark yet." Regardless, he ended up landing the part, but, unfortunately, the show ran for just one season from 2005 to 2006. But Burrell had already made a major impression on Lloyd, so Lloyd cast him in a part in another sitcom, "Back to You," which he co-created with Steven Levitan — who he would go on to co-create "Modern Family" with. Again, it only lasted one season. But, during this time, Burrell really got to know Lloyd and Levitan — and the creators got to see the goofy side of Burrell that fans would recognize as essential to Phil. Burrell said, "I think Steve, Chris, and I spent enough time around each other offscreen that my dopey but well-intended side may have come out."
So it ended up being for the best that neither of those sitcoms worked out because next came "Modern Family."
