June 26 marked a monumental day for gay couples in not only California, but the entire United States. It's a major victory that should be celebrated across all facets of life. Gay couples in California can now marry as they please, not only in reality, but in television as well. Sure, TV has been known to take liberties in the past and has a loose set of restrictions when it comes to the nuances of fantasy and realism, but the recent DOMA and Prop 8 rulings will likely influence certain series to feed off the accomplishment.
"Modern Family," a California based television series, could take full advantage of gay couples' new right to wed. Co-creator Christopher Lloyd told Entertainment Weekly that the court ruling could ripple through the show's fifth season. Finally, fans could see the long awaited union between Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson).
"It's a real possibility. It's certainly something we are contemplating on the show in ways we wouldn't have in prior seasons," Lloyd said. "We've had a number of conversations. As you can imagine in Cam and Mitchell's life, they would be feeling that a door has opened that was closed to them. Wouldn't it be pretty tempting to think about walking through it? We imagine a lot of gay couples today are deciding whether to get married now that it's open to them. From our standpoint, that's something to explore."
Lloyd made it clear that he didn't want to crack under pressure from the public. If Cam and Mitchell are going to tie the knot, it's going to be on the show's own terms. And "Modern Family" won't be the only television show to feel the heat from enthusiastic fans. "The Fosters," an ABC Family program that's also set in California and features a mixed race lesbian couple, will inevitably toil with the same question.
As much pressure as the creators may feel in the wake of such a magnificent success for California and the United States, Lloyd admits that there's been an excited buzz flowing through the writers' room.
"It's a funny thing, sitting around and celebrating for your characters on a day like this." Lloyd said. "We were happy for Mitch and Cam today!"
If they're happy now, just wait until the couple potentially ties the knot in season 5.