Pepper From Modern Family Doesn't Appear In As Many Episodes As You May Think

Of the numerous one-off and supporting characters fans of "Modern Family" get to meet throughout the show's run, few are as well-remembered as Sherman "Pepper" Saltzman (Nathan Lane). Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell Pritchett's (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) close friend consistently delivers memorable moments every time he pops up on the show. Of course, this is no surprise given that Lane — a seasoned film, television, and theater actor — is the one responsible for portraying him. If anything, it's just too bad he didn't get to play him more before the sitcom concluded.

Despite his prominence as a member of Cam and Mitch's close circle of friends, Pepper only appears on "Modern Family" a handful of times. He makes his first appearance in the Season 2 episode "Earthquake," wrapping up his run on the series via Season 10's "We Need to Talk about Lily." In between those two appearances, he pops up in eight other episodes, bringing his total episode count to an even 10. Pepper is entirely absent from Season 1, Season 3, and Season 8, which is pretty astounding for a character so memorable and often spoken of by others.

With "Modern Family" long over, it stands to reason that Lane's work as Pepper is indeed over. Then again, that's only true if the character doesn't get a spotlight of his own down the road.

In the streaming age, major studios are looking for any excuse they can to keep their most popular properties alive. That means that projects originally intended to be standalone endeavors can be turned into launchpads for franchises consisting of multiple installments in the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, this hasn't happened with "Modern Family" in the years since it bid audiences farewell, but the spin-off potential is undeniably there. For instance, Nathan Lane wouldn't mind starring in a series all about Pepper.

Speaking with Deadline, Lane shared that he was happy with how "Modern Family" expanded on the Pepper character, revealing information about his professional and romantic lives. It's rare for minor characters to receive such treatment, and the legendary actor doesn't want it all to go to waste. Lane told the publication, "I don't know if I will ever see that spin-off, 'A Dash of Pepper' — but at least he's got a living, got a husband. I think we could do something!" Between the full-realized character at the center of it and the creative title, the pieces are all present for "A Dash of Pepper" to become a reality.

The chances are slim that Nathan Lane's Pepper will get a program all his own, so in the event that his hypothetical spin-off doesn't become a reality, at least we have 10 excellent "Modern Family" performances to enjoy.