If and when Gil Thorpe, the antagonistic pickle-dispensing realtor from “Modern Family,” gets a show of his own, there’s another character who might like to have a chat. His name? Gil Thorp.

Gil Thorpe has been around for just four or so TV seasons. He’s the grating nemesis of “Family’s” uber-friendly Phil Dunphy (and, until recently, referred to only by name). Gil Thorp, on the other hand, has been coaching various sports for a high school in what is presumably Milford, Conn., since 1958. Gil Thorpe has made lustful remarks about Phil’s wife, Claire. Gil Thorp’s most controversial moment came when he talked a 15-year-old teen out of getting an abortion.

The biggest difference between the two men: Gil Thorpe appears occasionally on an ABC program that reaches approximately 10 million to 12 million viewers, while Gil Thorp appears in a venerable comic strip bearing his name that runs in just around 60 newspapers,...