ABC Wednesday 8:30pm
debuts Wednesday, September 30, 8:30pm
concept
from

Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton stars in this warm and witty single-camera comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations.

Frankie Heck is a superhero. Well, no, not an actual superhero - not unless you count getting her kids out the door for school every morning as a superfeat. Middle-aged, middle class and living in the middle of the country, this harried wife and working mother of three uses her wry wit and sense of humor to try to get her family through each day intact. Frankie has a job selling cars at the town's only surviving car dealer; her husband, Mike, is a manager at the local quarry.

In between juggling shifts and picking up fast food dinners eaten in front of the TV, Frankie and Mike raise their kids with love and solid Midwestern practicality. Axl is the oldest, a teenage jock who eats the family out of house and home and walks around in his underwear. Then there's Sue, their extraordinarily ordinary pre-teen daughter who fails at everything she tries with great gusto. Brick, the youngest son, is an odd kid whose best friend is his backpack. Together, they're putting THE MIDDLE on the map. 
stars Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn (Scrubs), Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Chris Kattan
producers Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline
studio Warner Bros. Television
my take
Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn are an average wife and husband in Indiana. They've got Sue, Brick and Axel, who are their three average kids. Average can be comedy gold. Roseanne did make a career out of average and as a bonus, we'll finally get to see Neil Flynn be something other than The Janitor. Other than being funny (duh), my request to Patty Heaton: Do not play Frankie Heck with any hints of shrew. Please. We got enough of that on that Raymond show and I'm pretty sure you've got a lot more range than that. The Middle (and the entire night) is somewhat dependent on its lead-in, Hank.
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