# The Middle (2009)

> A working class Indiana mother and her semi-dysfunctional family muddle through everyday life in the small city of Orson.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1338

## Facts

- Seasons: 9
- Episodes: 215
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer, Brian Doyle-Murray, Beau Wirick, Amy Sedaris
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442464/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wry, warm, deadpan, affectionate, cozy

## What critics say

Audiences widely regard The Middle as a warm, consistently funny family sitcom whose relatable, working-class Midwestern family and Patricia Heaton's lead performance give it lasting appeal.

## Synopsis

The Middle (2009-2018) is an American network family sitcom created by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline for ABC. Patricia Heaton plays Frankie Heck, a harried mother trying to hold together a semi-dysfunctional household in the small city of Orson, Indiana, alongside Neil Flynn as her gruff husband Mike, Charlie McDermott as her eldest son Axl, and Eden Sher as her earnest daughter Sue. The engine of the show is ordinary middle class strain: money worries, dead-end jobs, stubborn relatives and the small humiliations of everyday life, all played for laughs rather than spectacle. Each episode is a self-contained case of the week, and the nine-season run builds a warm, lived-in portrait of a family that keeps trying despite itself. The tone is wry, affectionate and gently cozy, with a deadpan edge and an emphasis on resilience over cynicism. Fans of Roseanne, Everybody Loves Raymond and Malcolm in the Middle will find resonance in its blend of working class realism and broad family comedy.

## Shows like The Middle

- [Mom (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/43994)
- [Modern Family (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/1337)
- [According to Jim (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/1637)
- [Bless This Mess (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/73141)
- [Grounded for Life (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4500)
- [The Goldbergs (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/43992)
- [American Housewife (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59081)
- [Parenthood (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/20053)
- [Married... with Children (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4027)
- [One Day at a Time (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/2078)

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