'The Middle' News: ABC Show to Be Canceled After 9 Seasons
"The Middle" is ending its nine-year run on ABC, as the network announced on Wednesday, Aug. 2. While there will be no tenth season for the long-running comedy series, stars of the show promised that season 9 will be one to remember.
While the veteran sitcom won a ninth season commission from ABC, it has given up its seat as the network's Wednesday night comedy anchor for two seasons in a row, as noted by Deadline. With "The Goldbergs" taking over, it looked like the Tuesday slot for "The Middle" means that the show could be winding down — a notion confirmed by the network's announcement this week.
Fans have all season long to say goodbye to their favorite middle-class family from fictional Orson, Indiana, when the show's ninth and final run premieres this fall on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
"We sat down with the cast at the end of last year," Eileen Heisler, executive producer for "The Middle," said to Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday. "It was important to have a year to say goodbye. We want to be able to tell all the stories," she explained.
Emmy Award winner Patricia Heaton leads the cast of the middle-class family living their lives in Orson as Frankie Heck, wife and mother of three just trying to keep it together day after day.
The long-running comedy of average-dom stars Neil Flynn as Mike, Heck's dry-witted husband. They have three kids, Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher) and Brick (Atticus Shaffer).
After news broke of the show's last season, lead star Heaton took to social media to assure fans that their last season will be worth all the years that the show has been on air.
"We love our fans and we're bringing you the most epic final season ever!" she said in her Twitter post on Thursday, Aug. 3, followed by a link to the story of the show's cancellation.