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The Middle

The Middle
★ 7.6/10•2009•22m•TV-PG•Comedy
Similars

Oh, and your family's so perfect.

The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.

StatusEnded
Runtime22m
LanguageEN
First Air DateSep 30, 2009

Episodes

Episode 1 - PilotE123m

Pilot

Meet the Hecks – an ordinary family struggling to survive each other and life in Middle America. PATRICIA HEATON stars as a working mother whose family life is one big happy mess.

Sep 30, 2009

Episode 2 - The CheerleaderE221m

The Cheerleader

Facing financial disaster, Frankie tries to save her job; Sue fails swim team tryouts, then learns she needs glasses; and Brick starts reading his mother's steamy romance novels.

Oct 7, 2009

Episode 3 - The Floating AnniversaryE321m

The Floating Anniversary

Frankie and Mike's romantic plans for their anniversary are thwarted by a sick Brick, a lovesick Sue, a learner's permit-toting Axl, two crazy aunts and their diaper-wearing dog.

Oct 14, 2009

Episode 4 - The TripE421m

The Trip

Frankie urges Sue to fight for her right to attend a class trip after making the grade by selling thousands of dollars worth of sausage and cheese; Brick gets his first girlfriend.

Oct 21, 2009

Episode 5 - The Block PartyE520m

The Block Party

After Brick’s teachers tell his parents that he’s “socially challenged,” Mike tries to help Brick make friends; while Frankie needs her son’s coveted football jersey.

Oct 28, 2009

Episode 6 - The Front DoorE621m

The Front Door

Mike insists that only Axl fix the front door after he knocks it down; Frankie must sell a car within a week; and its school picture time for a photographically challenged Sue.

Nov 4, 2009

Episode 7 - The ScratchE721m

The Scratch

Frankie must create the illusion of a picture-perfect family when an accident causing a small scratch on Brick leads a social worker to visit the Heck household.

Nov 18, 2009

Episode 8 - ThanksgivingE821m

Thanksgiving

Frankie’s dream of the perfect Thanksgiving turns into a nightmare when Mr. Ehlert forces the staff to work on the holiday – and Axl loses Brick in a corn maze.

Nov 25, 2009

Episode 9 - SiblingsE921m

Siblings

Frankie encounters two perfect siblings and vows to make her children stop fighting and become a loving family. Meanwhile, Aunt Edie makes a costly mistake at the quarry and Mike considers firing her.

Dec 2, 2009

Episode 10 - ChristmasE1021m

Christmas

Mike takes over the responsibility of organizing the Heck family Christmas while Frankie practices for a solo that she is singing at midnight mass. However, she gets jealous when Mike seems to be doing a better job than she ever did. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike help Brick get over a problem so he can get into the Christmas spirit.

Dec 9, 2009

Episode 11 - The JeansE1121m

The Jeans

A hormonally charged Sue wants a cool pair of jeans in order to fit in with her peers, resulting in Frankie and Mike enduring the unpredictability of teenagers, while Axl wants a car to impress a girl. Meanwhile, attempting to teach Brick about responsibility, Frankie and Mike reluctantly allow him to take care of Aunt Edie and Aunt Ginny's dog Doris for a few days.

Jan 6, 2010

Episode 12 - The NeighborE1221m

The Neighbor

When Sue has a run-in with her sons, Frankie fears that a confrontation with the trasy neighbor may be at hand. Meanwhile, Axl attempts to bribe Brick after he's asked to teach his little brother how to kick a ball for a gym requirement. However, Brick is the one turning the tables and it ends up bribing him for another favor.

Jan 6, 2010

Episode 13 - The InterviewE1321m

The Interview

Mike loses his job when the plant shuts down for scientific research after he discovers a dinosaur bone in the quarry. However, Mike starts to get irregular feelings when he discovers how drastically things have change technologically over the years when considering the terms of searching for a job. Meanwhile, Frankie feels she must once again come to Brick's rescue when he decides to run for school historian.

Jan 13, 2010

Episode 14 - The YellingE1421m

The Yelling

Frankie makes a deal with her kids, that if they do their homework and keep chores she won't nag them. Meanwhile, Mike takes a job as a night driver with Bob.

Feb 3, 2010

Episode 15 - Valentine's DayE1521m

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day unexpectedly finds Frankie and Mike home alone and ready for a romantic evening while Brick is away at his first sleepover, Sue goes to her first boy-girl party, and Axl has a big date night planned with some friends. But Cupid's arrow doesn't exactly hit the target, and the best laid plans soon begin to unravel.

Feb 10, 2010

Episode 16 - The BeeE1621m

The Bee

When Mike discovers that Brick is a spelling whiz and won the school spelling bee, he puts all his efforts into training him to win the regional bee, which could ultimately lead to competing in the Scripps Spelling Bee. But as the family gets set for their road trip to Chicago for the regional bee, Frankie and Mike are horrified when they realize they forgot one thing -- Sue's birthday.

Mar 3, 2010

Episode 17 - The Break-UpE1721m

The Break-Up

Axl is heartbroken when his girlfriend breaks up with him; Sue and Brick watch a scary movie.

Mar 10, 2010

Episode 18 - The Fun HouseE1821m

The Fun House

Frankie fears for her job when a motivational consultant comes to get the sale team into shape. While Frankie is putting in many extra hours, Mike has to deal with the children and their issues, including making the house more fun for Axl and his friends, giving advice to Sue's ex-boyfriend and helping Brick with a school project.

Mar 24, 2010

Episode 19 - The Final FourE1921m

The Final Four

Mike's dream comes to fruition when Frankie's boss, Mr. Ehlert, offers him two tickets to the Final Four. Unfortunately, Frankie's uncle dies and the funeral is set for the same day, leaving the two in a battle and Frankie making Mike chose what life event is more important to him. Meanwhile, Sue gets Brick out of going to a birthday party by impersonating Frankie over the phone, but the plan hits a bump when Frankie needs to call and tell them that Brick cannot attend because of the funeral.

Mar 31, 2010

Episode 20 - TV or Not TVE2020m

TV or Not TV

After failing to pay the electric bill on time, the electric company shuts off the Heck's power. This leads Frankie and Mike to cut down on their unnecessary expenses, including their cable TV. The kids take up other activities to fill the void, but Frankie and Mike have a hard time figuring out what to do. Meanwhile, Brick and his other socially-challenged friends have to go outside for recess when the school library shuts down.

Apr 14, 2010

Episode 21 - Worry DutyE2121m

Worry Duty

Frankie is worried that Axl's going to get his heart crushed again when his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Morgan, re-enters his life and tries to mold him into the man she wants him to be. Meanwhile Brick learns what it means to be a mother hen when he has to watch over a baby chick for a school science project.

Apr 28, 2010

Episode 22 - Mother's DayE2221m

Mother's Day

Mother's Day for Frankie is anything but serene when she finds herself doing more for Mike and the kids and less for herself. But she learns that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when she escapes the family for a few hours to go to her mom's and ends up acting like a child by making her mom wait on her hand-and-foot. Meanwhile, Sue feels guilty when she steals a motivational magnet from a store whose message actually enticed her to shoplift it.

May 5, 2010

Episode 23 - SignalsE2321m

Signals

Frankie points out to Mike that his social ineptness has been passed on to Brick, leading Mike to decide that both he and Brick need to be more social, and the Heck family BBQ is the perfect time to try. Meanwhile, Axl volunteers to clean the family pool in an attempt to get girls to stop by and swim and Sue tries to raise money for a local parish because her new friend, Reverend TimTom might be leaving in order to keep costs down

May 12, 2010

Episode 24 - Average RulesE2421m

Average Rules

Parent-Teacher conferences cause Frankie to worry about the kids. In them she's told Axl is gifted but not applying himself, that her teachers still do not know who Sue is, and Brick may have to repeat the second-grade due to failure to return over 30 library books.

May 19, 2010

Actors

Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton

Frankie Heck

Neil Flynn

Neil Flynn

Mike Heck

Charlie McDermott

Charlie McDermott

Axl Heck

Eden Sher

Eden Sher

Sue Heck

Atticus Shaffer

Atticus Shaffer

Brick Heck

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One Day at a Time
Married... with Children
Father Knows Best
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Arrested Development
Family Matters
Home Improvement
Roseanne
The King of Queens
Green Acres
Mama's Family
American Housewife
Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Good Luck Charlie
The Hogan Family
Life with Derek
Sanford and Son
Step by Step
9JKL
Gimme a Break!

Similars

Rick and Morty
American Dreamer
The John Larroquette Show
Boston Common
Son of the Beach
15 Storeys High
Kate & Allie
M*A*S*H
The Two of Us
Good Time Harry
Man About the House
WKRP in Cincinnati
Harper Valley
The Danny Thomas Show
Black Books
Dad Is Too Jealous
Broad City
Mystery Girls
Phyllis
It Takes Two