The network didn't want "The Middle" to end, so why did the show really go off the air?
Let's find out why we didn't get more of the beloved ABC sitcom.
After nine seasons as a television underdog, ABC comedy "The Middle" came to an end in
2018.
"It's the end of an era."
The show centered around the everyday life of the Hecks — a fictional middle-class
American family.
The appropriately titled sitcom starred acclaimed actors Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as Frankie
and Mike Heck, alongside actors Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, and Atticus Shaffer as their children
Axl, Sue, and Brick.
While "The Middle" never became as big as some other ABC sitcoms, it did earn a devoted
following and critical praise.
This made the news that the show was ending a shock to viewers who related to the series'
stories and lovable characters.
But while fans were heartbroken over "The Middle's" ending, they might be surprised
to learn that the creators planned it.
Despite its nine-season lifespan, the show's co-creator Eileen Heisler insisted ABC would
have been delighted for more of the Heck family.
However, the creators thought it was the right time to wrap the series.
As Heisler explained in an interview with Deadline:
"Our ratings have been great and ABC was very clear they did want more seasons.
It was our decision to bring it to a close."
Although the show's creators decided to end the series, they didn't make the choice alone.
Instead, they talked things through with the cast ahead of the ninth season and came to
the decision as a team.
Speaking with People Magazine before the finale, series star Patricia Heaton revealed that
ending the show was, quote, "a mutual decision."
So, why did the cast and creators of "The Middle" come together to make the choice to
stop the show?
One reason was simple: They didn't want the series to become dull.
While the co-creators insisted they didn't run out of stories, they wanted to make sure
to end "The Middle" before that happened.
As Heisler explained to Deadline in 2018, the show wanted to avoid the risk of ever
repeating itself.
In a 2018 interview with People, Heaton shared a similar sentiment:
"We wanted to go out on top."
Heaton also noted that, contrary to popular belief, the show wasn't canceled by the network.
She further emphasized that concluding "The Middle" was a decision made by the entire
creative team.
Now that we know the decision to end "The Middle" was mutual between the cast and creators,
it's natural to wonder why the show's stars agreed with the writers that it was time to
go.
For Patricia Heaton, the show's ending was a chance to try a new type of role.
Prior to portraying Frankie Heck on "The Middle," Heaton played legendary television mom Debra
Barone on the hit show "Everybody Loves Raymond" for nine years.
As "The Middle" came to an end, she thought it might be time to move away from sitcom
mother roles.
In an interview with People Magazine, she said:
"I would like to play something different.
[...] Listen, most everybody is a mom, but anything that doesn't make that the focal
point of the show."
In 2019, Heaton got her wish when she starred in the short-lived series "Carol's Second
Act," playing a woman with adult children.
When asked about what drew her to the titular character, she told Watch!
Magazine exactly what she'd told People Magazine: She didn't want to play just another TV mom
right after "The Middle."
Like her co-star and on-screen Mom, actress Eden Sher also had plans after the series
ended.
However, she was looking forward to portraying the same character in a different context.
Before "The Middle" went off the air, there were rumors that a spinoff show centered on
Sue might be in the works.
Just one week after the final episode of "The Middle" aired, Variety broke the news that
Sue was getting her own show.
Sher later confirmed the spin-off in July 2018.
During an interview with TVLine, Sher noted that she would be shooting a pilot for the
show, which was moving ahead with the title "Sue Sue in the City."
The series was planned to follow Sue as she moved to Chicago after the final season of
"The Middle."
Unfortunately for Sher and fans of the Hecks, ABC ultimately decided not to move forward
with the show, bringing the journey of the entire Heck family to a close.
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