The Middle

A closer look at the story

Forget athletes, film stars and politicians; according to The Middle, the real heroes are the ordinary families who grapple with life every day. Frankie Heck is a mother of three and a loving wife living in the small town of Orson, Indiana. Her middle-class family is far from perfect; in fact, it is a little chaotic and somewhat dysfunctional. Frankie deals with her family's never-ending needs while trying to stay on her feet in the face of life's surprises. As she and her husband Mike raise their three children, a fresh mishap, a fresh crisis and a fresh small disaster come knocking every day. Yet despite all the chaos, the Hecks manage to stick together and survive in their own way. Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline created the show, which ran for nine seasons and 215 episodes on ABC starting in 2009; the family comedy stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, with Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher and Atticus Shaffer also in the cast.