ABC Comedy ‘The Middle’ Will End After Next Season

ABC comedy The Middle will wrap after its upcoming ninth season. The show, created by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, stars Patricia Heaton as a harried wife and mother of three in the heartland.

The final season begins Oct. 3.

“The Heck family has been part of the ABC family for almost a decade. It’s rare for a series to have this type of longevity, and we are proud to have been its home. We’ve watched Axl, Sue and Brick grow up right before our eyes under Frankie and Mike’s unique parenting style,” said Channing Dungey, ABC Entertainment president. “I’m looking forward to the fitting and happy ending the producers will give the Hecks and our viewers.”

The series is from Warner Bros. Television.

“For eight remarkable seasons, Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline have crafted a wonderfully relatable, honest, funny and authentic world of middle class life in the heartland of America,” said Peter Roth, Warner Bros. Television Group president and chief content officer. “The writing, acting and craftsmanship have been superb, and the show has been vividly brought to life each week by the incomparable Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer and a creative team that has poured its heart and soul into each and every episode. We look forward to a memorable final season for The Middle, and we thank our passionate and loyal fans!”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.