ABC’s long-running sitcom The Middle is reaching its conclusion after season 9.
It’s been nine good years with the Heck family, but it’s time to say goodbye: Entertainment Weekly has learned that the 2017-18 season will be the series’ last.
The Middle stars Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as Frankie and Mike Heck, along with Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher and Atticus Shaffer as their three children.
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The Hecks are a Midwestern working-class family who struggle with everyday issues like marriage, parenting and work life.
The series is as unassuming in its viewership as in its gentle comedy; as executive producer DeAnn Heline tells EW, “If we can be underappreciated for nine years and be on the air, we’re lucky.”
Not only do fans get an advance notice of the series’ conclusion, but they should also be heartened to know that the writers are all ready to go with “an end that fans will like.”
Says Heline, “We started having an idea [of the ending] a couple of years ago and honed it more in the last year. It will be true to our show.”
The Middle season 9 premieres October 3 on ABC.