The first season of the

television comedy Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first Television in the United ...

series '' The Middle'' aired between September 30, 2009 and May 19, 2010, on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in the United States. It was produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers. The show features Frances "Frankie" Heck (

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on sitcoms, having played Debra Barone on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005) as well as Frances "Frankie" Heck on '' The Middl ...

), a working-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck (

Neil Flynn Neil Richard Flynn (born November 13, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Janitor on '' Scrubs'' and Mike Heck in the ABC comedy series '' The Middle''. He has had notable appearances in television series, ...

) who resides in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three children, Axl (

Charlie McDermott Charles Joseph McDermott Jr. (born April 6, 1990) is an American television and film actor, and musician, best known for his role as Axl Heck on ABC's '' The Middle''. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ...

), Sue (

Eden Sher Eden Rebecca Sher (born December 26, 1991) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Sue Heck from the family sitcom series '' The Middle'' (2009–2018) and as Star Butterfly from the Disney Channel animated fantasy dramedy series ...

), and Brick (

Atticus Shaffer Atticus Ronald Shaffer (born June 19, 1998) is an American actor known for playing Brick Heck on the ABC sitcom '' The Middle'' (2009–2018), as well as for voicing Edgar in the film '' Frankenweenie'' (2012) and Ono on the Disney Junior serie ...

). After airing only 2 episodes, ABC gave the show a full season pickup. It was then renewed for a second season on January 12, 2010. The first episode premiered to 8.707 million viewers, a 5.4/9 household rating and a 2.6/8 adults 18-49 rating. It beat out the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

sitcom,

Gary Unmarried ''Gary Unmarried'' is an American sitcom created by Ed Yeager, which ran on CBS from September 24, 2008, to March 17, 2010. The series focuses on a recently divorced couple (Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall) sharing custody of their kids while starting ...

, and the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

drama,

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

, both of which aired in the same timeslot.

Cast

Main cast

as Frankie Heck *

as Mike Heck *

as Axl Heck *

as Sue Heck *

as Brick Heck *

Chris Kattan Christopher Lee Kattan () (born October 19, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2003. He played Doug Butabi in '' A Night at the Roxbury'', Bob on the first four seasons of '' The ...

as Bob

Recurring cast

* Brock Ciarlelli as Brad, Sue's ex-boyfriend and later friend. *

Blaine Saunders Blaine Saunders is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Carly on '' The Middle''. She was born in Ada, Oklahoma on June 25, 1993 to Gary and Fonda Saunders. Saunders' character of Carly on ''The Middle'' was one of Sue Heck's ...

as Carly, Sue's best friend. * Jen Ray as Nancy Donahue, the Hecks' neighbor. * Beau Wirick as Sean Donahue, Axl's friend. *

Brian Doyle-Murray Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), known professionally by his stage name as Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, voice-actor and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several movies, i ...

as Don Elhert, owner of the car dealership where Frankie and Bob work.

Guest cast

Patricia Belcher Patricia Belcher (born 1954) is an American film, stage and television actress, known for her roles as Ms. Dabney in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Good Luck Charlie'', and as United States Attorney Caroline Julian in the FOX crime procedural c ...

as Mrs. Rettig, Brick's teacher. She appears in "Pilot". *

Vicki Lewis Vicki Lewis (born March 17, 1960) is an American singer and actress of film, stage, and television. She is best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom ''NewsRadio''. Personal life Lewis was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter ...

as Mrs. Barry, a social worker who visits the Heck household. She appears in "The Scratch". *

Mary-Pat Green Mary-Pat Green is an American film, television, and theatre actress. Career Television and film She is best known for playing Odessa on the television series '' Any Day Now''. She has appeared as a guest star on many television series, inc ...

as Mrs. Larimer, the principal of Orson Elementary. She appears in "The Scratch". *

John Cullum John Cullum (born circa 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and ''On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Mus ...

as Big Mike, Mike's father. He appears in "Thanksgiving". *

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

as Rita Glossner, the Hecks' uncouth and troubled neighbor. She appears in "The Neighbor". *

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both ''The Mandalorian'' (2019–2020) and ''The Book of Boba Fett'' (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the ...

as Abby Michaels, a motivator at Frankie's job. She appears in "The Fun House". *

Alexa Vega Alexa Ellesse PenaVega (née Vega; born August 27, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Carmen Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' film series and Julie Corky in the 2004 film ''Sleepover''. In 2009, she starred as the ...

as Morgan, Axl's girlfriend. She appears in "The Break-Up" and "Worry Duty". *

Marsha Mason Marsha Mason (born April 3, 1942) is an American actress and director. She has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Actress: for her performances in ''Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), ''The Goodbye Girl'' (1977), '' Chapter Two'' ...

as Pat Spence, Frankie's mother. She appears in "Mother's Day". *

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...

as Mrs. Nethercott, Brick's school librarian. She appears in "Average Rules".

Episodes

Ratings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middle (season 1) The Middle (TV series) 2009 American television seasons 2010 American television seasons