Summary
The Middleactors Eden Sher and Brock Ciarlelli recall the details of a canceledspinoff series.The Middlewasan ABC show that ran for nine seasons from 2009 to 2018.The series followed the story of the blue collar Heck family, who work to get through life’s daily tribulations in the suburban town of Orson, Indiana.The Middlefeatured a leading cast including Patricia Heaton,Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Sher, Ciarlelli, Atticus Shaffer, and Beau Wrick.
Speaking inan Instagram video (viaTVLine), Ciarlelli and Sher comment on the canceledMiddlespinoff in which they would have starred.Sher mentioned that she and the team “did film"the pilotfor a Sue Heck-focused show. Would-be spinoff co-star Ciarlelli noted that “it was a really good show.” Sher also provided more details about the plot. Check out the full quotes from Ciarlelli and Sher below:
Eden Sher:We did film it, and it was pretty devastating when it didn’t go. We were all… pretty shocked, to be honest.
Brock Ciarlelli:It was one of those things where, because we had just come straight off of [The Middle] and [the network] was super excited about the show, we were like, ‘Of course this is going to get picked up. And it was areallygood show.”
Sher:It took place, like, three years in the future. She’s in her mid-20s, she’s graduated from college…. Basically, Sue goes to Chicago, tries to save a hotel, and the cast of characters.
Ciarlelli:So, we have our Brad-and-Sue stuff — you’re used to that — and then we danced in the streets of Chicago and it started to snow. That’s how it ended. It was really cute.
Why Was The Middle’s Spinoff Canceled?
ABC Kept Its Reasoning Under Wraps
The Middlespinoff in question was a show with the working titleSue Sue in the City.The spinoff series was announced just asThe Middlewrapped upin 2018. As Sher reveals, the series would have followed Sue on her journey in life about three years after the series finale of the original show. It would have followed up the story revealed in the finale that showed a flash-forward of Sue marrying her neighbor, Sean.Sue Sue in the Citywould see the titular character move to Chicago, and would feature scenes with Ciarlelli’s character, best friend Brad.
For a while after the announcement, it was looking like theMiddlespinoff would take off.In October 2018, the working titleSue Sue in the Citywas revealed,and the show also went on to castSaturday Night Livealum Finesse Mitchell. He would have been a series regular onSue Sue in the City, if the show had taken off as planned. Sadly forThe Middlefans, ABC decided to pass on the show after seeing the pilot in November 2018.
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The network was never clear on the exact reason fornixingSue Sue in the City, but there are several possibilities, including the fact that the network may not have felt it necessary to continue with the spinoff show. Now,both Sher and Ciarlelli have aged out of their roles,or have at least surpassed the characters' intended ages, so any return seems unlikely. There have been no talks of anotherThe Middlespinoff in recent years, so fans of the series will have to rely on the original nine seasons for the time being.
The Middle
Cast
The Middle is a family sitcom that follows the lives of the Heck family in the fictional town of Orson, Indiana. Patricia Heaton stars as Frankie Heck, a harried mother of three trying to balance work and family life with her husband Mike, played by Neil Flynn. The show highlights the everyday struggles and humorous moments of raising a family in middle America.
