The Middle (season 8)

The Middle (season 8)
Promotional Poster
Country of origin	United States
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	October 11, 2016 – present

The eighth season of the television comedy series The Middle began airing on October 11, 2016, on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and Warner Bros. Television with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers.^[1]

The show is about a working-class family led by Frances "Frankie" Heck (Patricia Heaton), a middle-aged Midwestern woman married to Michael "Mike" Heck (Neil Flynn), who reside in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three children, Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher), and Brick (Atticus Shaffer).

Season Premiere

"This year, the kids will find themselves breaking out of their comfort zones and navigating new situations than what they're used to – which may or may not be very comforting to Frankie and Mike."^[2]

Cast

Main cast

• Patricia Heaton as Frankie Heck
• Neil Flynn as Mike Heck
• Charlie McDermott as Axl Heck
• Eden Sher as Sue Heck
• Atticus Shaffer as Brick Heck

Recurring

• Alphonso McAuley as Charles "Hutch" Hutchinson, Axl's teammate, best friend and college roommate.
• Tommy Bechtold as Kenny, Axl and Hutch's friend and roommate.
• Greer Grammer as April,^[3] Axl's cute but dimwitted girlfriend whom he met over the summer.
• Casey Burke as Cindy, Brick's quirky girlfriend.
• Will Green as Jeremy, Sue's boyfriend for a brief time. They break up in "True Grit."
• Jen Ray as Nancy Donahue, a friend of the Hecks, and Frankie's best friend.
• Sean O'Bryan as Ron Donahue, Nancy's husband and a friend of the Hecks.
• Pat Finn as Bill Norwood, a friend and neighbor of the Hecks.
• Julie Brown as Paula Norwood, a friend of Frankie, and her neighbor.
• Beau Wirick as Sean Donahue, Axl's best friend from high school.
• Brock Ciarlelli as Brad Bottig, Sue's best friend.
• Jovan Armand as Troy, Brick's classmate and friend.
• Daniela Bobadilla as Lexie, Sue's college roommate and friend.

Guest

• Dave Foley as Dr. Fulton
• Norm Macdonald as Rusty Heck
• Marsha Mason as Pat Spence, Frankie's mother
• John Cullum as "Big Mike" Heck, Mike's father

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
169	1	"The Core Group"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Illana Wernick	October 11, 2016	801	6.78[4]
Sue comes back from her summer at Dollywood and decides to major in theatre. Brick starts high school and Axl brings home a girl named April that he has been seeing. Frankie notices that April isn't exactly the brightest. The next day, Frankie makes dinner for the five Hecks, but things change when April, Jeremy (the tree-hugging guy Sue has been seeing), and Cindy all come over. This gives Frankie a glimpse into the family's future, making her worry that their "core group" will soon be no more.
170	2	"A Tough Pill to Swallow"	Phil Traill	Rich Dahm	October 18, 2016	802	6.02[5]
Sue has a major dilemma on her hands when she learns she has been dropped from all her classes for non-payment. Although her financial aid is for four years, she was not aware that she still had to reapply every year. With the deadline now long passed, Mike tries to rectify the situation and get the aid reinstated, but is unsuccessful. He ultimately has to sell his share of the Li'l Rivals diaper business to keep Sue in school. Elsewhere, Axl and Hutch get into an argument because Axl keeps taking their motor home off campus to visit April, while Brick struggles to swallow a pill for his ear infection, having never taken medication in pill form before.
171	3	"Halloween VII: The Heckoning"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Tim Hobert	October 25, 2016	803	5.72[6]
Frankie is both surprised and annoyed to hear the kids would rather live with Mike if they ever got a divorce. Sue attempts to reclaim her bedroom from Brick, causing Brick to stay at home and protect his turf instead of trick-or-treating. Axl begins lashing out at his family after spending so much time acting nice around April.
172	4	"True Grit"	Victor Nelli	Jana Hunter & Mitch Hunter	November 1, 2016	804	5.43[7]
Frankie accidentally buys underwear with a sexy saying on the bottom. When she goes to return the item, the young salesperson angers Frankie with comments about her age, so Frankie instead buys more panties with similar sayings. Brick worries about losing a friend when the school's football coach recruits Troy to play for the team. Elsewhere, Sue tries to work up the nerve to break up with Jeremy, while Axl vainly implies that Lexie has a crush on him.
173	5	"Roadkill"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Roy Brown	November 15, 2016	805	6.21[8]
With Brick turning 15, he insists that his parents teach him to drive, because that's when Axl and Sue learned. Brick's erratic driving scares off Frankie and Mike, so Axl later lets him learn in the RV. When Brick knocks over the huge ceramic "Orson Cow" during a nighttime driving lesson, Axl convinces his brother they must cover up the crime. Elsewhere, Sue is in a panic because the deadline to declare a major is approaching and she still can't decide among her four choices. When she learns that Mike sold his diaper business to fund this year's studies, Sue ditches her impractical majors and decides to earn her degree in Hospitality and Hotel Management.
174	6	"Thanksgiving VIII"	Elliot Hegarty	Ilana Wernick	November 22, 2016	806	6.88[9]
Frankie is fuming when Axl announces he is going to be with April's family for three different Thanksgiving meals, forcing Frankie to arrange a Heck family meal at 8:00 AM. On the eve of Thanksgiving, Sue and Brick also say that they don't like April, and even Mike gets mad when he learns Axl won't be back home Thanksgiving night to watch the Colts game with him. Amidst the verbal jabs, Axl walks in. Frankie finally tells him that he can do way better than April, causing Axl to leave and not return. Meanwhile, Brick starts working at Spudsy's, agonizing Sue who criticizes everything he does while they work together.
175	7	"Look Who's Not Talking"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Tim Hobert	November 29, 2016	807	6.62[10]
Several days after the Thanksgiving incident, Axl still refuses to talk to Frankie and Frankie continues to fume. Mike visits Axl and tries to get him to relent, but is unsuccessful. The family problems trigger one of Brick's quirks, which gets him in trouble at school and earns him a meeting with Dr. Fulton. Meanwhile, Brad visits with Sue and starts to overstay his welcome, later admitting that he wants to drop out of NYU because he hates being a small fish in a huge pond.
176	8	"Trip and Fall"[11]	Elliot Hegarty	Rich Dahm	December 6, 2016	808	TBD
177	9	"A Very Marry Christmas"[11]	Lee Shallat Chemel	Jana Hunter & Mitch Hunter	December 13, 2016	809	TBD

Ratings

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	Total (18–49)
1	"The Core Group"	October 11, 2016	1.8/7	6.78[4]	N/A	N/A
2	"A Tough Pill to Swallow"	October 18, 2016	1.5/6	6.02[5]	N/A	N/A
3	"Halloween VIII: The Heckoning"	October 25, 2016	1.5/6	5.72[6]	0.7	2.2[12]
4	"True Grit"	November 1, 2016	1.4/5	5.43[7]	0.6	2.0[13]
5	"Roadkill"	November 15, 2016	1.6/6	6.21[8]	0.7	2.3[14]
6	"Thanksgiving VIII"	November 22, 2016	1.6/6	6.88[9]	TBD	TBD
7	"Look Who's Not Talking"	November 29, 2016	1.6/6	6.62[10]	TBD	TBD
8	"Trip and Fall"	December 6, 2016	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
9	"A Very Marry Christmas"	December 13, 2016	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

References

1. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (March 3, 2016). "ABC Renews 15 Shows Including: 'Quantico,' 'The Bachelor' & Comedy Slate". Variety. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
2. http://thefutoncritic.com/listings/20160926abc03/
3. http://tvline.com/2016/09/20/the-middle-spoilers-season-8-premiere-photos-greer-grammer/
4. Porter, Rick (October 12, 2016). "'The Voice,' 'NCIS,' 'Flash' and ABC comedies adjust up, 'No Tomorrow' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
5. Porter, Rick (October 19, 2016). "'American Housewife' and 'The Voice' adjust up, 'Chicago Fire,' 'SHIELD' and 'Real O'Neals' down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
6. Porter, Rick (October 26, 2016). "'American Housewife' adjusts up, final World Series numbers: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
7. Porter, Rick (November 2, 2016). "'The Flash,' 'Chicago Fire,' 'The Voice,' 'Fresh Off the Boat' adjust up: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
8. Porter, Rick (November 16, 2016). "'New Girl' adjusts up, all others hold: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
9. Porter, Rick (November 23, 2016). "'American Housewife' adjusts up, everything else holds: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
10. Porter, Rick. "'Fresh Off the Boat' & 'American Housewife' adjust up, 'No Tomorrow' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". Retrieved December 1, 2016.
11. "Shows A-Z - middle, the on abc". the Futon Critic. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
12. Porter, Rick (November 10, 2016). "'This Is Us,' 'Designated Survivor' stay on top in broadcast Live +7 ratings for Oct. 24-30". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
13. Porter, Rick (November 17, 2016). "13 shows double, 'This Is Us' & 'Big Bang' lead broadcast Live +7 ratings for Oct. 31-Nov. 6". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
14. Porter, Rick (December 1, 2016). "'This Is Us,' 'Big Bang,' 'Designated Survivor' are the Big Three in week 9 broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 1, 2016.