After Everybody Loves Raymond, Patricia Heaton Made This Sitcom Gem
After the massive success of Everybody Loves Raymond, Patricia Heaton had nothing left to prove on the sitcom front — but in 2009, she quietly signed on for another family comedy that ended up lasting nearly a decade.
The show was The Middle, and while it never grabbed headlines or racked up awards, it became a reliable, low-key gem that struck a chord with audiences looking for something simple, familiar, and surprisingly funny.
Created by Roseanne alumni Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, The Middle aired on ABC from 2009 to 2018, running for 9 seasons and 215 episodes. It starred Heaton as Frankie Heck, a perpetually stressed-out mom in small-town Indiana, alongside Scrubs alum Neil Flynn as her husband Mike, and a trio of increasingly chaotic kids played by Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, and Atticus Shaffer.
Set in the fictional town of Orson, Indiana, the series followed the day-to-day misadventures of the Heck family — middle-class, mostly miserable, and hanging on by a thread. No hook, no high concept, no grand social commentary. Just school projects, dead-end jobs, malfunctioning appliances, and low-stakes disasters — all of it presented with a mix of slapstick, dry wit, and just enough emotional weight to keep it grounded.
Though the show never broke into the Emmy major categories, it did receive a 2012 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Makeup, and more importantly, built a loyal fanbase over its run. Unlike many long-running sitcoms, it also got to end on its own terms with a finale that wrapped things up without resorting to cheap sentimentality or jumping the shark.
For viewers who missed the Malcolm in the Middle–style family chaos but weren't looking for anything too outrageous, The Middle hit the sweet spot:
- a cast of lovable underachievers
- smart but accessible writing
- and an honest (often painfully so) take on suburban American life
If you want to check it out, all nine seasons are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video — making it a solid comfort binge for anyone who ever felt like their family was held together with duct tape and sarcasm.