The Middle is an American sitcom television series, airing on ABC since September 30, 2009. The series features Frances "Frankie" Heck (Patricia Heaton), a working-class, Midwestern woman and her husband 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). The series was picked up for a full season of 24 episodes after airing just two episodes.
The third season premiered with a one-hour episode on September 21, 2011. On May 10, 2012, ABC renewed the show for a fourth season, which premiered with a one-hour special on September 26, 2012. The series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) in 2012.