The Middle

Meet the Hecks – an ordinary family struggling to survive each other and life in Middle America. PATRICIA HEATON stars as a working mother whose family life is one big happy mess.

Facing financial disaster, Frankie tries to save her job; Sue fails swim team tryouts, then learns she needs glasses; and Brick starts reading his mother's steamy romance novels.

Frankie and Mike's romantic plans for their anniversary are thwarted by a sick Brick, a lovesick Sue, a learner's permit-toting Axl, two crazy aunts and their diaper-wearing dog.

Frankie comes up with a plan to stay on top of her kids' schedules; Brick's new teacher (Doris Roberts) accuses Frankie of being overprotective.

Mike and Frankie must decide whether to attend Axl's football game or Sue's first cross-country meet; after raking the yard, Brick wants to set the leaves free in the forest.

While shopping for baby diapers for Sue, who has run out of them on a baby-sitting job, Frankie is completely humiliated when a clerk assumes she's shopping for adult diapers. Meanwhile, after getting on Mike's case to get a physical exam because she thinks men tend to fall apart faster than women as they age, Frankie proceeds to throw out her back and hides it from Mike, who tells her he received a clean bill of health from the doctor; a clueless Sue falls for Axl's friend, Sean, who barely notices her existence; and Brick begins to test all of the age-old urban legends parents tell their kids - such as not to swallow a watermelon seed for fear one will grow in their belly - after discovering Frankie has used these white lies on him in the past.

Frankie insists that the family go on vacation together before school starts; Mike and Frankie remember their honeymoon, which was ruined by Nicky (Ray Romano), a guy Mike knew in high school.

Frankie insists the family take a few days of vacation before school starts. But Mike's suggestion of a camping trip brings back bad memories of their honeymoon camping trip.

Mike learns that Brick has been skipping gym class, and goes to meet with his fourth grade teacher. Meanwhile, Axl plans a prank on Sue, who is now in high school with him.

Mike accidentally reveals that Axl is his favorite child; Brick tries to grow a giant tomato; Sue encourages her father to participate in a variety of activities with her.

Mike accidentally reveals that Axl is his favorite child; Brick tries to grow a giant tomato; Sue encourages her father to participate in a variety of activities with her.

After being fired from the car dealership and vowing not to take any job that comes her way, Frankie goes to tech school to get a real career; Axl begins his senior year of high school; sophomore Sue mentors a freshman.

Frankie becomes emotional as the Hecks send Axl off to college, Sue waits for an important call from school, and Brick gets a new cell phone.

Mike tries to help after Frankie doesn't get a response to her texts to Axl, Sue gets an unexpected visit from Darrin, and Brick and his fellow classmates are afraid to use the school bathroom.

Axl is fed up with his college roommate, Sue gets a job so that she can get a car, and Frankie and Mike get bad news about Brick from his middle school principal.

Sue's senior year, the "Summer of Sue," begins with the premature removal of her braces. Meanwhile, Axl finally beats Mike in basketball and Brick tries to find the perfect backpack for school.

Mike and Frankie search for second jobs in order to send Sue to a good college, Sue and Brad produce a play for school, Brick finds some of his old "lost" toys, and Axl raids the house to furnish his new home.

Frankie and Mike are shocked when Brick announces that he wants to go to his school's fall dance. Axl has a week to declare his major but has no idea what it should be. Sue attempts to show she's more mature by drinking loads of coffee.

Sue's excitement about moving into the dorm to start college is tempered when she accidentally burns her hair and must cut it short. Axl isn't interested in helping with Sue's move. Frankie discovers she's not sad about Sue moving out of the house while Mike overwhelms Sue with financial and safety guidelines. Brick is clueless when Cindy tells him she wants to take their relationship to the next level.

Nervous, Sue overwhelms Frankie and Mike with text messages as she waits for her roommate to arrive. Hutch and Axl deal with an ant infestation. A mysterious bodyguard protects Brick at school.

Frankie is shocked when Mike trades in his flannel for a Hawaiian shirt. Sue accidentally tells Devin that Axl loves her, leading Devin to question their relationship. Brick gets overambitious while cleaning the bathroom.

Frankie and Mike are excited to be introduced to the love of Axl's life, April and the family is surprised when she reveals an unusual personality trait. Sue decides to change her major while Brick begins high school and wants to change his image.

Mike tries to help a devastated Sue get back into college after discovering she has been kicked out for not renewing her financial aid, and Frankie attempts to teach Brick how to swallow a pill when he gets sick.

As Halloween approaches, Frankie is taken aback when she discovers that, if the circumstances ever arose where she and Mike got divorced, the kids would all choose to live with Mike. Meanwhile, Sue tries everything in her power to get her room back from Brick, and having to be so nice around girlfriend April all of the time leads Axl to lash out at his family,

Axl returns home from his summer trip to Europe, sporting a man-bun and embracing a new, chill European outlook on life. Mike just wants him to clean up and look for a job, but Frankie thinks Axl will do this on his own and asks Mike to give him a little breathing room. Meanwhile, because Sue worked the entire summer at Spudsy’s and missed out on having any fun, she decides to cram in a whole summer of fun in two days before going back to college; Brick makes the decision to break up with Cindy because he doesn’t want to be tied down in a relationship when he’s about to embark on the revelry of his “big sophomore year”; and Frankie desperately tries to come up with an item for a time capsule that’s being buried under the Orson cow that will make the town remember the Hecks when it’s opened in 100 years.

After Frankie gives neighbor Nancy Donahue an old scarf that is just sitting around gathering dust, Nancy returns the favor by baking her a delicious apple pie. Believing she’s stumbled upon a way to get free and tasty meals, Frankie makes it her mission to find miscellaneous items around the house to give to her in exchange for some culinary delights. Meanwhile, Sue and Lexie prepare to move back into their college apartment but find that it’s been sublet to a man who refuses to leave; and Axl’s new job as the school bus driver gives him a chance to see how Brick’s high school sophomore year is treating him, and he discovers that Mike has refused to speak to Brick’s class on Career Exploration Day.

Frankie is worried about meeting Lexie's rich parents. Brick discovers that he can't get arrested when he participates in the school's Sophomore Slammer fundraiser.