'The Middle' bids farewell after 9 seasons but it will live on in our memories
For nine years, the Hecks kept us entertained and laughing with their silly antics, dry humor, and their unique personas in one of the most loved shows The Middle. As all good things must come to an end, the ABC comedy that housed our favorite dysfunctional family bid farewell to its faithful fans on Tuesday night.
All in all, the series ran for 215 episodes and ended with a two-part finale that was appropriately titled A Heck of A Ride. Based on a lower middle-class family living in Indiana and their day-to-day struggles in life, the show struck a tone with American audiences and drew in over 6.5 million viewers.
The last episode gives the audience an opportunity to say goodbye to the family that has kept them preoccupied for the better part of a decade and provides a sense of closure.
The two-part finale begins with Axl (Charlie McDermott) deciding that he would take up the job in Denver and informing his parents, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn), about the call.
The finale also features heart-to-heart moments between Axl and his two siblings Sue (Eden Sher) and Brick (Atticus Shaffer) as they come to terms with his departure. Each responds in their own unique way, ensuring that the finale stayed true to the tone and relationship established between them over all these seasons.
The show's unique and original characters combined with its consistent standard and realistic portrayal of lower-middle-class families, at a time when the economic recession of the years past was still fresh in the minds, earned it the praise of critics but fell short of expectations as far as awards were concerned.
In 2016, Esquire called it 'the best TV show you're not watching,' and the hope is that, in the years to come, it's looked back upon with the reverence it rightfully deserves.
The show was criminally underrated and the audiences are sure to miss the weekly escape this light-hearted comedy provided. While the Hecks will no longer be a part of our television landscape, they will continue to live on in our hearts.
