The Middle is an American sitcom about a working-class family living in Indiana and facing the day-to-day struggles of home life, work, and raising children. The Middle originally aired from September 30, 2009, to May 22, 2018, on the ABC network. The ensemble cast includes Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, and Atticus Schaffer. The following is a list of characters, including the main cast and those who appear alongside the main cast in the series. Cast overview ActorCharacterThe Middle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Patricia Heaton Frankie Heck colspan="9" Neil Flynn Mike Heck colspan="9" Charlie McDermott Axl Heck colspan="9" Eden Sher Sue Heck colspan="9" Atticus Shaffer Brick Heck colspan="9" Chris Kattan Bob Weaver colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="5" Brock Ciarlelli Brad Bottig colspan="9" Jen Ray Nancy Donahue colspan="9" Beau Wirick Sean Donahue colspan="9" Malcolm Foster Smith Dave colspan="9" Troy Metcalf Jim colspan="9" Laura Ann Kesling Dotty Donahue colspan="2" colspan=2 Brooke ShieldsRita Glossner colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="3" John Gammon Darrin McGrew colspan="6" colspan="4" Blaine Saunders Carly colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="2" Jeanette Miller Edie Freehold colspan="4" colspan="5" Andrew J. Fishman Zack colspan="4" colspan="4" Aidan Potter Scott colspan="4" colspan="4" Bryce Hurless Henry colspan="4" colspan="4" Jake Netter Theo colspan="4" colspan="5" Mason Cook Corey colspan="4" colspan="5" Brian Doyle-Murray Don Ehlert colspan="3" colspan="2" Peter Breitmayer Pete Miller colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="4" Frances Bay Ginny Freehold colspan="2" colspan="7" Paul Hipp Reverend Tim-Tom colspan="2" Marsha Mason Pat Spence colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="2" John Cullum Michael Heck Sr. ("Big Mike") colspan="2" colspan="4" Pat Finn Bill Norwood colspan="2" colspan="3" Julie Brown Paula Norwood colspan="2" colspan="2" Greg Cipes Chuck colspan="8" Nick Shafer Arlo colspan="7" Katlin Mastandrea Ashley Wyman ("Weird Ashley") colspan="3" Norm Macdonald Orville "Rusty" Heck colspan="6" Sean O'Bryan Ron Donahue colspan="3" Jerry Van Dyke Tag Spence colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="4" Kayla Madison Shelly Donahue colspan="6" colspan="2" Grace Bannon Ruth colspan="2" colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="2" Jessica Marie Garcia Becky colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="3" Brittany Ross Courtney colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="2" Natalie Lander Debbie colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="2" Christopher Darga Mr. Farrar colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="3" Moises Arias Matt colspan="2" colspan="6" Jack McBrayer Dr. Ted Goodwin colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="2" Galadriel Stineman Cassidy Finch colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan=“3” Dave Foley Dr. Fulton colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="2" Tommy Bechtold Kenny colspan="4" colspan="4" Alphonso McAuley Charles "Hutch" Hutchinson colspan="4" colspan="4" Casey Burke Cindy Hornberger colspan="5" colspan="4" Gia Mantegna Devin Levin colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan=“4” David Hull Logan colspan="5" colspan="3" Daniela Bobadilla Lexie Brooks colspan="6" colspan="3" Jovan Armand Troy Tangeroa colspan="6" colspan="2" Will Green Jeremy colspan="6" colspan="2" Keaton Savage Tyler colspan="6" colspan="2" Greer Grammer April colspan="7"
The Hecks
Patricia Heaton as Frances Patricia "Frankie" Heck (née Spence), is the wife of Mike and mother of Axl, Sue, and Brick. Frankie is the central character in the show, as her voice is heard narrating at various points in every episode. She is a devoted wife and mother and sees family as the most important thing in her life. Her motto, "You do for family", guides her daily routine, despite the frustrations she encounters with her husband and three kids, as well as her older ailing relatives who often depend on her. She often forgets family members' birthdays (most frequently Brick's) and her and Mike's anniversary. Frankie attended college but did not finish. She is often busy with work and does not have time to volunteer at her children's school activities. When the family goes on a trip, she always forgets "the blue bag" which has the food in it. She initially works as an under-performing salesperson at Ehlert Motors, a job she took after losing her position as a dentist's receptionist when the office closed. After she loses this job in season 4, Frankie completes dental assisting school and gets a job at a dentist's office near the end of the season, a job she would keep for the remainder of the show's run.
Neil Flynn as Michael Bartholomew "Mike" Heck Jr., Frankie's husband, known for his straightforward manner and lack of emotion. Mike works at the local limestone quarry as the manager. He reaches his 25-year work anniversary at the quarry in the season 9 episode "The Crying Game", wherein he is promoted to Regional Manager. Despite his no-nonsense approach to work and family, Mike is a devoted and understanding husband and father who always seems to come through for Frankie and the kids. It is said on several occasions that Mike's favorite film is Reservoir Dogs and that, when they were younger, he only asked Frankie out on a second date because she lied and said she also liked the film. Mike's reclusive, emotionally distant father, "Big Mike" (John Cullum), and Mike's well-meaning but unreliable brother Rusty (Norm Macdonald) both live in Orson. Season 8's "Clear and Present Danger" reveals that Mike's mother died of lung cancer at age 42, and his father made him do his homework and go to school the next day instead of allowing Mike time to mourn. Mike loves all sports but is particularly passionate about seeing the Indianapolis Colts play in the Super Bowl. In season 7, he and Rusty start a business designing disposable diapers with sports team logos on them named "Li'l Rivals", which he sells off in the next season to pay for Sue's college tuition.
Charlie McDermott as Axl Redford Heck, Frankie and Mike's oldest son. Unlike his siblings, Axl is sarcastic, lazy, selfish, and a bit of a narcissist. However, he has his heart in the right place whenever he helps out a family member or friend or win over one of his girlfriends. With his frequent problems and the situations he is brought into, Axl is arguably the most frustrating to Mike and Frankie, who in particular wishes to be more open with her, as he was apparently a very loving "mama's boy" when he was a child, something Frankie seems to want to recapture. Despite his behavior, Axl is much more charismatic, outgoing, and popular at school than his siblings are, but his skills do not extend to his grades in school. Axl also plays electric guitar, and it is presumed that he was named after Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. Axl is two years older than Sue, as evidenced in the third season when he starts his junior year in high school and she starts her freshman year. His girlfriends over the series include wizardry fan and outcast "Weird" Ashley Wyman (Katlin Mastandrea), student tutor Cassidy Finch, and tomboy Devin Levin. As a star running back on his high school football team, he is recruited by a Division II state university in Indiana. In college, he decides to major in business. Early in season 8, Axl dates and then secretly marries his slow-witted girlfriend April, mainly as a way to defy his parents, who don't like April. The marriage is quickly annulled after both sets of parents find out. At the end of season 8, he begins dating Sue's roommate Lexie and graduates from college with a business degree. Between seasons 8 and 9, he travels around Europe with his former roommate Kenny to promote Kenny's upcoming apps. After briefly working as a school bus driver and at the restaurant Spudsy's earlier in season 9, Axl gets his first professional job as a sales representative for a plumbing fixture company in the episode "The 200th". In the series finale, he moves to Denver in search of a job opportunity, but a flash-forward reveals that he eventually returns to Orson, marries Lexie, and has three sons who behave similarly to how he did in his youth.
Eden Sher as Sue Sue Heck, the middle daughter of Frankie and Mike whose sunny personality tend to make her an object of ridicule, especially by Axl. Her first and middle names are the same due to an accident on her birth certificate. Despite her best efforts, she is usually unrecognized by teachers and other students. Many of her plot lines involve her being overlooked, or trying to organize parties or events and receiving no help. She often seeks life advice from a website called "kickingitteenstyle.com", and later "kickingitcollegestyle.com" starting in season 7. Her tell when she is lying is indicated by ending her sentences with "...and so on, and so forth, and what have you". She wears braces for the first five seasons, which are briefly removed in season 3 and permanently at the beginning of season 6, requiring her to wear only a retainer thereafter. She is also left-handed, apparently the only southpaw in her immediate family. She is two years behind Axl in school, graduating high school in the season 6 finale. She is known for trying out for almost every group activity in school but never actually getting picked, as she lacks the necessary skills. In season 2, she joins the no-cut cross country team. Sue becomes a cheerleader called a "wrestlerette" in season 3, only to learn her group includes other misfits, and dates a wrestler named Matt for a short time. In season 4, she dates Axl's friend Darrin MacGrew. She is engaged to Darrin for three days in season 6, before deciding she does not want to get married yet and ending their relationship. The season 3 episode "Leap Year" reveals she was born on Leap Day. In season 7, she gets accepted into the same college Axl is attending. Throughout the series, she has an on-and-off crush on Sean Donahue, and they become an official couple by the end of the series. In season 9, she is a junior in college majoring in hospitality management. In a flash-forward in the series finale, Frankie narrates Sue and Sean broke up and got back together a couple of times before finally being married, with Reverend Tim-Tom officiating.