Set Visit to TV’s “The Middle”

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The Middle set looks like any other real house in America- messy, stuff everywhere, a crack in the wall here or there- you know, lived in?  Not like what you usually see on TV. The Heck family is more like a regular, dysfunctional-to-be-functional kind of family that we all know or are.  Likely are.

I’m an amazing chef, in a pretend kitchen. Mom! Look at me! MOM! MOMMMMM!

The Middle has been on for a while now.  If you have not seen it yet, let me ‘splain it to you. The mom, “Frankie, who is played by Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton ,Deb from “Everybody Loves Raymond”), and her husband, Mike (Neil Flynn, Janitor from “Scrubs”), have lived in Orson, Indiana, their whole lives. A man of few words (every one a zinger), Mike is a manager at the town quarry and Frankie is the third-best used car salesman (out of the three) at the local dealership. She may not be a high-powered career woman, but when it comes to her family, she’ll go to just about any length. And with kids like these, she had better. There’s Axl (Charlie McDermott), her semi-nudist teenage son conceived while under the influence of Guns N’ Roses; Sue (Eden Sher), the awkward teenage daughter who fails at everything… but with the utmost of gusto; and their seven-year-old son Brick(Atticus Shaffer), whose best friend is his backpack.  Sometimes it seems like everyone is trying to get to the top, or struggling not to hit bottom, but we think Frankie and her family will find a lot of love, and a lot of laughs, somewhere in The Middle.” (From http://abc.go.com)

photo credit: (ABC/Bob D’Amico)

We were able to screen the episode that is coming on tonight, called “The Walk”.  I think it’s one of those things that eventually happen with all married couples- you run out of things to say and stop “trying” as much as you used to.  Very relatable to most people.

About “The Walk”

“After bumping into some old acquaintances on a walk around the neighborhood, Frankie and Mike realize that they are more interesting and charming with them than they are with each other and search for a way to remedy the situation. Meanwhile, Sue ends up with multiple dates to the prom because she is too nice to turn down any of the boys who asked her, and Brick enlists Axl’s aid in preparing an “outside the box” book report on The Middle, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. ”

After we watched the episode, we were able to chat with executive producers and show creators Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.  Eileen and DeAnn both grew up in the midwest,  and the Heck children are similar to their own kids.  Many of the stories that you see on the show happened in a similar way to one of them in real life.

Embrace the bad lighting of this photo of “Brick”! (You love it…)

We were able to take a tour of the studio set of the Heck house with set designer Julie Fanton.  She said that in order to keep the show feeling authentic, most of what she buys comes from Target, Kohl’s, and thrift stores so some of the items are used-looking.  Mike (Neil Flynn) and Axl (Charlie McDermott) dropped by to say hello while we were visiting, which was pretty cool.  I decided the best thing to do was take photos with the underpants hanging out on the couch. Why not?  Everyone else was avoiding them, however- the best thing to do with a prop is to use it.  Or lose it.  Or something like that.  It’s underpants- I totally needed a picture with Neil Flynn and a pair of boxers.  I can make up wild stories to tell people later, it will be fantastic.   Brick (Atticus Shaffer) stopped in a little later as well.

Mike (Neil Flynn) and Axl (Charlie McDermott), me, and TV boxers.
Yes, those boxers are SUPER famous- stand in awe of them.

We also got to meet Patrica Heaton the night before at the Moms of ABC mix and mingle (which I will tell you about later).  Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from 30 Rock) even stopped  in for a second- quite literally.

Get social with The Middle on Facebook and on Twitter @TheMiddle_ABC.  Keep up with the fun on Twitter with the hashtag #ABCTVEvent. You can watch on Wednesdays at 8 EST on ABC.