‘The Middle’ Spinoff Focused On Eden Sher’s Sue Heck In The Works By ABC

The popular ABC series The Middle might have come to an end, but the network has a spinoff in the works starring Eden Sher as Sue Heck, who was in her senior year of college when the series ended. The spinoff of The Middle would not be in the fall line-up, but would be a possible midseason consideration, likely airing in February instead of September.

Deadline says that Eden Sher and the original creators of The Middle, Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, are in negotiations for a new sitcom based on the character of Sue Heck, and would likely be set a few years in the future. Sher is now 26. There is no word on whether any of the original characters from the Heck family will be included.

Some of the writers from the original series are expected to join in if the series gets picked up by ABC. Dialogue about the possible series started before The Middle ended, as ABC is still looking to fill the gap of working-class sitcoms left by the prior series and now by the cancellation of Roseanne.

Heisler says that they chose to wrap The Middle, and not because of questionable ratings.

She says that leaving some storylines on the table will make it easier to do a reunion show.

“Our ratings have been great and ABC was very clear they did want more seasons — it was our decision to bring it to a close. And hey… I can’t tell you what’s next… gotta save it for the reboot. See you in ten years!”

The show’s creators decided to focus on Eden Sher as she was said to be the stand-out of all of the Heck kids. Sher is an award-winning comedian who has been acting since childhood. Now at 26, she is seeking more adult roles.

The Middle was set in the fictional town of Orson, Indiana, but was modeled to be any working-class town in the Midwest, says the Hollywood Reporter. It’s unclear if the new series would also be set in Indiana or if the character of Sue would be branching out into the world like her older brother, Axl, planned to with a move to Colorado.

The Middle was also known for being shot as a single camera sitcom, whereas the trend is for a multi-camera situation. With the vacancy left by Roseanne in the schedule (not to mention the sitcom crews and writers now looking for work), ABC is said to be looking to develop more sitcoms for the fall and midseason schedule.