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 urges Sue to fight for her right to attend a class trip after making the grade by selling thousands of dollars worth of sausage and cheese; Brick gets his first girlfriend.

After Brick's teachers tell his parents that he's "socially challenged," Mike tries to help Brick make friends; while Frankie needs her son's coveted football jersey.

Mike insists that only Axl fix the front door after he knocks it down; Frankie must sell a car within a week; and its school picture time for a photographically challenged Sue.

Frankie must create the illusion of a picture-perfect family when an accident causing a small scratch on Brick leads a social worker to visit the Heck household.

Frankie's dream of the perfect Thanksgiving turns into a nightmare when Mr. Ehlert forces the staff to work on the holiday – and Axl loses Brick in a corn maze.

Frankie vows to make her kids stop fighting with each other and interact as a loving family, while Mike contemplates firing Aunt Edie after she makes a costly mistake.

Rehearsing for the church's midnight mass, Frankie becomes jealous when it seems that Mike is doing a better job at organizing the Heck family Christmas than she would have done.

Frankie buys a hormonally challenged Sue an expensive pair of jeans so she can fit in with her peers, and Mike helps Axl get a car to impress a girl.

Frankie must decide whether to confront her trashy neighbor and nemesis, Rita Glossner (guest star BROOKE SHIELDS) after a fight between Sue and Rita’s sons erupts.

Mike finds himself out of work and lacking the technological skills needed in the 21st century to search for a job. With Frankie’s help, Brick runs for school historian.

Frankie promises to stop yelling at the kids if they agree to follow through on their schoolwork and chores and a reluctant Mike takes a job with Bob.

Valentine’s Day unexpectedly finds Frankie and Mike home alone and ready for a romantic evening. But their best-laid plans soon begin to unravel.

Frankie and Mike focus on taking the family on a road trip to Chicago for Brick’s regional spelling bee, but are horrified to realize that the forgot about Sue’s birthday.

Frankie & Mike must console a broken-hearted Axl after his girlfriend (ALEXA VEGA) breaks up with him; And Sue and Brick are on the lookout for zombies after watching a scary movie.

Frankie’s job may be on the line when a hardcore motivational consultant (AMY SEDARIS) is hired to whip the sales staff into shape – leaving Mike to deal with issues at home.

Frankie forces Mike to choose which life event is most important to him – going to her uncle’s funeral or going to the big Final Four game.

While the kids move on to other things, Frankie and Mike are the ones who can’t seem to adapt without TV after they cut out the expense of cable when their power is turned off.

Frankie is worried that Axl’s going to get his heart crushed again when his on-again/off-again girlfriend, Morgan (guest star ALEXA VEGA), re-enters his life.

Frankie escapes the chaos of Mother’s Day at home to visit her mom (guest star MARSHA MASON), and ends up causing some chaos of her own.

At the spring Heck family BBQ, Mike decides that he and Brick need to try and become more social when Frankie points out that Mike’s social ineptness was passed on to Brick.

Frankie and Mike discover that the school librarian (BETTY WHITE) is determined to prevent Brick from advancing into the third grade because of some overdue library books.