‘The Middle’ Ending With Season 9 on ABC

ABC’s The Middle is coming to an end after the upcoming 9th season.

The series, which is based on a middle-class family living in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana, will be ending its run at the end of the 2017-18 season, according to EW.

“We sat down with the cast at the end of last year,” executive producer Eileen Heisler said. “It was important to have a year to say goodbye. We want to be able to tell all the stories.”

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The Middle always received solid reviews, but it was never able to eclipse the 9 million viewers mark. Even though the sitcom didn’t experience the same success as Modern Family, ABC’s flagship comedy, the showrunners don’t feel as if it was overlooked.

“Some know about us, some don’t. We are at heart a midwestern show,” said executive producer DeAnn Heline. “If we can be under-appreciated for nine years and be on the air, we’re lucky.”

“We feel the reception toward our show is positive and kind,” Heisler said. “We feel proud of what we’re doing. In its own way, the show has been recognized even though it’s not a ratings magnet. It’s very stalwart and steady.”

Even though Season 9 has yet to get started, the showrunners know how it is going to end.

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“We started having an idea a couple of years ago and honed it more in the last year,” said Heline.

“It will be true to our show. It’s an end that fans will like,” Heisler continued.

Back in January, the sitcom scored an early ninth season renewal. After being on the network’s Wednesday night comedy block for quite some time, the show was moved to Tuesdays the last season. The Middle’s normal slot was taken over by The Goldbergs.

At the time of the Season 9 renewal, the President of ABC Entertainment, Channing Dungey, spoke about the series.

“The Middle has been one of the network’s most consistent performers and helped us to launch a whole new night of comedy when it moved to Tuesdays this season. The Indiana Hecks have found America’s sweet spot with their authentic, acerbic and always loving take on parenting, work, kids, marriage and life,” Dungey said.

The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue and Atticus Shaffer as Brick.

The show was created by Heisler and Heline, who also serve as executive producers.