Missed her on Everybody Loves Raymond? Patricia Heaton is set to star on an upcoming single-comedy The Middle about a dysfunctional Indiana family (The Heck's) who's just like any other family, but at the same time is very, very different. She plays Frankie, a middle-class Midwestern mother of three, who is married to often silent but nonetheless sharp-tongued Mike, played by Neil Flynn, the actor who plays the unnamed Janitor on Scrubs.
Heaton, 51, who has won two Emmy's for her role as Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, will pair up with Flynn as husband and wife Frankie and Mike, who have lived in Orson, Indiana their whole lives. Mike is a manager at a town quarry, while Frankie is the third-best used car salesman at a local dealership of three people.
According to ABC, while Frankie is not the most empowered career woman on television, she is definitely one of the best when it comes to family, as she will go to just about any length for it. Her kids, however, leave a lot to be desired - a brood that includes Ax, semi-nudist teenager who was conceived with Guns N' Roses playing a "significant role;" Sue, the awkward daughter who fails at everything with great gusto; and Brick, the seven-year-old whose best friend is in his backpack.
The cast of
The Middle includes Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, and Atticus Shaffer as the kids Axl, Sue, and Brick, respectively. Very prolific, its writer Julie Anne Robinson has written episodes for a lot of scripted series, from
Private Practice to
Samantha Who?, from
Weeds to
Grey's Anatomy.
The Middle is set to premiere on ABC in September, occupying the network's Wednesday night lineup.
- Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: ABC
(Image courtesy of ABC)