The Middle season 6

The sixth season of the television comedy series The Middle began airing on September 24, 2014, on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and Warner Bros. Television with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers.

The show features Frances "Frankie" Heck (Patricia Heaton), a working-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck (Neil Flynn) who resides in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three children, Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher), and Brick (Atticus Shaffer).

On May 8, 2014, ABC renewed The Middle for a sixth season. On October 23, 2014, ABC gave the season a full 24-episode order.

Main cast

 * Patricia Heaton as Frankie Heck
 * Neil Flynn as Mike Heck
 * Charlie McDermott as Axl Heck
 * Eden Sher as Sue Heck
 * Atticus Shaffer as Brick Heck

Recurring
Unbraceable You, The Loneliest Locker, The Table, Halloween V The College Tour, A Quarry Story, Steaming Pile Of Guilt, The Waiting Game, Siblings & Sombreros, Food Courting & The Graduate. The Loneliest Locker, Major Anxiety, The Table & Valentine’s Day V. Major Anxiety, The Table, Thanksgiving VI, The Christmas Wall, Valentine’s Day V & The Answer Major Anxiety, Halloween V Thanksgiving VI & Valentine’s Day V. Thanksgiving VI, The College Tour, Pam Freakin Staggs, Valentine’s Day V, Steaming Pile Of Guilt, Operation Infiltration & The Graduate
 * Brock Ciarlelli as Brad Bottig, one of Sue's ex-boyfriends who is now just a close friend at school. He appears in the following episodes.
 * Alphonso McAuley as Hutch, Axl's football teammate and best friend at college. He appears in the following episodes.
 * John Gammon as Darrin, Axl's friend and Sue's ex-boyfriend and ex-fiancé. The two broke up in the episode "The Answer" due to Sue's unwillingness to marry Darrin. He appears in the following episodes.
 * Casey Burke as Cindy Hornberger, Brick's classmate, with whom he is in the early stages of a relationship. She appears in the following episodes.
 * Gia Mantegna as Devin Levin, a relative of Frankie's hairdresser who gets set up with Axl. The two end up liking each other and begin dating. She appears in the following episodes.

Guest cast

 * Richard Kind as Dr. Niller, Sue's orthodontist. He appears in Unbraceable You.
 * Jimmy Kimmel as himself, the only fan of Brick's podcast about different fonts. He appears in The Table.
 * Jerry Hardin as Old Farmer, who attends Sue's pumpkin-patch film screening and donates $50 to her college fund. He appears in Halloween V.
 * Phyllis Smith as Ms. Huff, Sue's guidance counselor. She appears in The Sinkhole.
 * Kirstie Alley as Pam Staggs, the most popular girl in high school who wouldn't give Frankie a second look back then. She appears in Pam Freakin Staggs.
 * Brian Doyle-Murray as Don Ehlert, the owner of the car dealership where Frankie used to work and must do so for one more day in order to cash an old paycheck. He appears in A Quarry Story.
 * Jerry Van Dyke as Tag Spence, Frankie's father. He appears in Flirting With Disaster & 2 Of A Kind.
 * Matthew Atkinson as Finn, Axl's friend. He appears in Flirting With Disaster
 * Dave Foley as Dr. Chuck Fulton, Brick's school therapist. He appears in Operation Infiltration.
 * Norm Macdonald as Rusty Heck, Mike's brother. He appears in Operation Infiltration.
 * Dick Van Dyke as Paul "Dutch" Spence, Frankie's uncle and Tag's older brother. He appears in 2 Of A Kind.
 * Marsha Mason as Pat Spence, Frankie's mother. She appears in Mother’s Day Reservations.
 * French Stewart as Principal Cameron. He appears in The Graduate.

Critical reception
Early reviews for the sixth season were positive. Will Harris of The A.V. Club stated that it was "not a bad way to start a new season". Robert Bianco of USA Today stated that "it's a strong start for an excellent, underappreciated series".