Yours Community on Instagram: "Well, that's a nice compliment. Credit: unknown The Middle (2009–2018) centers on the everyday life of Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton), a hard-working, middle-class mom living in the small town of Orson, Indiana. Alongside her laid-back husband, Mike (Neil Flynn), Frankie struggles to balance her job, household duties, and raising their three very different kids — overachieving yet socially awkward Brick, lazy and clueless Axl, and optimistic but accident-prone Sue.