My AWESOME set visit of ABC’s hit series The Middle

 

Way back in 2009 I received a copy of the pilot episode of a new series that was debuting on ABC. The show was called The Middle. The series premiered on September 30, 2009. If you would like to read my original review you can find it here – The Middle – New on ABC this Fall. Since that day my family and I have made it a point to never miss an episode. We might miss and episode from time to time (parent/teacher nights always seem to happen on Wednesday nights – ugh!), but not if we can help it.

Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline are the creators and executive producers of the show. We had the opportunity to chat with them before watching a screening of tonight’s episode, The Walk. It was fun chatting with them. It was more like chatting over a cup of tea rather than a “formal” interview.

We learned a lot about the origins of the show and how the cast came about. The stories you see on the show are loosely based on the lives of Eileen and DeAnn. They use their own families as inspiration. Some of the situations you see the Heck family dealing with on TV are similar to situations both Eileen and DeAnn have experienced. The shows writers also bring their own families experiences in as inspiration.

I can’t remember which lady said it but one of them (either Eileen or DeAnn) said that she jokingly tells her kids (whey they do something silly) that she’s going to write about it in the show. LOL! They even compare Mike (the father on The Middle) to their own husbands and their husbands have to remind them that Mike is made up.

We learned that the show was pitched to Warner Brothers and ABC early on and they loved it but it had to be shelved when the Writer’s Strike hit.

Atticus Shaffer (Brick) was the first actor to be casted in the series. From the first time they met him they fell in love with him and knew he would be perfect to play the role of the quirky Brick.

They knew all along they wanted Patricia Heaton to play the role of the mom, Frankie. At the time she was working on Everyone Loves Raymond. As soon as that series ended they quickly cast Patricia in the role.

We learned that when it’s time to cast for new shows you have to be quick because once another series ends the actors are quickly snatched up by other shows. They had to be quick to get Neil Flynn. He just finished his stint on Scrubs. Neil also missed his first audition due to miscommunication but thankfully made it to an audition a few years later. I’m glad he did. I can’t picture the show with another person playing the role of Mike.

The remaining children – loveable Sue Heck (Eden Sher) and goofy Charlie McDermott (Axel) soon followed.

I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to chat with Patricia Heaton the day before the set visit at an event called Cocktails with ABC Moms. She’s a lovely women and just as petite as she appears on TV.

Patricia told me that she and Eden spend a lot of time together. When she was first starting out in Hollywood actress Linda Lavin acted as her mentor. Patricia enjoys being a mentor to Eden. They do a lot of things together, like shopping.

Patricia also shared with me that she and Atticus are huge Walking Dead fans. She even gave Atticus a huge gift basket for Christmas filled with The Walking Dead comic books and The Walking Dead action figures. That’s cool! I actually had a chance to talk to Atticus about The Walking Dead the day of the set visit.

Visiting the set of The Middle was surreal. I have been watching the show since 2009 and there I was standing in the Heck’s living room.

I have visited other sets in the past. Usually they are a “box” missing one side (where the camera men stand). Unlike other sets the Heck house is just like a real house. The rooms all have four walls and most of the house has a ceiling. When you walk inside the house you honestly feel like you are inside a REAL house. The only difference of course is that outside the house are cameras, lights and backdrops.

Long before I left for LA I told my husband how excited I was to visit the set of The Middle. We watch the show week after week (sometimes daily now that it’s in syndication). I wanted to place my hand on Brick’s lawn chair at the kitchen table and the counter top in the kitchen where a lot of the scenes take place. To actually have that opportunity was AMAZING!

The one thing I noticed about the Heck’s household is that it’s messy. There is “stuff” everywhere. It’s intentionally designed that way. After all, the Heck family is a typical family and lets face it, not all homes are perfectly cleaned and organized all the time. I know my home is not. I might not have toys scattered about (unless you consider our dog and cats’ toys), but I do have “stuff”. Currently I have garbage bags on our loveseat with boxes on top because one of our cats urinated on it the other night and I want to make sure it’s 100% clean and dry and free from any scent so he doesn’t do it again.

My kids room can rival the Heck boys room. Maybe it’s not THAT bad but it certainly could stand to be cleaned up a bit (my kids toss their things everywhere!).

Even thought the Heck’s house is a bit chaotic, it is clean. You won’t find a spec of dust. There are people who go through and clean up the set (dust, vacuum) and move things around. The day I was on the set there were Cheerios scattered on the counter top (pictured above). The next day they might clean them up and toss some mail in the same space. I want that job! LOL!

When I walked around the home I noticed things like marks on the wall and stains on the floor. These marks/stains are PURPOSELY place there. If you have children you’ll no doubt have fingerprints and other marks on your walls. I am always washing marks off the walls in my home. Every single imperfection that you see was intentionally made that way.

While we were on the set we had a surprise visit from Neil Flynn (Mike) and Charlie McDermott (Axel). We even had a chance to chat with them a bit.

Charlie is actually VERY shy. Patricia had told me that when I had a chance to chat with her at the cocktail party, but I didn’t truly believe it until we met him. You can tell he’s very shy. I think that is funny because he’s certainly not that way on show. Plus he’s half naked a lot of the time (Axel tends to run around in his boxer shorts a lot).

Another person to swing by was Jack McBrayer who plays Frankie’s dentist boss, Dr. Ted Goodwin. I didn’t get a chance to get a good photo of him (he was literally in and out in just a matter of minutes).

The adorable Atticus Shaffer also stopped by. I had met him a couple of years ago at the Frankenweenie press junket. He’s grown up A LOT since then.

Atticus is pretty funny in person. He was more than happy to pose for photos with us.

The only person who wasn’t on set that day was Eden Sher (Sue). I wish she was. I was looking forward to meeting her. Maybe I’ll have another opportunity in the near future (hint-hint ABC – LOL).

Walking around the set it was fun to see things that I watch on TV “in person”. Take for example the ripped wallpaper in the dining room. If you are a fan of the show you might recall that Frankie was trying to fix the wallpaper while preparing their home for Thanksgiving because a couple of soldiers were going to spend the holiday with them.

Do you remember Brick’s psycho bunny? Frankie thought by giving Brick a pet of his own it would help him overcome some of his quirks. That plan failed and the family was stuck with a crazy attack bunny that lived in their bathroom.

Sue has a couple of close friends including Brad and Carly. She’s also dated Axel’s buddy Darrin. I love how the set creators made Sue’s room look like a typical middle school/Jr. High school girl’s room including photos of her friends scattered about.

Do you remember the episode where Sue and Brick accidently pop a hole in the wall? The hole is still there in Sue’s bedroom.

The boy’s room is a total wreck! As a mom I wanted to start cleaning things up the moment I wanted in the room – ha ha.

I love how even the bathrooms look “lived in”. I’m sure many people have similar bathrooms or know of people with bathrooms like this.

The outside of the home doesn’t look like much. I think it was funny to see the backdrops of the Heck’s neighborhood. You can see it from the bedroom windows inside the set too.

Our van even drove past Ehlert Motors on the way in (we were not allowed to take photos on the studio lot).

The entire experience was surreal. Now every time I watch the show I tell my family “I saw that!”, “I touched that!”. They are probably sick of me saying that by now. 🙂

I have always loved the show. I have a new found appreciation for it now that I had a chance to visit the set and meet and chat with most of the cast.

There is a new episode airing tonight (March 26, 2013) at 8:00 PM (EST) / 7:00 PM (CST) called The Walk. We had a chance to screen in when we were on set. If you are a fan of the show you MUST watch it. It has a very sweet ending that will make you get a bit misty eyed (I know I did).

For more information, or to catch up on missed episodes, visit http://abc.go.com/shows/the-middle. You can also “like” the series on Facebook and follow it on Twitter. The show is even on Instagram and Pinterest.

Are you a fan of the show? Do you have a favorite character? What about a favorite episode? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Below are a few more random shots from the set visit.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way. All travel related expenses were covered for this trip.