The BEST episodes of The Middle

Every episode of The Middle ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Middle!

Frankie Heck and her husband Mike have lived in Orson, Indiana, their whole lives. A man of few words (every one a zinger), Mike is a manager at the town quarry and Frankie is the third-best used car salesman (out of the three) at the local dealership. She may not be a high-powered career woman, but when it comes to her family, she'll go to just about any length. And with kids like these, she had better. There's Axl, her semi-nudist teenage son conceived while under the influence of Guns N' Roses; Sue, the awkward teenage daughter who fails at everything... but with the utmost of gusto; and their seven-year-old son Brick, whose best friend is his backpack. Sometimes it seems like everyone is trying to get to the top, or struggling not to hit bottom, but we think Frankie and her family will find a lot of love, and a lot of laughs, somewhere in "The Middle".

Last Updated: 1/8/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
Share:
A Heck of a Ride (2)
star
8.64
275 votes

#1 - A Heck of a Ride (2)

Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/22/2018

Watch Now:Amazon
A Heck of a Ride (1)
star
8.36
494 votes

#2 - A Heck of a Ride (1)

Season 9 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/22/2018

A Heck leaves the nest as the family takes a road trip to Denver, where Axl will start his new job - and new life away from home.

Watch Now:Amazon
Last Whiff of Summer (2)
star
8.07
328 votes

#3 - Last Whiff of Summer (2)

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/2012

Watch Now:Amazon
Last Whiff of Summer (1)
star
8.04
800 votes

#4 - Last Whiff of Summer (1)

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2012

Mike accidentally reveals that Axl is his favorite child; Brick tries to grow a giant tomato; Sue encourages her father to participate in a variety of activities with her.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Walk
star
8.03
692 votes

#5 - The Walk

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/26/2014

Frankie and Mike run into old acquaintances; Sue gets several dates to the prom; Brick gets Axl's help for a book report.

Watch Now:Amazon
Average Rules
star
8.01
887 votes

#6 - Average Rules

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/19/2010

Parent-Teacher conferences cause Frankie to worry about the kids. In them she's told Axl is gifted but not applying himself, that her teachers still do not know who Sue is, and Brick may have to repeat the second-grade due to failure to return over 30 library books. Guest star Betty White as the school librarian.

Directors: Wendey Stanzler
Watch Now:Amazon
The Wonderful World of Hecks
star
8.01
630 votes

#7 - The Wonderful World of Hecks

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/21/2014

A series of unfortunate events threaten to spoil the trip to Walt Disney World.

Writer: Tim Hobert
Watch Now:Amazon
The 200th
star
8.00
602 votes

#8 - The 200th

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/5/2017

Frankie remembers she has to come up with something to place in the time capsule; Bill Norwood informs Mike that he and Paula are separating; Brick tries to win Cindy back; Axl volunteers Sue to be his personal assistant

Writer: Roy Brown
Watch Now:Amazon
Fight or Flight
star
7.99
883 votes

#9 - Fight or Flight

Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/2017

Having finally graduated college, Axl tells Frankie and Mike that he's planning on going to Europe over the summer with Kenny. Although Frankie thinks this is a great once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Mike is less than pleased and thinks his slacker son should be putting all of his summer efforts into finding a job. Meanwhile, Sue begins to panic after she barely scrapes a parked SUV and doesn't hear back from the owner after leaving several notes on the windshield, and Brick discovers that his sudden onset of backaches is due to not sitting in his lawn chair, which was replaced by a normal kitchen-table chair.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Guidance Counselor
star
7.96
850 votes

#10 - The Guidance Counselor

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2012

Sue finds a kindred spirit in her awkward school guidance counselor, Jane Marsh (Whoopi Goldberg), who inspires her to reinvent herself. Meanwhile, Frankie is ecstatic when she and Mike buy a much needed new bed but is gobsmacked when her stubborn husband insists on assembling it himself; and Brick attempts to call the President to outlaw the Presidential Fitness Challenge, which would force him to accomplish some strenuous physical exercises at school.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Show Must Go On
star
7.94
678 votes

#11 - The Show Must Go On

Season 7 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/18/2016

After almost forgetting that Brick's middle school graduation is only days away, Frankie goes on a mission to right a wrong when Brick discovers that the song he was supposed to sing at the ceremony has been cut. Meanwhile, Sue needs to be at Dollywood to begin her summer job on the same day as Brick's graduation, and Axl takes a job as a country club counselor and finds himself being mocked by a 10-year-old carbon copy of himself.

Watch Now:Amazon
Halloween II
star
7.93
932 votes

#12 - Halloween II

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/26/2011

After being embarrassed over wearing a childish costume at a high school Halloween costume party and being ignored by the guys, Sue asks a flabbergasted Mike for his advice on what boys want when it comes to girls. Meanwhile, Frankie reluctantly volunteers to take Brick's socially awkward school social skills group trick-or-treating, and Axl and his friends devise a plan to trick rather than treat the neighborhood kids on Halloween.

Directors: Elliot Hegarty
Watch Now:Amazon
Exes and Ohhhs
star
7.93
947 votes

#13 - Exes and Ohhhs

Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/14/2017

Axl is startled to run into nearly all of his former flames at a St. Patrick's Day party leaving him to wonder if it is a sign about his love life; Brick buys an old microfiche machine at a library sale, leaving Frankie and Mike less than thrilled.

The Graduate
star
7.93
531 votes

#14 - The Graduate

Season 6 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/2015

Sue prepares for her graduation and worries the day won't go perfectly. Meanwhile, Brick gets the opportunity to skip a year in school and Axl grows concerned about Devin's fun summer pictures she posted on social media.

Directors: Eileen Heisler
Watch Now:Amazon
Split Decision
star
7.93
497 votes

#15 - Split Decision

Season 9 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/15/2018

Now that Frankie knows Axl was offered a job in Denver, she makes it her mission to sway him from taking it and moving away. Meanwhile, the usually overly optimistic Sue is depressed over Sean leaving for Ghana, without ever expressing her feelings for him; and Brick drives everyone crazy when he buys a huge amount of lawn chairs to replace the one he’s been using for nine years.

Directors: Danny Salles
Writer: Tim Hobert
Watch Now:Amazon
Bunny Therapy
star
7.92
756 votes

#16 - Bunny Therapy

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/2012

Directors: Elliot Hegarty
Watch Now:Amazon
The Wedding
star
7.88
788 votes

#17 - The Wedding

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/23/2012

The Hecks are pleased to learn that Mike's brother, Rusty is getting married. However, the joy is short-lived, when they discover that the wedding is to be held at their house. Meanwhile, Brick cannot attend a party that same day, due to the nuptials.

Directors: Phil Traill
Watch Now:Amazon
Halloween IV: The Ghost Story
star
7.88
738 votes

#18 - Halloween IV: The Ghost Story

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/2013

Sue holds a seance with her friends; the football team stops Axl from attending the Halloween party in his room; the family tries to give Brick advice about girls.

Writer: Roy Brown
Watch Now:Amazon
The Christmas Tree
star
7.87
653 votes

#19 - The Christmas Tree

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/11/2013

Axl wants to spend time with his friends when he comes home for Christmas; Sue's allergies threaten to ruin her holiday; Brick's lie is uncovered.

Writer: Tim Hobert
Watch Now:Amazon
Orlando
star
7.87
670 votes

#20 - Orlando

Season 5 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/21/2014

Sue looks forward to the trip to Walt Disney World; Brick begs his parents to take him to meet his online girlfriend; Axl waits to learn his final grades.

Directors: Eileen Heisler
Watch Now:Amazon
The Jeans
star
7.86
1118 votes

#21 - The Jeans

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/2010

A hormonally charged Sue wants a cool pair of jeans in order to fit in with her peers, resulting in Frankie and Mike enduring the unpredictability of teenagers, while Axl wants a car to impress a girl. Meanwhile, attempting to teach Brick about responsibility, Frankie and Mike reluctantly allow him to take care of Aunt Edie and Aunt Ginny's dog Doris for a few days.

Directors: Jamie Babbit
Writer: Jana Hunter
Watch Now:Amazon
A Very Marry Christmas
star
7.85
902 votes

#22 - A Very Marry Christmas

Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/13/2016

As Christmas approaches, Sue keeps a holiday secret from the family. After agreeing to watch the neighbor’s three kids, Brick finds himself trying to hide from them as they had such a good time that they keep wanting to come over and play. Mike doesn’t know how to react when Bill Norwood gives him a Christmas gift for the first time ever,

Watch Now:Amazon
Life Skills
star
7.85
797 votes

#23 - Life Skills

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/9/2013

Axl feels embarrassed when he and Sue are asked to work on a school project together; Brick's school therapist (Dave Foley) tries to help him make friends.

Writer: Roy Brown
Watch Now:Amazon
Twenty Years
star
7.83
734 votes

#24 - Twenty Years

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/2012

Frankie worries Mike is tiring of her as their 20th anniversary draws close; Sue tries to get Axl and Brick's help planning a party for their parents; Axl spoils the end of a book for Brick.

Directors: Phil Traill
Watch Now:Amazon
Back to Summer
star
7.83
1022 votes

#25 - Back to Summer

Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/25/2011

With only three days left until summer vacation, Frankie is ecstatic that she's made it through another school year with the family. But her happiness turns to panic when she and Mike learn that Brick needs to write a daily journal and turn it in to Ms. Rinsky or risk not moving up to the fourth grade; that Axl hasn't fulfilled his required 30 days of community service; and that, because of an error, Sue must prove that she never took a sick day from school in order to receive a perfect attendance award at her middle school graduation ceremony.

Directors: Ken Whittingham
Watch Now:Amazon