RENEWAL ALERT: The Middle

ABC announced today that it has renewed family comedy The Middle for a ninth season. The longtime hit moved from Wednesdays to Tuesdays this year and while its ratings have declined, it has helped ABC carve out a strong comedy presence on Tuesdays. This renewal has come down to the wire and it can be tricky with veteran shows but ABC got this done early and the Hecks will be coming back for another year. The Middle is ABC's first official renewal for the 2017-18 season.