‘The Middle’ Sue Heck Spinoff Not Going Forward At ABC

ABC has opted not to pick up to series its Sue Heck-centered spinoff from hit family comedy The Middle. I hear the project might be shopped by producing studio Warner Bros. TV.

Titled Sue Sue in the City, the single-camera comedy stars The Middle standout Eden Sher as Sue Heck and comes from The Middle creators/executive producers Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline. It was ordered by ABC to pilot in August, with Chris Diamantopoulos cast alongside Sher and fellow Middle alum Brock Ciarlelli as well as Kimberley Crossman, Finesse Mitchell and Aaron Branch.

The spinoff follows the twentysomething adventures of eternal optimist Sue Heck (Sher) as she leaves the small town of Orson to navigate the ups and downs of a career and young adulthood in the big city of Chicago.

Departing ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey had made developing series for the millennial audience a priority. This marks the second such comedy pilot, centered on a young character from a popular series, to get a pass by ABC, following The Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish, which has become a breakout hit for Freeform.

ABC doesn’t have pressing comedy needs in midseason as it gave back orders to both of its freshman comedies as well as sophomore Splitting Up Together, also from WBTV. It already has another comedy spinoff on tap for midseason, The Goldbergs offshoot series Schooled.

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