Upfronts 2012: Hallmark Adds 'The Middle' to Its Off-Net Roster

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Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2012

Hallmark Channel has acquired Warner Bros.' The Middle to launch in March 2014, the network said Wednesday during its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.

"The Middle is a highly-rated, first-run, off-network family comedy that compliments and diversifies the dynamic comedy block we currently have on our air," said Michelle Vicary, Hallmark's executive VP of programming. "The Middle is a gem of a sitcom and adds a contemporary family comedy mix to our other classic sitcoms."

Hallmark also airs off-net sitcoms Golden Girls and Frasier.

Warner Bros.' also has sold the ABC primetime comedy to TV stations covering 92% of the country and to ABC Family in a shared cable window. Both TV stations and ABC Family will premiere the show in fall 2013.

The Middle stars Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as Frankie and Mike Heck, two time-starved parents who are struggling to raise three kids. The show was created by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, who serve as executive producers. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Paige Albiniak
Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.