‘Modern Family’ season 9, ‘The Middle’ renewals in discussion
ABC over the past decade or so has emerged as a major player within the family-comedy space, and more so than any other show, it has “Modern Family” to thank for it. This is a program that, in its heyday, was the recipient of countless awards and some of the best ratings on TV. While over time these things have started to cool, it’s still a flagship show for them and a great lead-in to “black-ish.” It makes some sense that they would still be interested in keeping the show around for as long as humanly possible.
Now that we’ve said that, it also makes some sense that the network would do the same exact thing with “The Middle,” given that it anchored previously the Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. timeslot before moving over to Tuesdays, where it’s been equally effective at the same exact thing.
Speaking to Deadline, ABC network programming head Channing Dungey made it clear that there is interest in bringing both shows back; specifically on the subject of “Modern Family,” she had the following to say:
“Talks are ongoing … Anytime you are in a renegotiation, especially at this level, it’s going to be complicated. What I will say is there is a real enthusiasm on our side and on [studio 20th Century Fox’s] side to try to make something happen. We all want to see the show come back next season.”
From here, a little bit of the drama could come down to the cast, given the sole fact that there are so many people who, at this point in the show’s run, demand a pretty substantial salary and could command even more in the event the show comes back. Just look over at “The Big Bang Theory,” a show where the majority of the main cast is at this point getting around $1 million an episode. It’s an eye-popping figure, but it is one that makes some sense when you stop for a moment and think a little bit about the present state of syndication and so many other ways in which a show can be monetized. That show in particular is everywhere; we see the “Modern Family” gang getting more money, but not in that range.
What do you think: Should both “Modern Family” and “The Middle” come back for more episodes? Let us know now in the attached comments.