Question: I was crushed to learn ABC wasn’t going forward with a spinoff of
The Middle following the wonderful Eden Sher as Sue Heck. Any thoughts? —Lydia
Matt Roush: I’m disappointed as well, because the notion of spending more time with Sue softened the blow of The Middle going off the air. Without having seen the pilot, I can’t comment on whether it was a worthy vehicle for Eden Sher, but this may have been a victim of the ongoing regime change at ABC/Disney. Sue in the City was in the pipeline as the network replaced one entertainment president for another, in advance of Disney absorbing the Fox studio and many of its execs. When these shifts occur, there’s often a cleaning of the deck, and because The Middle and its spinoff were not Disney or Fox properties, but hailed from the Warner Bros studio, that may have also lessened its appeal from a corporate perspective.
Question: Help! I have not been able to find Trading Spaces! —Kay
Matt Roush: The revival ninth season aired in April and May, with only eight episodes. The good news is that the show did well and was picked up for a 10th season, which will premiere sometime in 2019 with a longer season — although it’s not clear just how many episodes will be in the new batch.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com.