third to ninth season. Previously, the show aired on A (now CTV Two) during its first season. In Australia, the show premiered on December 7, 2009, on Nine Network. The New Zealand premiere was on May 8, 2010, on TV2. In India, the show premiered on January 5, 2015, on Romedy Now. In the UK, it premiered on August 29, 2010, on Sky1. Season 5 premiered on Comedy Central UK on January 21, 2014, and in Ireland on April 16, 2014, on TV3. It has been adapted in Hindi on Reliance Broadcast Network comedy channel BIG MAGIC as Tedi Medi Family. It is also broadcast on the Neox Channel in Spain and Warner Channel in Latin America and Brazil. In Bulgaria the series premiered in late 2019 alongside Young Sheldon on the Bulgarian pay television channel bTV Comedy. It was dubbed by studio MediaLink. Syndication On March 6, 2012, it was announced that ABC Family (now Freeform) obtained the rights to The Middle, which began airing the series on September 9, 2013, until August 22, 2022. Also, the series debuted in local syndication on September 16, 2013. As of September 2017, the show is no longer available for local syndication. Hallmark Channel also acquired The Middle for syndication, which began airing in March 2014. However, the series left the network in August 2018. On August 5, 2019, the series rejoined the Hallmark Channel's line-up, airing in a block from 6:00-8:00 A.M. As of October 2019, the series has once again left the schedule. On May 17, 2021, the series once again rejoined the Hallmark Channel's line-up, airing in a block from 1:00-3:00 P.M. Streaming The series began streaming on HBO Max in the US on December 1, 2020. The series was streaming on IMDB TV, but has since left. The series is available to stream on HBO Max in Bulgaria on March 8, 2022, but only with English audio. As of 2022, the series streams on Peacock in the United States. Home media In Region 1, seasons 1–4 had an official retail release. Seasons 5-9 were released as a MOD DVD-R via the Warner Archive Collection. The Canadian releases continue to be traditionally manufactured and sold, but are otherwise identical to their American counterparts. Distribution for regions 2 and 4 ended after the fourth season. Reception Critical reception The Middle received positive reviews from critics, citing its unique and original