characters, and praising the show's consistent standard and realistic portrayal of lower-middle-class families. It holds a score of 71 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic. Critics also praised the show's timing, writing, and acting; e.g., Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote, "...This series seems to more assuredly offer a first-class version of what so many viewers say they want: a humorous, heartfelt, realistic look at middle-class, middle-America family life." Entertainment Weeklys Ken Tucker observed in season 2 that The Middle continues to be "a rock-solid show, the saga of a family struggling to keep their heads above the choppy economic waters." In the 2009–2010 season, The Middle ranked number six on Metacritic's "Best Reviewed New Network Show" list. Airing behind the quickly cancelled Hank during its first season, ratings were not initially impressive, averaging fewer than 7 million viewers. At the start of the 2010/2011 season, ABC moved the show to the beginning of its prime time block (8:00 pm EDT), and ratings increased substantially, with the show usually ranking second in its time slot to CBS's Survivor. In 2016, Bob Sassone of Esquire published an article called "The Middle Is the Best TV Show You're Not Watching", wherein he expresses the dissatisfaction of the series not having received nominations for several awards nor the deserved attention of the critics; he noted: "The Middle is the finest American sitcom on TV right now". After ABC confirmed that the ninth season of The Middle would be the last, Devon Ivie of Vulture wrote: "The Middle Is One of TV’s Most Underrated Gems", sharing, "I’ll miss the midwestern comfort of The Middle tremendously", and enumerating five reasons why readers should give the show a chance to charm them. Ratings Season 3's "Halloween II" was the most watched episode of the series, viewed by 10.16 million viewers. Awards and nominations In 2011, The Middle received a Gracie Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards nominated the series for Best Comedy Series, Patricia Heaton for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Eden Sher for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Spin-off Development On May 30, 2018, Variety reported that a spin-off was being eyed following the cancellation of Roseanne. Almost two months later, on July 20, 2018, in an interview with TVLine's Michael Ausiello, Sher revealed that ABC had ordered a pilot for the potential