TVSquad Talks To Neil Flynn on "The Middle's" Future

[JamesG]

Neil Flynn on "The Middle"
by Piet Levy
posted Jun 20th 2010


Flynn talked to TV Squad about his thoughts on "The Middle's" future:





Congratulations on getting picked up for a second season and for the success you've had so far.

What are your thoughts on how the first season went, as far as the cast and story lines, and where we should expect things to go for season 2?

I'm delighted with how season one went. I felt the pilot was good. We had a good cast and the challenge then was for the writers to come up with 24 more episodes, and I think they did a great job.



In the first season, they did an excellent job developing relationships between the family members. You'd notice one week, this is the one where Sue [played by Eden Sher] and Brick [played by Atticus Shaffer] share a story line, and this is one where my character Mike and Axl [played by Charlie McDermott] share a story line].

So they did a good job building relationships within the family and at the same time keeping it authentic and believable.





As far as next year, I trust they're going to be able to deliver more of the same. I have no particular hopes as far as the arc of the show or the characters. I trust the creator of the shows and the writing staff know what they're doing and will handle the progress well. ...

Season 1 ended with Sue finally winning something, even though it was only making it on to the "no cut" cross country team, so I imagine that will be a plot line for her as she competes in cross country. Other than that, I have no idea, and I like being surprised each week when I get the scripts, whether its who the guest stars are this week or what the plot lines are for each episode.

I don't feel any need to know in advance.











On "Scrubs" you fit in comfortably with the ensemble.

Here, there's maybe more weight on your shoulders. Was that nerve wracking at all to elevate to that point for this show, on top of working with a whole new cast on a whole new show?

"Scrubs" was such a fantastic experience and I'll be forever grateful for my time there. I was a secondary character on that show, and lucky to be one. But I felt I was ready to handle a little more responsibility.



And make no mistake, this is Patricia's show. She's the star, so I don't have that sort of responsibility on my shoulders. I'm just sort of second in command. And I enjoy it.

One of the things I like so much about it are the kids are really good actors, and believable characters. So I really feel no pressure at all or that I'm over my head. That would be rough to feel that way going in to work everyday. I really enjoy it.



I don't think I ever want to be the star of any show, but just having a solid position beneath number one is fine by me.Well I guess I shouldn't rule anything out, but I don't ever imagine that happening.

Let me put it this way: I never want my name in the title on any show. You won't be seeing 'The Neil Flynn Show,' or 'It's Neil,' or 'Ask Neil What He Thinks.'











There are so many comedies that come and go, and so many are dead on arrival.

But "The Middle" has been able to find that audience. Why do you think that is?

The main thing "The Middle" offers is a relatability. I think anyone watching can very easily feel like they know these people or still live next door to people like them.

And there's a very middle America feel to the show, which I think middle Americans probably enjoy, and maybe people on the coasts can enjoy as well, to see how the other half lives.




For understandable reasons a lot of shows are set in Los Angeles and oftentimes New York, and I've watched many of those shows and enjoyed them. It's nice to see a specific setting on the show that's different.

The Midwest is practically a character on "The Middle". These people live in a humble house. They don't have nice belongings. They don't have a good car. And you'll see them wearing the same clothes in more than one episode because they don't have any extra money.





I think people can relate to that. It's possible that the economic state of the country in the past year helped this show seemed relatable, to have people on television for whom money is a problem.

So I'm guess I'm saying this show will continue to succeed if the country continues to fail. (Laughs.) That's a bleak outlook. Let's change that to the show will rise and fall ...

Oh, I've dug us into a hole here. (Laughs) I think that it has been supported well by ABC. And we did well last year without having any sort of a lead-in.











Right, because the lead-in, "Hank", was canceled and replaced with reruns of "Modern Family".

Right. So we were basically serving as our own lead-in and providing some respectable numbers nevertheless. Next year I think its good for us that we'll be stating the night. We'll be the 8 o'clock [Eastern] show, there'll be a new comedy ["Better Together"] after us, and then "Modern Family".



I've always enjoyed watching a night of television on a single channel. Back when I was a kid, that was the way it often happened -- you'd watch your block of comedies, and ABC is trying to do that, and I think doing it pretty well. And it's great to be part of that.

It will be great to be able to stay on the air five years or so. I don't know if that will happen again. Then I will really have beaten the odds as an actor for being on two different shows that have actually stayed on the air. I'm sure it's been done a number of times but not compared to the number of people who would have liked it to happen.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/06/20/ne...ver-wants-his/