When beloved family sitcom The Middle went off the air this past May after nine seasons on ABC, fans of the series hoped for a spinoff centered around daughter Sue Heck.
In August, their dreams came true when ABC gave Eden Sher’s quirky character a pilot production commitment that is being written and executive produced by The Middle creators Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.
The potential series, a single-camera comedy, will follow 20-something Sue, an eternal optimist, as she leaves her family’s home in Orson, Indiana, for a shot at a better life and career in the hotel industry in a big city, Chicago.
Sue’s supporters will now be happy to learn a little bit more about the potential series as it has been given an official title and two key cast members have signed on.
Sue Sue in the City will feature the return of the title character’s best friend Brad Bottig, played by actor Brock Ciarlelli, reported the Hollywood Reporter .
“I’m so excited,” he said on Twitter . “Brad Bottig and Sue Heck are far from over.”
While just a recurring actor on The Middle , Ciarlelli will be a regular on its spinoff. He won several Young Artist Awards for his outstanding performances on the hit series, though — he was named Best Recurring Young Actor in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015.
A brand-new character that will be introduced on Sue Sue in the City will be played by Kimberley Crossman ( SMILF ). The 28-year-old actress from Auckland, New Zealand, will play a “tough and talented” chef named Remi who works at the same hotel as Sue.
“She’s recently on the mend from a promising but failed relationship and food truck business when her now ex-boyfriend literally drove away with their dreams,” reported Deadline .
“Very excited to be joining this epic cast,” Crossman wrote on Instagram .
Sher, Ciarlelli, Crossman, and the rest of the cast and crew have reportedly already gone into production for the pilot episode of Sue Sue in the City .
Patricia Heaton, who played Sue’s mother Frankie Heck on The Middle , wrote a tweet on October 5 that said the pilot was being filmed that very day.
If a series order is given to the show, The Middle fans would love to see Sue’s mother and the rest of the Heck family — dad Mike (Neil Flynn), older brother Axl (Charlie McDermott), and younger brother Brick (Atticus Shaffer) — make guest appearances.
However, it may be difficult for Heaton as she has just been cast in the lead role in the comedy Carol’s Second Act , which has a series commitment from CBS, as previously reported by the Inquisitr .