The Middle

TV Show • 2009  

Report
The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.
This tv show contains 13 potentially triggering events.
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Episode
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Your Triggers
Does the dog die?
1 supporters
Yes
0
No
4
0
ChloeMLHM
The dog, Doris, must pass away eventually in the show, but it’s never discussed to my knowledge.
1 comment | Add comment
Unanswered Triggers
Are there nude scenes?
53 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Are there homophobic slurs?
51 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Is there shakey cam?
51 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Is there audio gore?
51 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Are there transphobic slurs?
50 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Axl does this to girls a lot.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is there on-screen pooping?
46 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Are there sudden loud noises?
44 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Is autism misrepresented?
40 supporters
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Yes
0
No
0
Abandonment
0
Samyra
En varios capítulos los padres abandonan a sus hijos por descuido u olvidan ir a buscarlos
1 comment | Add comment
Is an animal abandoned?
1 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Abuse
Are there abusive parents?
60 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there domestic violence?
86 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is a woman brutalized for spectacle?
105 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone gaslighted?
34 supporters
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Yes
1
No
2
Is someone abused with a belt?
29 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is a child abused?
116 supporters
Yes
1
No
3
1
MickeySam
No but there is an episode (The Scratch) where a beer bottle is accidentally tossed at Brick, and Brick unknowingly implies to a teacher that he’s being abused. A social worker investigates the family
2 comments | Add comment
Addiction
0
ChloeMLHM
The occasional Tylenol PM or Advil is taken.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there addiction?
24 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
Not drug addiction, however Frankie has a frosting addiction throughout the entire thing which is supposed to be comedic
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
0
NiceGirl
Frankie and Mike are alcoholics
1 comment | Add comment
Animal
1
Throughout the show all of the animals are totally fine unless they get sick and die on their own, this is pretty much just a comedic and happy show so nothing really bad like murder or animal abuse takes place
1 comment | Add comment
Does a horse die?
1 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Does an animal die?
(besides a dog, cat or horse)
196 supporters
Yes
4
No
2
0
ChloeMLHM
S3
 E18
Limestone the cat from the quarry dies. Not shown, just discussed.
1 comment | Add comment
Are animals abused?
225 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
3
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Not on-screen to my knowledge. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
1 comment | Add comment
Is an animal sad?
95 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Doris cries and begs to go back to the Donahues’ house.
2 comments | Add comment
Are rabbits harmed?
1 supporters
Yes
0
No
3
0
ChloeMLHM
The bunny eventually stops being discussed or shown in the episodes, but nothing bad ever happens to it on-screen.
1 comment | Add comment
Does a cat die?
1 supporters
Yes
7
No
1
1
BrittSimply
Mike’s work cat, Limestone, dies in his arms offscreen and the tale is shared with his family after he comes home from work. This happens in the same episode that the cat is first mentioned and the cat itself is never seen on screen in Season 03, Episode 18, “Leap Year.”
1 comment | Add comment
Does a pet die?
1 supporters
Yes
3
No
1
0
Mike’s work cat Limestone, who was never shown on camera and his death was never shown Mike just tells us, but that’s it
1 comment | Add comment
Does a dragon die?
1 supporters
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Yes
0
No
6
Are there spiders?
57 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Are there snakes?
21 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Are there bugs?
42 supporters
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Yes
2
No
1
Assault
Is someone drugged?
34 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there pedophilia?
138 supporters
Yes
4
No
2
0
DJHyperfresh
In one episode, Frankie (a middle aged married mother) starts hitting on her son’s teenage friend named Finn
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Sean dunks Sue under water when they’re swimming. They’re playing and it’s brief.
1 comment | Add comment
Is rape mentioned?
97 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone restrained?
1 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Yes
0
No
6
0
Ep 5, Dad approaches mom, says kids are asleep, implies wanting the hanky panky. Mom says she's exhausted, as many women do to say no. He starts pressuring, she goes "eh, ain't worth the fight." This isn't outward sexual assault, but it is coercion and pressure til she gives in, which I thought was disgusting.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Bodily Harm
Yes
3
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Frankie shaves her legs.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there throat mutilation?
44 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Does someone struggle to breathe?
29 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there decapitation?
46 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there cannibalism?
39 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is someone crushed to death?
35 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone choked?
21 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone burned alive?
49 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is someone buried alive?
35 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is there body horror?
69 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there amputation?
32 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Does a head get squashed?
60 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is there a hanging?
34 supporters
Yes
0
No
3
0
NiceGirl
No hanging but Axl does a hanging gesture while Sue is talking which could trigger some people
1 comment | Add comment
Is there genital trauma/mutilation?
91 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Yes
4
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Correct!
2 comments | Add comment
Does someone have a seizure?
12 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Frankie’s tooth gets chipped.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there finger/toe mutilation?
61 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone tortured?
97 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
You hear thudding which implies Brick fell down the basement stairs.
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone fall to their death?
12 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there eye mutilation?
107 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is someone stabbed?
17 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there excessive gore?
107 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Children
Does a kid die?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is a minor sexualized?
117 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
Axl tells his little brother that his 7 yo max girlfriend is a little hottie. I'm sure there's more, this show isn't exactly the best in terms of outdated tropes.
1 comment | Add comment
Creepy Crawly
Are there bedbugs?
20 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Disability
Is the r-slur used?
31 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
2
Family
Does a parent die?
1 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Mike’s mom passes away before the show. It’s discussed often.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
0
MickeySam
No but Brick’s toys are taken from him as a child and hidden
1 comment | Add comment
Is someone kidnapped?
9 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does someone cheat?
21 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
It’s implied that one of Sue’s boyfriends cheats. It’s also sometimes discussed in the show.
1 comment | Add comment
Fear
Are there ghosts?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Are there jump scares?
71 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Some bathtub scenes. Nothing sexual, gory, or graphic.
1 comment | Add comment
Is someone possessed?
16 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Gross
Does someone vomit?
120 supporters
Yes
12
No
0
8
ChloeMLHM
Here’s a detailed list of all the spots to avoid:

1. Beware of S1E22. Sue & Frankie are in the car driving to see grandma & Sue starts telling Frankie that she stole a magnet. Mute it right after that! A minute later, Sue throws up twice from the guilt. Keep it muted because they pull over & Sue continues getting sick on the side of the road. You literally don’t see anything! You can hear her gagging though, so make sure it’s muted. You can unmute it when they arrive at grandma’s house. To avoid entirely, skip 10:00-11:43.

2. In S2, “A Simple Christmas,” Brick gets sick behind a chair after eating too much fudge. NOTHING is shown, but Frankie talks about it briefly & cleans up the mess not visible behind the chair. Short scene.

3. In S2E20, Sue vomits at the beginning of the episode. Very triggering & has audio. To avoid, skip 0:43-0:56.

4. In S2E24, Sue vomits in her locker. Brief, no visual. Audio is heard. Skip 1:07-1:14.

5. In S3, “The Test”, Axl says he threw up on his shirt from nerves at school. You do NOT see this happen. There’s a teeny tiny stain on his shirt, but it just looks like spilled water. His shirt is bright red making it hard to even see.

6. Sue is trying to get Mike’s attention in “The Last Whiff of Summer Pt. 1.” In doing so, she does something “rebellious” that she confesses to Mike. Overcome with guilt in the car, she sticks her head out the window to be sick. Gag heard, NOTHING seen, & then the scene cuts to Mike. Skip 30:03-30:13.

7. In S3, The Super Bowl episode, some kids are mentioned to have caught a stomach bug, but nothing ever happens.

8. In S4E17, there’s a scene where the kids lie about who broke their front window to avoid punishment. Sue acts like she may be sick in this scene, but she is NOT! She just gets nauseous when lying. Axl even says to her “trick your brain so you don’t barf” & she doesn’t get sick. She puffs up her cheeks & makes a sound like she’s holding back, but don’t worry about this scene! If you’re worried, skip 3:33-3:37.

9. In the S5, episode “The Drop Off,” where they take Axl to college, fast forward or mute right when they arrive on campus. It’s a totally unexpected scene where a random college kids gets sick. To avoid entirely, skip 16:05-16:25.

10. In S6E8, Sue gets sick in a jewelry box when she realizes she lied on her college paperwork. Skip 6:54-7:08 to be safe.

11. Axl gets a graphic stomach bug in S7 “Homecoming II: The Tailgate.” I’ve never watched the whole episode because of this. Just avoid it if you’re an emetophobe.

12. Frankie eats a bad corn dog in the S9, episode “Meet the Parents” & says she “spent the whole weekend sick” & the “bathroom I barfed in was unbelievable.” A photo is shown with her laying over the toilet, giving a thumbs up to the camera. It’s at the very end of the episode & nothing is visible.

13. There’s a scene in S9 at Sue’s college where she gets drunk on her 21st birthday in the episode “Toasted.” I know for sure she gets sick on the couch while talking to Sean. I believe that’s the only time in that episode, but I could be wrong. I think Frankie gets a little tipsy. Have someone else check for you before you watch this one! :)
6 comments | Add comment
Does someone wet/soil themselves?
25 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Does someone spit?
11 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Law Enforcement
Is there incarceration?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
LGBTQ+
Yes
0
No
3
Loss
0
ChloeMLHM
Axl’s one-of-a-kind signed jersey.
1 comment | Add comment
Medical
Is electro-therapy used?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there a mental institution scene?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there a hospital scene?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
3
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Discussed a few times.
1 comment | Add comment
Mental Health
Does someone self harm?
S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES® (1-800-DONTCUT)
82 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Yes
2
No
1
0
MUTTILATION
While it is unconfirmed, Brick is heavily implied to be autistic, and many of his stims and mannerisms are belittled and commented on as weird throughout the series. A specific example is in the season 1 episode, "Christmas". One of his stims, whispering, is withheld at the threat of him receiving no presents.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does someone have a meltdown?
9 supporters
Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
Are there anxiety attacks?
24 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
I’m sure Axl says it at some point. He’s snarky and doesn’t mean it.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there a claustrophobic scene?
19 supporters
Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
Does someone have an eating disorder?
46 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
0
No
4
Noxious
Does a baby cry?
1 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
A few times.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there screaming?
17 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Are there flashing lights or images?
52 supporters
Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
Paranoia
Yes
4
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
Brick does this a couple of times.
1 comment | Add comment
Pregnancy
Is a baby stillborn?
36 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does someone miscarry?
30 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
0
ChloeMLHM
Multiple babies.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there childbirth?
28 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Are there abortions?
19 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Does a pregnant person die?
28 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Prejudice
Yes
4
No
1
Are there usages of the n-word?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
0
ChloeMLHM
About the football players dressing as cheerleaders.
1 comment | Add comment
Does an LGBT person die?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Are there fat jokes?
56 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
0
No
4
0
Nobody dies unless it’s really late into seasons and they are old or the actor dies
1 comment | Add comment
Sex
Is there bestiality?
89 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
94 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
1
No
3
1
ChloeMLHM
Implied and talked about sometimes, never shown. No nudity.
2 comments | Add comment
Sexism
Yes
3
No
0
Sickness
Yes
3
No
0
0
ChloeMLHM
It’s implied Aunt Edie has some sort of dementia.
1 comment | Add comment
Social
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
Rusty, Mike’s brother, a few times.
1 comment | Add comment
Spoiler
Yes
2
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
I believe so! Correct me if I’m wrong.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
3
No
1
0
ChloeMLHM
S4
“The Last Whiff of Summer” shows the scrapbook pages and pictures Mike and Sue made.
1 comment | Add comment
Does it have a sad ending?
68 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Vehicular
Does a car honk or tires screech?
0 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Does a car crash?
20 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
1
Does a plane crash?
17 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is someone hit by a car?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Violence
Does someone drown?
27 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Is there blood/gore?
59 supporters
Yes
1
No
2
0
ChloeMLHM
Very mild, maybe a small cut here or there.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there a nuclear explosion?
11 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there gun violence?
31 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3