Stuck in the Middle (TV series)
| Stuck in the Middle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Developed by |
Alison Brown Linda Videtti Figueiredo |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "Stuck with You" performed by Sonus |
| Composer(s) | Kenneth Burgomaster |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Linda Videtti Figueiredo |
| Location(s) |
GMT Studios Culver City, California |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original release | February 14, 2016 – present |
Stuck in the Middle is an American single-camera sitcom developed for Disney Channel, written and executive produced by Linda Videtti Figueiredo. The series stars Jenna Ortega as Harley Diaz.
Plot
Set in Massachusetts,[1] the series tells the story of the Diaz family, specifically focusing on Harley, the middle of the seven children. Harley makes her way using her abilities as a prodigy in engineering to deal with the problems of being in a large family.
Characters
Main
- Harley Diaz (Jenna Ortega) is the middle/fourth of seven children and a young engineering prodigy. She is the central character in the series. In "Stuck in the Sweet Seat", it is revealed it is her 13th birthday. A significant feature is that she tends to break the fourth wall to tell the viewers about different things.
- Rachel Diaz (Ronni Hawk) is the oldest of the seven children and Harley's vain older sister.
- Ethan Diaz (Isaak Presley) is the oldest of Harley's brothers and the one Harley looks to for confidence and encouragement. He is also aspiring to be a musician. In "Stuck in the Sweet Seat", it is implied he is the third oldest of the seven, behind Rachel and Georgie.
- Daphne Diaz (Ariana Greenblatt) is the youngest of the seven children and Harley's younger sister.
- Georgie Diaz (Kayla Maisonet) is one of Harley's older sisters and the second oldest of the seven, as implied in "Stuck in the Sweet Seat". She is a basketball player at her school.
- Lewie Diaz (Nicolas Bechtel) is one of Harley's two younger brothers and Beast's twin who is older by 90 seconds, as revealed in the pilot.
- Beast Diaz (Malachi Barton) is one of Harley's two younger brothers and Lewie's twin.
- Suzy Diaz (Cerina Vincent) is Harley's mother.
- Tom Diaz (Joe Nieves) is Harley's father who operates a marina store called Tom's Bait and Bite, which sells camping and fishing equipment.
Recurring
- Bethany Peters (Lauren Pritchard) is a neighbor of the Diaz family who regularly criticizes Suzy and Tom's parenting of their children. She is a protective mother to her daughter Ellie who she never lets have any fun as seen in "Stuck in the Block Party."
- Ellie Peters (Lulu Lambros) is Bethany's daughter. Ellie is one of Harley's friends and is on the same basketball team as Georgie.
Release
A preview of Stuck in the Middle aired on Disney Channel on February 14, 2016. Additional episodes began airing on March 11, 2016. Production on the series began in November 2015.[2]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [3] | Prod. code [4][5] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Stuck in the Middle" | Jon Rosenbaum | Story by: Alison Brown Teleplay by: Alison Brown & Linda Videtti Figueiredo | February 14, 2016 | 101 | 2.81[6] |
|
Harley struggles to get her brothers, sisters, and parents to the park, where she is to receive a young inventor's award. She looks to Ethan for help and encouragement that they will make it to the park, but Georgie has a basketball game and Rachel is serving at a soup kitchen. Harley worries the basketball game will not finish on time. Rachel decides to spend time with her boyfriend Cuff after her volunteer work, against her parents' admonitions. The Diaz family does eventually arrive at the park, though late for Harley's award. Guest stars: Lauren Pritchard as Bethany Peters, Lulu Lambros as Ellie Peters, Brett Pierce as Cuff | ||||||
| 2 | "Stuck in the Sweet Seat" | Jon Rosenbaum | Erika Kaestle & Patrick McCarthy | March 11, 2016 | 102 | 1.64[7] |
| It is Harley's 13th birthday, but it seems no one remembers. Harley believes her parents will feel guilty about forgetting her special day, and decides to use that "guilt" to get the best seat in the family car as a present—the sweet seat, reserved for the oldest child, which is Rachel. To ensure she gets the sweet seat, and as soon as her siblings become aware of what day it is, Harley urges them to stay quiet about it for the rest of the day and distract Suzy and Tom from remembering. In trying to keep her birthday a secret, Harley endures demands from Daphne to keep quiet, as well as getting into trouble. Later that night, Georgie reminds Harley how precious celebrating birthdays with the family is becoming, as the older siblings will soon be leaving home. That prompts Harley to let go of her desire for the sweet seat and let the family know about her big day. As for that sweet seat, she can wait. | ||||||
| 3 | "Stuck with a Guy on the Couch" | David Kendall | Denise Moss | March 18, 2016 | 104 | 1.67[8] |
|
When Suzy and Tom refuse to buy the children another tablet to replace the one they broke, Harley comes up with a plan to raise money for that tablet. She decides to rent the family couch to a stranger, picking up the idea from the Peters, who are renting a room in their house. With Ethan's help, she books an Asian music student, Bai Hsu, to stay in the Diaz home for two nights. Bai's accommodations are not exactly as he expects since the children are trying to keep Suzy and Tom from becoming suspicious. When Bai cannot sleep in the Diaz home on the second night, Harley brings him to her father's store, where he ends up sleeping by a raft. The next morning, Harley, Ethan and Georgie discover Bai and the raft are gone. Tom tells them he sold the raft to Bai, whom he recognized in selfies Rachel posted online. As Tom did not accept any additional money from Bai, Harley's effort to fund the new tablet falls short. Meanwhile, the younger children attempt to raise money themselves by promoting frog wrestling. Guest stars: Lauren Pritchard as Bethany Peters, Lulu Lambros as Ellie Peters, Alex Shimizu as Bai Hsu, Kay Bess as Woman's Voice | ||||||
| 4 | "Stuck at the Movies" | Jon Rosenbaum | David McHugh & Matt Flanagan | March 25, 2016 | 103 | 1.73[9] |
|
While using her sure-fire way to get free stuff from companies through her "feedback" approach, Harley forgets she has a school science project due until her mother reminds her and wants to see that project. Meanwhile, Suzy is preoccupied with the family's Wi-Fi bill and complains to their provider, but when she follows Harley's system of company feedback by asking for free service and threatening cancellation, the Wi-Fi provider summarily cancels their service, which causes the children to become restless. To calm them down, Suzy and Tom decide to take the family to the movies. Harley figures she can come up with her project before the movie begins, while monitoring the seats she reserved for the family, but fails even after she manages to build something. The Diaz family ends up having a short stay at the theater as Suzy and Tom notice the movie they are watching is not G-rated. Harley finally settles on her project when Ethan shows her behind-the-scenes family moments he captured on his phone while at the theater; she builds a film projector so the family can watch those moments. It does help them pass the time without Wi-Fi service, which Suzy hopes to get restored. Guest star: Matt Webb as Usher | ||||||
| 5 | "Stuck in the Block Party" | David Kendall | Allan Rice | April 1, 2016 | 105 | 1.59[10] |
|
The annual neighborhood block party is nearing, and Harley persuades her mother to let the family do the big activity for the event. To the shock of Ms. Peters, who is not keen on the seeing the Diaz family handle this responsiblity, Suzy tells her the family is taking charge of the activity. Harley is left to come up with ideas and wants to do so undisturbed. She moves out of her bedroom and establishes her quiet space for thinking in a closet, leading Rachel and Georgie to fight for Harley's space in the bedroom. The quietude deeply affects Harley's creative mind, and the ideas she is able to muster lack any excitement. Harley realizes she needs the chaos from her siblings for inspiration. She tries to move back into her bedroom with Rachel and Georgie, but when her sisters disallow that, she has Daphne become their roommate. As Harley sees Daphne transport their sisters' stuff out the bedroom window, it inspires Harley to build a roller coaster for the block party. Guest stars: Lauren Pritchard as Bethany Peters, Lulu Lambros as Ellie Peters | ||||||
| 6 | "Stuck in the Slushinator" | Jon Rosenbaum | Lance Whinery | April 8, 2016 | 106 | 1.64[11] |
|
At 13, Harley has become old enough to work at her father's marina store and is eager to do so. However, Tom refuses to give her that opportunity, fearing disaster such as what he experienced with Rachel, Ethan and Georgie, so Harley tries to convince him for her chance and succeeds. She wants to add a slushy machine to the store, but after her father disapproves its $500 price tag, she unveils her cost-efficient alternative, the slushinator, powered by bicycles which she hires Lewie and Beast to pedal. It provides a boost to Tom's business, but the twins later decide they are done with slushy-making and want to do something else. After Harley gives the two incentive to return, the twins end up fighting, and their war is felt beyond the store. Harley eventually patches things up between the two. Though her slushy venture is short-lived, her father commends her for not sinking his business. Meanwhile, Suzy wants the family to prepare for a church photo at the house, while Daphne takes care of what she believes is a cat. When it comes time for the photo, Daphne introduces the animal, which everyone discovers is actually a skunk. Guest star: Joel Steingold as Tony | ||||||
| 7 | "Stuck in the Mother's Day Gift" | Jon Rosenbaum | Linda Videtti Figueiredo | April 29, 2016 | 107 | 1.53[12] |
| Every Mother's Day, Harley makes a gift for her mother, while her siblings simply step in to share credit for it without contributing. For this Mother's Day, though, Harley wants the others to come up with their own presents. All their gift ideas fall short of expectation, but Harley's decision to get the family car professionally cleaned and detailed leads to panic when the car is not back in time. With her siblings' help, Harley tries to investigate what happened to it, only to come up empty. When Suzy also wants to know what happened to the car, the children take responsibility for its missing. It turns out the car is fine, just parked somewhere else near the house, and Suzy is pleasantly surprised by its makeover. In the end, Harley does not mind her siblings sharing the credit with her on this Mother's Day gift. | ||||||
| 8 | "Stuck in Harley's Comet"[13] | TBA | TBA | May 13, 2016 | 108 | TBD |
| 9 | "Stuck with Mom's New Friend"[14] | TBA | TBA | May 20, 2016 | 110 | TBD |
Broadcast
The series first premiered 15 minutes before the first airing in the U.S. on Disney Channel in Canada as a special on February 14, 2016. The series premiered on Watch Disney Channel and Disney Channel on Demand on February 15, 2016. The series began airing regularly on March 11, 2016, airing at the same time as the United States.[15]
References
- ↑ Serrao, Nivea (February 12, 2016). "Meet the Diaz Family from Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle (VIDEO)". TV Insider. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Disney Channel Orders Latino Family Sitcom Toplined by 'Jane the Virgin' Star (Exclusive)". Variety. September 4, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Stuck in the Middle Episode Guide". Zap2it.
- ↑ "Stuck in the Middle Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
- ↑ "Stuck in the Middle Episodes". Disney ABC Press.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (February 17, 2016). "Top 50 Sunday Cable Originals: 2.14.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (March 14, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 3.11.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (March 21, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 3.18.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (March 28, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 3.25.16". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 4, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 4.01.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 11, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 4.08.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 2, 2016). "Top 50 Friday Cable Originals: 4.29.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Stuck in the Middle: Stuck in Harley's Comet". Zap2it. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Stuck in the Middle: Stuck with Mom's New Friend". Zap2it. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Quick-Witted Tween Uses Her Inventions to Navigate Life in the Comedy Series Stuck in the Middle on a Preview Episode on Disney Channel on Sunday, February 14, 2016". Corus Entertainment. January 15, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.