"The Middle" is coming to its end.

The ABC family comedy will wrap up in 2018 following Season 9. As executive producer Eileen Heisler told Entertainment Weekly, "We sat down with the cast at the end of last year. It was important to have a year to say goodbye. We want to be able to tell all the stories."

The series premiered in 2009 and stars Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as working-class parents to three kids: Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher), and Brick (Atticus Shaffer). The show received modest ratings, but was nowhere close to the success of network sibling "Modern Family," which debuted at the same time.

"Some know about us, some don't. We are at heart a midwestern show," said executive producer DeAnn Heline. "If we can be underappreciated for nine years and be on the air, we're lucky."

The writers already know how they want the show to end; they've been working toward it for several seasons.

"It will be true to our show," Heisler promised. "It's an end that fans will like."