document_title: The Crown (TV series)

question_text: who plays king george's wife in the crown

question_tokens: who plays king george 's wife in the crown

text: The Crown (TV series)

text: Premise[edit]

text: The Crown traces the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding in 1947 through to the present day.[5] The first season, in which Claire Foy portrays the Queen in the early part of her reign, depicts events up to 1955, with Winston Churchill resigning as Prime Minister and the Queen's sister Princess Margaret deciding not to marry Peter Townsend.[6] The second season covers the Suez Crisis in 1956, the retirement of the Queen's third Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, in 1963 following the Profumo affair political scandal, and the birth of Prince Edward in 1964.[7][8][9]

text: Beginning with season three, Olivia Colman will portray the Queen.[10] Season three will cover Harold Wilson's two terms as Prime Minister, starting in 1964 with his first, until 1976 at the end of his second.[11] It will also include Princess Margaret's five-year affair with baronet and gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn that leads to the Princess's divorce from Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1978,[7][12] and introduce Camilla Parker Bowles and Lady Diana Spencer. Lady Diana will be a focus of the fourth season, covering Margaret Thatcher's premiership.[11]

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Claire Foy as Princess Elizabeth and later Queen Elizabeth II.[5]
Matt Smith as Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and later Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth's husband[5]
Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, Elizabeth's younger sister.[5]
Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary, Elizabeth's grandmother[13] (season 1)
Jeremy Northam as Anthony Eden, Churchill's Foreign Secretary, who succeeds him as Prime Minister[14]
Victoria Hamilton as Queen Elizabeth, George VI's wife and Elizabeth's mother, known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother during her daughter's reign[5]
Ben Miles as Group Captain Peter Townsend, George VI's equerry, who hopes to marry Princess Margaret[15]
Greg Wise as Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Philip's ambitious uncle and great-grandson of Queen Victoria
Jared Harris as King George VI, Elizabeth's father, known to his family as Bertie[5]
John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, the Queen's first Prime Minister[5]
Alex Jennings as Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, who had abdicated in favour of his younger brother Bertie to marry Wallis Simpson; known to his family as David[16]
Lia Williams as Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, Edward's American wife[16]
Anton Lesser as Harold Macmillan, who follows Anthony Eden as Prime Minister[17] (season 2)
Matthew Goode as Antony Armstrong-Jones, known as Tony, a society photographer who marries Princess Margaret[7] (season 2)

tag: ul

text: Featured[edit]

text: The below actors are credited in the opening titles of single episodes in which they play a significant role.

text:
Stephen Dillane as Graham Sutherland, a noted artist who paints a portrait of the aging Churchill (season 1)
Gemma Whelan as Patricia Campbell, a secretary whom Altrincham works with and types up his editorial (season 2)
John Heffernan as Lord Altrincham, a writer who penned a scathing criticism of the Queen (season 2)
Paul Sparks as Billy Graham, a prominent American minister with whom Elizabeth consults (season 2)[16]
Michael C. Hall as John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States who visits the Queen (season 2)
Jodi Balfour as Jacqueline Kennedy, the First Lady of the United States (season 2)
Burghart Klaussner as Dr. Kurt Hahn, the founder of Gordonstoun, where Philip and Charles went to school (season 2)
Finn Elliot as school-aged Prince Philip (season 2)[16]
Julian Baring as school-aged Prince Charles (season 2)[16]

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Billy Jenkins as young Prince Charles
Clive Francis as Lord Salisbury
Pip Torrens as Tommy Lascelles
Harry Hadden-Paton as Martin Charteris
Daniel Ings as Mike Parker
Lizzy McInnerny as Margaret "Bobo" MacDonald
Michael Bertenshaw as the Master of the Household
Patrick Ryecart as the Duke of Norfolk
Will Keen as Michael Adeane
James Laurenson as Doctor Weir
Mark Tandy as Cecil Beaton
Michael Culkin as Rab Butler
George Asprey as Walter Monckton
James Hillier as Equerry
Anna Madeley as Clarissa Eden
Nick Hendrix (season 1) and Tom Durant-Pritchard (season 2) as Billy Wallace
Josh Taylor as Johnny Dalkeith
David Shields (season 1) and Pip Carter (season 2) as Colin Tennant[18]
Julius D'Silva as Baron Nahum
Jo Herbert as Mary Charteris
Richard Clifford as Norman Hartnell
Joseph Kloska as Porchey
Amir Boutrous as Gamal Abdel Nasser
Abigail Parmenter as Judy Montagu

text: Season 1[edit]

text:
Harriet Walter as Clementine Churchill[14]
Nicholas Rowe as Jock Colville[13]
Simon Chandler as Clement Attlee
Kate Phillips as Venetia Scott
Ronald Pickup as the Archbishop of Canterbury
Nigel Cooke as Harry Crookshank
Patrick Drury as the Lord Chamberlain
John Woodvine as the Archbishop of York
Rosalind Knight as Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Andy Sanderson as Prince Henry[13]
Verity Russell as young Princess Elizabeth
Beau Gadsdon as young Princess Margaret
Jo Stone-Fewings as Collins
Tony Guilfoyle as the Bishop of Durham
Paul Thornley as Bill Mattheson

text: Season 2[edit]

text:
Chloe Pirrie as Eileen Parker
Nicholas Burns as Anthony Nutting
Lucy Russell as Lady Mountbatten
Richard Elfyn as Selwyn Lloyd
Adrian Lukis as Vice-Admiral Sir Conolly Abel Smith
Sophie Leigh Stone as Princess Alice of Battenberg
Guy Williams as Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Leonie Benesch as Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark
Simon Paisley Day as Meryn Lewis
Sylvestra Le Touzel as Dorothy Macmillan
Catherine Bailey as Elizabeth Cavendish
Paul Clayton as Bob Boothby
Yolanda Kettle as Camilla Fry
Ed Cooper Clarke as Jeremy Fry
Ryan Sampson as Dudley Moore
Tim Steed as John Profumo
Lyla Barrett-Rye as young Princess Anne
Robert Irons as Freddie Bishop
Patrick Warner as Peter Cook
Oliver Maltman as Jim Orr
David Annen as Alec Douglas-Home

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2016)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date

1
1
"Wolferton Splash"
Stephen Daldry
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In November 1947, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark renounces his royal titles in order to marry Princess Elizabeth, King George VI's elder daughter and heiress presumptive. The newlyweds move to Malta, where Philip returns to the Royal Navy and Elizabeth gives birth to her son Charles and her daughter Anne. In 1951, the couple returns to London when King George undergoes surgery for lung cancer. After being told that he has months to live, the King counsels Philip on how to further assist Elizabeth when she becomes the new sovereign. Meanwhile, former Conservative Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine return to Downing Street following six years of a Labour government.

2
2
"Hyde Park Corner"
Stephen Daldry
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In 1952, with King George still in ill health, Elizabeth and Philip tour the Commonwealth in his place. While the couple is on safari in Kenya, the King is found dead in his bed. His wife Queen Elizabeth, younger daughter Margaret, and widowed mother Queen Mary mourn as news of George's sudden passing spreads via radio to the rest of the world. Philip breaks the news to Elizabeth, who returns to the United Kingdom as Queen and reunites with her family in their grief.

3
3
"Windsor"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In February 1952, as the Royal Family prepares for King George's funeral, Elizabeth's uncle Edward, Duke of Windsor, who has been living in Paris with Wallis Simpson since his abdication in 1936, arrives in the United Kingdom. This causes the Queen Mother and Queen Mary to reopen old wounds surrounding his choice of wife. Elizabeth meets Churchill to discuss Philip's requests that his family keep the name Mountbatten, and live at Clarence House rather than move into Buckingham Palace. The Prime Minister is reluctant to grant either request; Elizabeth later drops them after receiving counsel from Edward. Churchill later informs Elizabeth that the date for her coronation has been set for the following year; she understands that Churchill is trying to secure his position within his own party, which is eager for Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden to replace him.

4
4
"Act of God"
Julian Jarrold
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In December 1952, as a great smog affects London and kills thousands, Elizabeth's advisors pressure her to ask Churchill, who referred to the event as an "act of God", to step down. While initially reluctant to do so, the Queen summons him for a private audience after he comes under fire from the opposition and refuses to discuss the smog at a Cabinet meeting. Before the meeting, Churchill's eyes are finally opened when his beloved secretary, Venetia Scott, is killed by a double-decker bus. He makes an impassioned speech outside the hospital where Venetia's body is being held, promising a longer-term approach to preventing future smog. His speech prompts Elizabeth to change her mind, when the smog clears moments before their audience takes place. Philip begins flying lessons from Royal Air Force Group Captain Peter Townsend, who is having a clandestine relationship with Margaret.

5
5
"Smoke and Mirrors"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

Following Queen Mary's death in March 1953, the visiting Duke of Windsor clashes with Elizabeth's Private Secretary Tommy Lascelles after being asked not to attend Elizabeth's coronation and learning that Wallis will also not be receiving an invitation. Elizabeth places Philip in charge of preparations, only to regret her decision when he upsets her with a request that he should forego kneeling to pay homage when she is crowned, and his insistence that the event be televised, which annoys the committee. On June 2, Elizabeth is crowned at Westminster Abbey. Edward and Wallis view the coverage from their villa in Paris, and spitefully mock the new Queen.

6
6
"Gelignite"
Julian Jarrold
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

When Margaret and Townsend ask for Elizabeth's permission to marry, the Queen promises her support, while Lascelles and the Queen Mother advise against it. As a local newspaper publishes an article about the relationship, Elizabeth changes her mind after learning that the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 prohibits Margaret from marrying without permission until she turns twenty-five. Elizabeth and Philip take Townsend, who is set to be posted to Brussels, with them on a trip to Northern Ireland, but his popularity causes Lascelles to recommend that he be posted to Brussels sooner than promised, causing a lasting rift between the two sisters.

7
7
"Scientia Potentia Est"
Benjamin Caron
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In August 1953, Churchill urges an international summit with American President Dwight D. Eisenhower in response to the Soviet Union testing their first thermonuclear weapon. At the last minute, Churchill falls victim to a stroke, which inhibits his ability to govern and prompts Conservative Lord Salisbury to try and keep his ailment secret. Meanwhile, Elizabeth contemplates whether to replace the retiring Lascelles with senior deputy Michael Adeane or with her preferred choice Martin Charteris. She later engages a private tutor to improve her knowledge of science, which helps her gain enough courage to dress down Churchill and Salisbury for lying to her.

8
8
"Pride & Joy"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

With Elizabeth and Philip on a stressful tour of the Commonwealth, Margaret takes on more royal engagements, and the Queen Mother goes to Scotland to reflect on her new position. While she is there, she buys a castle. Meanwhile, Philip grows frustrated over Elizabeth using him as a prop, and the couple have a heated argument that is recorded by photographers. While Elizabeth convinces the photographers to surrender the recording, she and Phillip remain unable to resolve the argument, but must pretend to have a stable relationship for the public's sake. Churchill visits Margaret and, after explaining that the public do not want someone with passion or personality, tells her that she will no longer be taking on royal engagements.

9
9
"Assassins"
Benjamin Caron
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

Philip begins spending more time away from home, while Elizabeth begins spending time with her horse racing manager and friend Lord "Porchey" Porchester. The tension escalates after Elizabeth has a direct line put in for Porchey to call Buckingham Palace, and culminates in a heated confrontation. Elizabeth later tells Philip that he is the only man she has ever loved, which has disappointed many others. He, in turn, silently mouths an apology after she makes a moving speech at Churchill's eightieth birthday dinner. As part of the celebrations, contemporary artist Graham Sutherland paints a portrait of Churchill as a birthday gift from Parliament. However, the Prime Minister hates its accuracy and, after a heated confrontation with Sutherland, admits his pain at what aging has done to him. The portrait is later destroyed on Clementine's instructions.

10
10
"Gloriana"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
November 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)

In 1956, Elizabeth finds herself torn when the public approves, but officials from Parliament and the Church of England disapprove, of Margaret's relationship with Townsend. As Elizabeth tries to dissuade Margaret from the relationship, the Queen Mother complains at Philip's domineering attitude towards Charles. At the suggestion of both Lascelles and the Queen Mother, Elizabeth asks Philip to open the Summer Olympics in Melbourne so he can adjust to life in her shadow. A five-month royal tour onboard the newly commissioned Royal Yacht is later added to Philip's itinerary, to which Elizabeth responds by suggesting that he be thankful everyone is helping him to find a public role. Meanwhile, Eden replaces Churchill as Prime Minister and becomes trapped in an escalating dispute with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser over rights to the Suez Canal.

tag: table

text: Season 2 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date

11
1
"Misadventure"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In February 1957, Elizabeth and Philip discuss the state of their marriage while onboard the Britannia in Lisbon, seeing that divorce is not an option. Five months earlier, Elizabeth had suspected he may be having an affair after finding a photograph of Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova in his briefcase. Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan challenges Eden's solution to the Egyptian takeover of the Suez Canal, but then agrees to military intervention. Philip's uncle Earl Mountbatten overhears and warns Elizabeth, who confronts Eden about the Israeli invasion of Sinai. Eden confesses that there is a secret agreement between the Israeli, French and British governments to reclaim the canal from the Egyptians, without approval from Parliament or the United Nations. British forces begin moving into Egypt. After her nightly prayers she resolutely closes the door to the room with an empty double bed.

12
2
"A Company of Men"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In December 1956, Eden withdraws British forces from Egypt following international political pressure, before going on holiday to Jamaica to recover his health. Meanwhile, Philip continues his royal tour, punctuated by an interview which he abandons when the reporter asks about his family history. At Christmas, Philip makes a radio broadcast, prompting Elizabeth to let him know that his family is waiting for him as part of her Christmas Message. Meanwhile, Eileen, the wife of Philip's private secretary Michael, initiates divorce proceedings because her husband has had an affair that started at Philip's lunch club. Elizabeth's assistant private secretary Martin Charteris warns Adeane that this could cause the press to start asking about Elizabeth and Philip's own marriage.

13
3
"Lisbon"
Philip Martin
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

Eden returns from Jamaica to find himself forced out of Downing Street by the Cabinet and the Conservative Party, who blame him for the Suez Crisis. As Macmillan becomes Prime Minister, Adeane enlists a retired Lascelles to change Eileen's mind about the divorce. When he fails, and Elizabeth, Philip, and Parker learn about the decision, Elizabeth attempts to convince her to hold off an announcement, but she is rebuffed. The story goes public, prompting Philip to force Parker to resign. Elizabeth arranges Philip's return before meeting the Britannia in Lisbon, where they again discuss their marriage. Philip says that he resents his son outranking him, and needs more respect from the court and palace staff. On February 22, 1957, Philip is made a Prince and becomes "His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh".

14
4
"Beryl"
Benjamin Caron
Amy Jenkins and Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

Shortly before her birthday, Margaret accepts a marriage proposal from her friend Billy Wallace. She breaks off the engagement on finding him drunk and recovering from a duel on the night of the intended announcement, during a gala celebrating Elizabeth and Philip's tenth wedding anniversary. Later, she meets photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at a dinner party and becomes infatuated with him. He invites her to his studio for a sitting. Bored with traditional birthday pictures, she gives one of the photos, which suggests that she is nude, to the newspapers. The following day, the picture is published, shocking Elizabeth and the rest of the Royal Family. Macmillan's wife Dorothy decides to end her longtime affair, but Macmillan overhears her talking to her lover on the telephone.

15
5
"Marionettes"
Philippa Lowthorpe
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

Lord Altrincham, a minor peer and magazine editor, sparks a constitutional crisis after writing an article criticising Elizabeth. The piece was written after he had listened to a radio broadcast of a particularly tone-deaf speech of hers, written by her aides, to workers at a car factory. While both local newspapers and the general public are initially against him, they support him after he appears on ITV and argues that the monarchy must adapt to post-war and post-Suez society. Macmillan reminds Elizabeth of the trend of nations to abolish their monarchies, prompting her to meet with Altrincham in secret. She later implements two of his suggestions: that the 1957 Royal Christmas Message be televised, and that the Debutante Ball be opened to some of her subjects. Six months later, the Queen Mother expresses embarrassment over the monarchy's slow loss of authority, while hosting a garden party.

16
6
"Vergangenheit"
Philippa Lowthorpe
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In 1945 Germany, a German officer leads American soldiers to a box containing top-secret diplomatic papers. After discovering that these contain information about "Windsor", Churchill informs King George and is asked to ensure that the files are never published. In 1958, shortly before meeting American evangelist Billy Graham, Elizabeth receives a letter from Edward asking permission to re-enter the UK to find employment. She agrees, but he starts convincing former sycophants to support his return. When historians unearth the papers, reorganised and titled the Marburg Files, Macmillan brings the matter before Elizabeth. He and the Queen Mother explain that one volume, which the United States wants published, concerns Edward's clandestine relationship with the Nazi High Command. After a confrontation with Edward does not go as planned, Elizabeth asks Lascelles for advice, only to learn the extent of the relationship. She then seeks spiritual counsel from Reverend Graham, before exiling Edward for betraying his country and allowing the volume to be published.

17
7
"Matrimonium"
Benjamin Caron
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

After learning that Townsend is engaged to a much younger woman, Margaret retaliates by pressing Armstrong-Jones into proposing marriage. Because Elizabeth is pregnant, protocol prevents her from announcing the engagement. Adeane and Lascelles inform Elizabeth that Armstrong-Jones is currently engaged in sexual relationships with other women, and also with his best male friend and his wife, who is pregnant with what might be Armstrong-Jones's child. On February 19, 1960, Elizabeth gives birth to Prince Andrew. She decides against telling Margaret about Armstrong-Jones's sexual activities. Three months later, on May 6, Margaret and Armstrong-Jones are married at Westminster Abbey.

18
8
"Dear Mrs. Kennedy"
Stephen Daldry
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In June 1961, Elizabeth invites newly-inaugurated American President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie to Buckingham Palace for dinner. The Queen finds common ground with the First Lady, only to become annoyed on hearing that Jackie had insulted both her and the Palace at a party. Feeling challenged, she travels to Ghana to meet President Kwame Nkrumah, whose relationship with the Soviet Union is worrying Macmillan. Elizabeth convinces him to cut ties with the Soviet Union and to realign Ghana with the United Kingdom, in exchange for agreeing to dance the foxtrot with him. Later, Jackie makes an unexpected visit to the UK and sits down with Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, where she says she is sorry for insulting her, explaining that she had been under the influence of "substances". Elizabeth later confides in Philip, asking him if she should have responded in a more personal way. Two years later, after watching news coverage of President Kennedy's assassination, Elizabeth arranges for a week of mourning to take place and sends Jackie a personal letter of sympathy.

19
9
"Paterfamilias"
Stephen Daldry
Tom Edge and Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In May 1962, on Philip's insistence Charles is sent to Gordonstoun School. Elizabeth and Louis, who are against the idea, recommend Eton College, only for Philip to use his deal with Elizabeth to compel her to back him. As he takes Charles to Scotland, Philip recalls his time at the school, when he was punished for fighting by being forced to construct the school's front gate during the winter holiday, and when his favourite sister Cecile and her family had died in a plane crash, for which his father Andrew blamed him. Charles starts to struggle with Gordonstoun's rigorous curriculum and, when he disappears during the Gordonstoun challenge, is found crying by his security detail. Philip admonishes Charles for being "bloody weak".

20
10
"Mystery Man"
Benjamin Caron
Peter Morgan
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)

In April 1963, the government is thrown into chaos by an affair between the Secretary of State for War John Profumo and model Christine Keeler becoming public knowledge. When the media begins to speculate about a "mystery man" seen in a photograph taken at a party hosted by London osteopath Stephen Ward, who is charged with immorality offences, Margaret and Tony notice the similarities with Philip. Ward commits suicide, and the police find a hand-drawn portrait of Philip among his belongings. An embarrassed Macmillan resigns, and is succeeded by Alec Douglas-Home, whose appointment is controversial due to his relationship with the Royal Family. Elizabeth asks Philip if he is the mystery man, and confronts him with the photograph of Ulanova. Philip admits to knowing Ward in a minor capacity, having visited his clinic the previous year after injuring his neck. He denies attending Ward's weekend parties, and reaffirms his love and support for Elizabeth. On March 10, 1964, Elizabeth gives birth to Prince Edward, her fourth child.

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Peter Morgan, who wrote the 2006 film The Queen and the 2013 stage play The Audience, is the main scriptwriter for The Crown.[19] The directors of the television series who were also involved in the stage production are Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin, Julian Jarrold, and Benjamin Caron.[20] The first 10-part season was the most expensive drama produced by Netflix and Left Bank Pictures to date, costing at least £100 million.[21][22][23][24] A second season was commissioned,[25][26] with the series intended to span 60 episodes over six seasons.[5] By October 2017, "early production" had begun on an anticipated third and fourth season,[10] and by the following January, Netflix confirmed the series had been renewed for a third and fourth season.[11]

text: Casting[edit]

text: By November 2014, Claire Foy had entered negotiations to portray Queen Elizabeth II in the series.[27] The following May, Vanessa Kirby was in negotiations to portray Princess Margaret.[28] In June 2015, John Lithgow was cast as Winston Churchill, and Matt Smith was cast as Prince Phillip; Foy was confirmed as Queen Elizabeth II.[29] Also starring in the first season were Victoria Hamilton, Jared Harris, and Eileen Atkins.[30]

text: The Left Bank producers noted that Smith was paid more than Foy in the first two seasons, partially because of his Doctor Who fame.[31] This information brought up discussion on the gender pay gap, including the creation of a petition asking Smith to donate the difference between his and Foy's salary to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund.[32] Left Bank later issued an apology to Foy and Smith for putting them "at the center of a media storm... through no fault of their own." Left Bank also clarified that they "are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues." They added that they support "the drive for gender equality in film and TV and [were] eager to talk to the British Time’s Up campaign and [were] already speaking to Era 50:50, a group campaigning for gender equality on screen and stage."[33] Suzanne Mackie, Left Bank's creative director, did note that moving forward, no other actor would be paid more than the actress portraying the Queen.[31] Regarding the controversy, Foy was "not [surprised about the interest in the story] in the sense that it was a female-led drama. I'm not surprised that people saw [the story] and went, 'Oh, that's a bit odd.' But I know that Matt feels the same that I do, that it's odd to find yourself at the center [of a story] that you didn't particularly ask for."[34]

text: The producers will recast some roles with older actors every two seasons, as the timeline moves forward and the characters age.[35] In October 2017, Olivia Colman was cast as Queen Elizabeth II for the third and fourth seasons.[10] By January 2018, Helena Bonham Carter and Paul Bettany were in negotiations to portray Princess Margaret and Prince Philip, respectively, for these seasons.[36][9] However, by the end of the month Bettany was forced to drop out due to the time commitment required.[12] On March 28, 2018, it was confirmed that Tobias Menzies had closed a deal to be cast as Prince Phillip for the third and fourth seasons.[37]

text: Filming[edit]

text: An estimated 25% of the first season was filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, with the remainder filmed on location, altogether taking 152 days. Sets for private quarters, the interior of a private jet, the cabinet room, and the exterior of 10 Downing Street, were built at Elstree Studios,[26][38] while Lancaster House, Wrotham Park and Wilton House were used to double as Buckingham Palace. Ely Cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey, while locations in South Africa doubled as Kenya.[26] Additional locations in the UK included Eltham Palace, the Royal Naval College,[39] Goldsmiths' Hall, Shoreham Airport, New Slains Castle,[40] Balmoral Castle, Cruden Bay, Lyceum Theatre, Loseley Park, Hatfield House,[38] The Historic Dockyard Chatham,[41] Southwark Cathedral, Ardverikie House, Englefield House, and the Glenfeshie Estate.[42] Filming on the second season began in early October 2016.[35] Each episode of the first two seasons would shoot for about 22 days, with each costing about GB£5 million (US$7 million) to produce. The third season is expected to begin filming in July 2018.[31]

text: Historical accuracy[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The show has been interpreted as perpetuating the idea that the Queen and Prime Minister Churchill had forced Princess Margaret to give up her plan to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend. In the series the Queen is seen telling her sister that if she marries Townsend she would no longer be a member of the family because of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Yet there is clear evidence that in reality efforts had been made to prevent any further delay of the marriage, which would have allowed Princess Margaret to keep her royal title and her civil list allowance, stay in the country and even continue with her public duties. [43]

text: The re-enactment of the removal of the King's cancerous lung, originally performed by Sir Clement Price Thomas, was researched and planned by Pankaj Chandak, specialist in transplant surgery at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London. Chandak and his surgical team also became part of the real scene.[44] The surgical model of King George VI was donated to the Gordon Museum of Pathology for use as a teaching aid.[45]

text: Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal highlighted the historical inaccuracy of the series, and argued for "more truth in art and entertainment".[46]

text: Release[edit]

text: The series's first two episodes were released theatrically in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2016.[47] The first season was released worldwide in its entirety on November 4, 2016.[48][49] The second season was released on December 8, 2017.[50]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported 90% approval for the first season based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Powerful performances and lavish cinematography make The Crown a top-notch production worthy of its grand subject."[51] On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 81 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[52]

text: The Guardian's TV critic Lucy Mangan praised the series and wrote that "Netflix can rest assured that its £100m gamble has paid off. This first series, about good old British phlegm from first to last, is the service's crowning achievement so far."[53] Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ben Lawrence said, "The Crown is a PR triumph for the Windsors, a compassionate piece of work that humanises them in a way that has never been seen before. It is a portrait of an extraordinary family, an intelligent comment on the effects of the constitution on their personal lives and a fascinating account of postwar Britain all rolled into one."[54] Chief television critic Jaci Stephen of The Mail on Sunday lauded the series and said, "Faultless is the only word for The Crown with its exquisite writing and magnificent acting."[55] Writing for The Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert also praised the series saying, "The show, created and written by Peter Morgan of The Queen and Frost/Nixon is thoroughly engaging, gorgeously shot, beautifully acted, rich in the historical events of postwar England, and designed with a sharp eye to psychological nuance."[56] Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger said, "A sumptuous, stately but never dull look inside the life of Queen Elizabeth".[57] The A.V. Club's Gwen Ihnat said, "The Crown easily rises far above, adding a cinematic quality to a complex and intricate time for an intimate family. The performers and creators are seemingly up for the task."[58]

text: The Wall Street Journal critic Dorothy Rabinowitz said, "We're clearly meant to see the duke [of Windsor] as a wastrel with heart. It doesn't quite come off—Mr. Jennings is far too convincing as an empty-hearted scoundrel—but it's a minor flaw in this superbly sustained work."[59] Television critic Robert Lloyd writing for the Los Angeles Times said, "As television it's excellent—beautifully mounted, movingly played and only mildly melodramatic."[60] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post also reviewed the series positively: "Pieces of The Crown are more brilliant on their own than they are as a series, taken in as shorter, intently focused films like The Queen and another Morgan achievement, the play and film versions of Frost/Nixon."[61] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said, "This is a thoughtful series that lingers over death rather than using it for shock value; one that finds its story lines in small power struggles rather than gruesome palace coups.".[62] The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg said, "The first chapter of Peter Morgan's chronicle of the rule of Queen Elizabeth II remains gripping across the entirety of the 10 episodes made available to critics, finding both emotional heft in Elizabeth's youthful ascension and unexpected suspense in matters of courtly protocol and etiquette."[63] Other publications such as USA Today,[64] Indiewire,[65] The Atlantic,[66] CNN[67] and Variety[68] all reviewed the series positively.

text: Some were more critical of the show. In a review for Time magazine, Daniel D'Addario wrote that it "will be compared to Downton Abbey, but that .. was able to invent ahistorical or at least unexpected notes. Foy struggles mightily, but she's given little: Avoiding her children, her husband, and her subjects in favor of meetings at which she either acquiesces to her advisors or puts off acquiescing until fifteen minutes later, The Crown's Elizabeth is more than unknowable. She's a bore".[69] Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz concluded, "The Crown never entirely figures out how to make the political and domestic drama genuinely dramatic, much less bestow complexity on characters outside England's innermost circle."[70] Verne Gay of Newsday said, "Sumptuously produced but glacially told, The Crown is the TV equivalent of a long drive through the English countryside. The scenery keeps changing, but remains the same."[71] Slate magazine's Willa Paskin, commented: "It will scratch your period drama itch—and leave you itchy for action."[72] Writing for The Mail on Sunday, Hugo Vickers, an English biographer of the Royal Family, argued that "while [The Crown] certainly holds the attention, it is marred by a series of sensationalist errors and some quite remarkable lapses into vulgarity."[73]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating for the second season based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 8.45 /10. The website's critical consensus read "The Crown continues its reign with a self-assured sophomore season that indulges in high drama and sumptuous costumes."[74] On Metacritic, the second season holds a score of 87 out of 100, based on 27 critics, retaining the first season's indication of "universal acclaim".[75]

text: Foy and Smith both earned significant praise from critics. Chancellor Agard of Entertainment Weekly wrote "As always, Claire Foy turns in an amazingly restrained performance."[76] Gabriel Tate of The Daily Telegraph wrote "Matt Smith, too, has seldom been better. If the scripts do them justice, we could be in for another memorable series."[77] Hugo Rifkind of The Times said "While ardent monarchists might bristle at the way this is going, for the rest of us it's getting better and better."[78]

text: Alison Keene of Collider said "Like its first season, each new episode makes its mark and tells its own complete story, all while staying linked to Elizabeth's journey as a monarch, mother, and wife. It's another exceptionally strong season of television, full of compelling drama and sweeping grandeur."[79] Krutika Malikarjuna of TV Guide wrote "Season 2 is centered on why the public-at-large (especially those outside of Britain) still engage with the royals at all: celebrity and star power. The brilliance of this framing becomes clear as the show evolves into The Real Housewives of Buckingham."[80] Sophie Gilbert wrote for The Atlantic "This personal, complex portrayal of a monarch who by her own admission in the show would rather be living any other life is riveting enough. But The Crown is also a history lesson, as my colleague David Sims has put it, albeit a selective one. It's gorgeously shot, with flawless re-creations of everything from the Throne Room in Buckingham Palace to a 1950s hospital ward. And it's surprisingly funny."[81]

text: The Wall Street Journal critic John Anderson said "The Crown attains genuine sexiness without sex. Margaret, à la Ms. Kirby's interpretation, smolders, as does Elizabeth, at least on occasion."[82] Meghan O'Keefe of Decider wrote "Season Two of The Crown continues to romanticize the British royal family, but the romance comes from how they're normal, not divine."[83]

text: Less complimentary reviews saw the season criticized for what some regarded as failing to meet the emotional intensity of the first. John Doyle wrote for Globe and Mail "Yes, it is still so lavishly made that it is breathtaking. But The Crown now leans toward a three-hanky weeper about marriage. It is less than it was, like the monarchy itself, and of interest to monarchy fans only."[84] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx added "Many of the season's wounds are self-inflicted, in particular Morgan's mystifying fascination with Prince Philip, who despite Matt Smith's best efforts still comes across as a whiny man-child."[85] Phil Owen of The Wrap described the season as "trashy" and saw dry comedy in Northam's portrayal of Prime Minister Anthony Eden: "I'm assuming that creator Peter Morgan meant for it to be comedy. There's really no other explanation for why Jeremy Northam played Prime Minister Anthony Eden like he's having a nervous breakdown in every scene."[86]

text: The Royal family[edit]

text: Adam Helliker from the Daily Express reported in May 2017 that Queen Elizabeth II and her third son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie had watched the first season together. Other royal family members who were fans of the first season included the Queen's granddaughters Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall. While the Queen was reported to have enjoyed the series, she found some depictions of events to be "too heavily dramatised".[87]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

2016
American Film Institute Awards
Top 10 TV Programs of the Year
The Crown
Won
[88]

Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Drama Series
Nominated
[89]

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
John Lithgow
Won

Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series
Jared Harris
Nominated

Hollywood Music in Media Awards
Best Main Title – TV Show/Digital Streaming Series
Hans Zimmer
Nominated
[90]

2017
Golden Globe Awards
Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
Won
[91]

Best Actress – Television Series Drama
Claire Foy
Won

Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
John Lithgow
Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Crown
Nominated
[92]

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
John Lithgow
Won

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Claire Foy
Won

Art Directors Guild Awards
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Television Series
Martin Childs
Nominated
[93]

American Cinema Editors Awards
Best Edited One Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television
Yan Miles (for "Assassins")
Nominated
[94]

Satellite Awards
Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
Won
[95]

Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Jared Harris
Nominated

Costume Designers Guild Awards
Outstanding Period Television Series
Michele Clapton
Won
[96]

Dorian Awards
TV Drama of the Year
The Crown
Nominated

TV Performance of the Year – Actress
Claire Foy
Nominated

Broadcasting Press Guild Awards
Best Online First/Streaming
The Crown
Won
[97]
[98]

Best Actor
Matt Smith
Nominated

Best Actress
Claire Foy
Nominated

Best Writer
Peter Morgan
Nominated

Irish Film and Television Awards
Best Editing
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
Nominated
[99]

Location Managers Guild Awards
Outstanding Locations in Period Television
Pat Karam, Robert Bentley
Won
[100]

BAFTA Television Craft Awards
Best Costume Design
Michele Clapton
Won
[101]
[102]

Best Director: Fiction
Stephen Daldry
Nominated

Best Photography and Lightning: Fiction
Adriano Goldman
Nominated

Best Production Design
Martin Childs
Nominated

Best Special, Visual and Graphic Effects
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle, Molinare
Won

Best Title and Graphic Identity
Patrick Clair, Raoul Marks
Nominated

Best Writer: Drama
Peter Morgan
Nominated

BAFTA Television Awards
Best Drama Series
The Crown
Nominated
[103]

Best Actress
Claire Foy
Nominated

Best Supporting Actor
John Lithgow
Nominated

Jared Harris
Nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Kirby
Nominated

Glamour Awards
Best UK TV Actress
Won
[104]

TCA Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
The Crown
Nominated
[105]

Outstanding New Program
Nominated

Individual Achievement in Drama
Claire Foy
Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama Series
The Crown
Nominated
[106]

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Foy
Nominated

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
John Lithgow
Won

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Stephen Daldry
Nominated

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Peter Morgan
Nominated

Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Nina Gold, Robert Sterne
Nominated

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
Adriano Goldman
Nominated

Outstanding Costumes for a Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series, or Movie

Nominees[show]

Michele Clapton, Alex Fordham, Emma O'Loughlin and Kate O'Farrell

Won

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series
Ivana Primorac, Amy Riley
Nominated

Outstanding Main Title Design

Nominees[show]

Patrick Clair, Raoul Marks, Javier Leon Carrillo and Jeff Han

Nominated

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
Rupert Gregson-Williams
Nominated

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period Program (One Hour or More)

Nominees[show]

Martin Childs, Mark Raggett and Celia Bobak

Won

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role

Nominees[show]

Ben Turner, Tom Debenham, Standish Millennas, Kim Phelan, Oliver Cubbage, Lionel Heath, Charlie Bennet, Stephen Smith and Carmine Agnone

Nominated

Hollywood Music in Media Awards
Original Score – TV Show/Limited Series
Rupert Gregson-Williams
Nominated
[107]

American Film Institute Awards
Top 10 TV Programs of the Year
The Crown
Won
[108]

2018
ASC Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series for Non-Commercial Television
Adriano Goldman (for "Smoke and Mirrors")
Won
[109]

Art Directors Guild Awards
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Television Series

Nominees[show]

Martin Childs (for "A Company of Men", "Beryl", "Dear Mrs. Kennedy")

Nominated
[110]

Cinema Audio Society Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – One Hour

Nominees[show]

Chris Ashworth, Lee Walpole, Stuart Hilliker, Martin Jensen, Rory de Carteret, Philip Clements (for "Misadventure")

Nominated
[111]

Costume Designers Guild Awards
Excellence in Period Television Series
Jane Petrie
Won
[112]

Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Drama Series
The Crown
Nominated
[113]

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Foy
Nominated

Producers Guild of America Awards
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
The Crown
Nominated
[114]

Golden Globe Awards
Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown
Nominated
[115]

Best Actress – Television Series Drama
Claire Foy
Nominated

Location Managers Guild Awards
Outstanding Locations in Period Television
Pat Karam and Robert Bentley
Nominated
[116]

Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Crown
Nominated

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Claire Foy
Won


document_title: List of The Middle characters

question_text: who plays the crazy neighbor on the middle

root

text: List of The Middle characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Patricia Heaton as Frances "Frankie" Heck (née Spence), wife of Mike and mother of Axl, Sue, and Brick. Frankie is the central character in the show, as her voice is heard narrating at various points in every episode. She is a devoted wife and mother and sees family as the most important thing in her life. Her motto, "You do for family", guides her daily routine, despite the frustrations she encounters with her husband and three kids, as well as her older ailing relatives who often depend on her. Frankie attended college but did not finish. When the family goes on a trip, she always forgets "the blue bag" which has the food in it. She worked as a salesperson at Ehlert Motors, a job she took after losing her position as a dentist's receptionist when the office closed, only to lose her job at Ehlert Motors early in season 4. She completes dental assisting school, and gets a new job at a dentist's office near the end of season 4. Heaton wore a wig for seasons 1–4; from season 5 on, her real hair has been featured.
Neil Flynn as Michael "Mike" Heck Jr., Frankie's husband, known for his straightforward manner and lack of emotion. Mike works at the local limestone quarry as the manager. He reached his 25-year work anniversary at the quarry in the season 9 episode "The Crying Game", wherein he was promoted to Regional Manager. Despite his no-nonsense approach to work and family, Mike is a devoted and understanding husband and father who always seems to come through for Frankie and the kids. It has been said on several occasions that Mike's favorite film is Reservoir Dogs and that he only asked Frankie out on a second date because she lied and said she also liked the film. Mike's reclusive, emotionally distant father, "Big Mike" (John Cullum), and Mike's well-meaning but unreliable brother Rusty (Norm Macdonald) both live in Orson. It is revealed in season 8's "Clear and Present Danger" that Mike's mother died of lung cancer at age 42, and his father made him do his homework and go to school the next day instead of allowing Mike time to mourn. Mike loves all sports but is particularly passionate about seeing the Indianapolis Colts play in the Super Bowl. He and Rusty start a business in season 7, designing disposable diapers with sports team logos on them and naming their creations "Li'l Rivals".
Charlie McDermott as Axl Redford Heck, the oldest son of Frankie and Mike and who cannot be bothered to wear more than boxer shorts most of the time at home. As the elder brother, he is sarcastic, lazy, narcissistic, and selfish to his siblings. However, he has shown flashes of kindness to his family occasionally and is good at heart, which he shows when he deliberately loses a basketball game in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend, Morgan. He is frustrating to Frankie, who wishes he would be more open with her, as he was apparently a very loving "momma's boy" when he was a child, something Frankie seems to want to re-capture. Axl is much more popular and socially outgoing than his siblings, but is not as scholarly as they are. He plays the electric guitar, and it is presumed that he was named after Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. It is revealed in season 3 that Axl is two years older than Sue as he starts his junior year at high school while Sue starts her freshman year. Mike has said that Axl is his favorite child. He has gone to prom twice with Weird Ashley (Katlin Mastandrea), an outcast at his school, both times accidentally inviting her. Axl gets another girlfriend in season 4 named Cassidy, who tutors him after Sue runs over his foot and breaks it while learning to drive. Axl and Cassidy later break up in "Hallelujah Hoedown". As a running back on his high school football team, he was recruited by a Division II state college in Indiana. After being a star player in high school, Axl was a bench warmer in college, causing him to take his pursuit of a business degree a bit more seriously. Early in season 8, Axl dates and later secretly marries his sweetheart April, mainly as a way to defy his parents, who do not like her. The marriage is quickly annulled after both sets of parents find out. At the end of season 8, he begins dating Sue's roommate Lexie and graduates from college with a bachelor's degree in business. Between seasons 8 and 9, he travelled in Europe with Kenny to promote Kenny's upcoming apps. After briefly working as a school bus driver and at Spudsy's early in season 9, Axl gets his first professional job as a sales rep for a plumbing fixture company in the episode "The 200th".
Eden Sher as Sue Sue Heck, socially awkward middle daughter of Frankie and Mike whose genuine nature, bubbly personality, and persistent sunny optimism tend to make her an object of ridicule, especially by her older brother. Despite her best efforts, she is usually unrecognized by teachers and other students, and snubbed by her peers. Her best friends are Carly and Brad. She looks up to reverend Tim-Tom. When she does not know something she goes to kickingitteenstyle.com. When she is lying she will say "and so on and so forth and what have you". Many of her plot lines involve her being overlooked, or trying to organize parties or events and receiving no help. In season 1, she is not pictured in the yearbook despite having her picture taken three times, and she finds her favorite teacher has no memory of her at all. (She is eventually placed in the yearbook, but in the section reserved for students who died, with the caption reading: "In Loving Memory of Sue Heck, Gone Too Soon.") She wears braces on her teeth, which were briefly removed in season 3, but it was determined that they over-corrected her condition. She had them removed at the beginning of season 6, needing only a retainer. She is also left-handed, apparently the only southpaw in her immediate family. She is two years behind Axl in school, graduating high school in the season 6 finale. She is known for trying out for almost everything but never actually getting picked, because she is always terrible. In season 2, she joins the no-cut cross country team by heroically going around the track five times on crutches because she was hit by a deer the day before. She becomes a "wrestlerette" in season 3 (which turns out to be a group of fellow misfits) and dates a wrestler named Matt for a short time. In season 4, she dates Axl's friend Darrin. She is engaged to Darrin for three days in season 6, before deciding she does not want to get married yet and ending their relationship. This marks a rare moment where Sue is not a pushover, explaining her situation to Darrin in an intelligent, articulate, and socially mature manner. The season 3 episode "Leap Year" reveals she was a leap day baby, but then she had her 16th birthday the following season (season 4, episode 17, "Wheels of Pain"). She gets accepted to the same college Axl is attending. He did not want her to go, but Mike and Frankie tell him it is not his decision, and Sue does later accept the offer to attend the college. In season 9, she is a junior in college and is majoring in hotel management. She turns 21 later that season, and Frankie comes to college and they get drunk together.
Atticus Shaffer as Brick Heck, youngest of Mike and Frankie's children. He loves to read and has a case of palilalia, which is demonstrated by his repeating words from previous sentences to himself in a whisper. He has trouble lying because he will usually follow it up by whispering, "I'm lying". In season 8, he says he does not whisper when he is lying anymore, but now he farts. In season 1 episode 5, it is revealed that he possesses an eidetic memory. He is smarter than most teenagers, having read Of Mice and Men, a book his elder brother is struggling with at the same time. He also loves the Planet Nowhere book series, which is native to the show, and the real-life Percy Jackson & the Olympians. He has referred to Diary of a Wimpy Kid as "the book that changed my life". He is exceptionally intelligent but easily distracted, leading him to procrastinate on doing his homework assignments and projects (it is loosely implied that he may perhaps have Asperger's syndrome). Brick is a known gephyrophobiac and is fascinated with fonts. Due to his awkwardness, he struggles to make friends. In season 2, he befriends an equally awkward boy named Arlo, whom even Brick struggles to deal with. He is five years behind Sue in school, starting the eighth grade in the seventh season. In season 2 episode 7, it is revealed that he was accidentally switched at birth with another baby due to Mike watching a football game and taking home a child that the nurse brought up next to Brick, and he spent a month with that child's family while the other baby was with the Hecks. In season 8, Brick meets the other child, Blake Ferguson, along with the literature-loving Ferguson parents, and discovers that it was likely exposure to them as an infant that led to his appreciation for reading and classical music. While Sue gets overlooked by classmates and teachers, Brick is constantly overlooked by his own family. Frankie and Mike have forgotten his birthday multiple times. In season 8, Brick makes it into the National Honor Society, a first for a Heck family member, but his parents did not know until Nancy Donahue told them. He has a girlfriend named Cindy. In season 9, Brick is a Sophomore at Orson High School.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Brock Ciarlelli
Brad Bottig
Recurring

Jen Ray
Nancy Donahue
Recurring

Beau Wirick
Sean Donahue
Recurring

Laura Ann Kesling
Dotty Donahue
Guest
Recurring

Recurring

Guest
Recurring

Brooke Shields
Rita Glossner
Guest

Guest

Guest

Malcolm Foster Smith
Dave
Recurring

John Gammon
Darrin McGrew
Recurring

Blaine Saunders
Carly
Recurring
Guest

Guest

Jeanette Miller
Edie Freehold
Recurring

Brian Doyle-Murray
Mr. Elhert
Recurring
Guest
Recurring
Guest

Guest

Troy Metcalf
Jim
Recurring
Guest
Recurring

Peter Breitmayer
Peter Miller
Recurring
Guest

Frances Bay
Ginny Freehold
Recurring

Andrew J. Fishman
Zach
Recurring
Guest
Recurirng
Guest

Krista Braun
Mrs. Tompkins
Recurring
Guest

Alexa Vega
Morgan
Recurring

Paul Hipp
Reverend Tim-Tom
Guest
Recurring
Guest
Recurring
Guest

Guest
Recurring

Marsha Mason
Pat Spence
Guest
Recurirng
Guest
Recurring

John Cullum
Michael Heck Sr.
Guest
Recurring
Guest

Guest

Pat Finn
Bill Norwood

Recurring

Recurring
Guest
Recurring

Julie Brown
Paula Norwood

Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Greg Cipes
Chuck

Guest
Guest
Guest

Nick Safer
Arlo

Recurring

Katlin Mastandrea
Ashley Wyman

Guest
Recurring
Guest

Recurring

Norm Macdonald
Rusty Heck

Guest
Recurring
Guest

Sean O'Bryan
Ron Donahue

Guest
Recurring

Guest

Recurring

Jerry Van Dyke
Tag Spence

Guest
Recurirng

Kayla Madison
Shelly Donahue

Guest
Recurring

Grace Bannon
Ruth

Recurring
Guest
Recurring

Jessica Marie Garcia
Becky

Recurring
Guest

Brittany Ross
Courtney

Recurring
Guest

Guest

Natalie Lander
Debbie

Recurring
Guest

Guest

Christopher Darga
Mr. Farrar

Recurring
Guest

Moises Arias
Matt

Recurring
Guest

Jack McBrayer
Dr. Ted Goodwin

Recurring

Recurring
Guest

Galadriel Stineman
Cassidy Finch

Recurring

Guest

Dave Foley
Dr. Fulton

Recurring
Guest

Guest

French Stewart
Principal Cameron

Recurring

Guest

Guest

Tommy Bechtold
Kenny

Recurring

Alphonso McAuley
Hutch

Recurring
Guest

Brooke Dillman
Tink Babbit

Guest
Recurring
Guest

Casey Burke
Cindy

Recurring

Gia Mantegna
Devin Levin

Recurring
Guest

David Hull
Logan

Guest
Recurring

Jovan Armand
Troy

Recurring

Daniela Bobadilla
Lexie Brooks[2]

Recurring

Will Green
Jeremy

Recurring

Keaton Savage
Tyler

Guest
Recurring

Greer Grammer
April

Recurring

Lisa Rinna
Tammy Brooks

Guest

text: Extended family[edit]

text:
Edie and Ginny Freehold (Jeanette Miller and Frances Bay, introduced in season 1) are Frankie's elderly aunts who are heavy smokers and drinkers. Aunt Edie used to work in Mike's quarry as the bookkeeper, often showing signs of memory loss. One such occasion is when they went to a funeral for Edie and Ginny's brother, and Aunt Edie thought it was her birthday. Aunt Ginny uses a wheelchair and rarely talks. They have a sickly Basset Hound named Doris. On many occasions, Frankie is forced to care for Doris unexpectedly; on one such occasion, Doris gave birth to puppies. In the season 3 episode "The Map", which premiered in early 2012, Aunt Ginny dies. (The actress who portrayed her, Frances Bay, had died in real life.) Brick's elderly friend, Grandma Dot, then moves in with Edie to take care of her. In the early 2015 episode, "Hecks on a Train", Aunt Edie has just died (actress Jeanette Miller had retired from acting) and the Hecks are left to care for Doris.
Michael "Big Mike" Heck Sr. (John Cullum, introduced in season 1) is Mike's reclusive, man-of-few-words father, who is a widower. He appears to be an unloving, uncaring parent, but this is primarily because he simply does not want to be a "bother" for either of his sons. He is also depicted as a hoarder. In season 6, Big Mike and Axl fixed the Hecks' kitchen sink, which was a rare bonding experience for the two of them. In season 8 it is revealed that he sent Mike Jr. to school the day after his mother died, not allowing him time to grieve.
Orville "Rusty" Heck (Norm Macdonald, introduced in season 2) is Mike's unreliable, silly brother. He often makes up excuses why he cannot be anywhere or do anything Mike asks him to do. He once took Brick out of school to bowl and to teach him how to drive, even though he was not old enough or ready. It is revealed in the season 3 finale that his real first name is Orville. In the season 3 finale the Hecks get an invitation to his wedding but it says the wedding is happening at their house. Rusty marries a woman called Marlene, but in season 5 when Marlene invites herself to Thanksgiving at the Hecks' house, Rusty tells them that they got a divorce because she slept with his best friend. Rusty appears later in season 5 and is homeless (again). He ends up moving in with the Hecks, and accompanies Mike and Brick to Brick's spelling bee in Chicago, where Rusty makes a deal with Brick to lose, allowing Rusty to win some money on a bet he made. In season 7, Rusty comes up with a business idea that Mike shockingly thinks might work, and the two start a side business together.
Pat Spence (Marsha Mason, introduced in season 1) is Frankie's mother. Pat appeared at least once in all of the first seven seasons. Her first appearance was in season 1 episode 22 ("Mother's Day"). Her latest appearance was in the season 9 episode "The Setup".
Tag Spence (Jerry Van Dyke, introduced in season 2) is Frankie's father. Tag is a schmoozer and always talks to Mike endlessly, which Mike finds very uncomfortable and annoying. In season 4 Tag calls Mike to meet up at a Stuckey's restaurant, to have man-to-man chats every Sunday. After a couple of meetings, Mike decides he just cannot possibly stand to do it any longer, so he suggests that Tag should try chatting with people on Facebook. Tag's latest appearance was in season 6, episode 21 ("Two of a Kind"). The episode reveals a longstanding feud between Tag and his brother Dutch (played by Jerry Van Dyke's real-life brother Dick Van Dyke), which is mostly fueled by Tag's jealousy, and Mike and Frankie end up trying to resolve it.

text: Co-workers[edit]

text:
Bob Weaver (Chris Kattan, introduced in season 1) is Frankie's co-worker and friend at Ehlert Motors. He is depicted as a lonely, insecure man who lives with his mother and does not seem to have any friends. Thus, he tends to insert himself into the Hecks' family life whenever he can. Bob was credited as a main character in the first two seasons, but the role was significantly reduced after Frankie was fired from Ehlert Motors. He was a recurring character in season 3, and has since made two other appearances (the most recent in season 5, when Frankie rushes out to her dental office job but accidentally goes to Ehlert Motors). Bob and Mike once moonlighted together delivering Little Betty snack cakes to stores.
Don Ehlert (Brian Doyle-Murray, introduced in season 1) is the racist and misogynistic owner of the car dealership where Frankie used to work, and where Bob presumably still works. Frankie and Bob constantly worry that he is going to fire them. Ehlert's wife left him when he chose work over her, and Frankie was first sympathetic but later turned angry. He often drinks at work. Elhert, like Mike, likes sports. As with Bob, appearances by the Mr. Ehlert character were significantly reduced after Frankie was fired from Ehlert Motors.
Pete Miller (Peter Breitmayer, introduced in season 1) is Ehlert Motors' best salesman and star employee, and he is not afraid to tell everyone about it. Pete often brags about his success at Frankie's and Bob's expense, putting them down about how little they contribute to the business while developing a "teacher's pet" relationship with Mr. Ehlert.
Dave (Malcolm Foster Smith, introduced in season 1) is an employee at the quarry Mike manages. He has appeared in at least two episodes every season.
Jim (Troy Metcalf, introduced in season 1) is an employee at the quarry Mike manages. He has appeared in at least one episode every season.
Chuck (Greg Cipes, introduced in season 2) is a younger employee at the quarry Mike manages. He once babysat for Brick, giving him questionable advice on a school project. He often speaks in the third person, referring to himself as "The Chuck".
Dr. Ted Goodwin (Jack McBrayer, introduced in season 4) is the dentist who hires Frankie as a hygienist in season 4. He has few friends, and Frankie is forced to spend time with him after work in "The Jump" (season 5).[3] Ted's dental office is bought out by the conglomerate Smile Sensations in season 7. Frankie does not like the changes, but continues to work there.
Edwin (Jimmy Bellinger, introduced in season 5) is the young manager at Spudsy's, a baked potato fast food restaurant in a mall food court where Sue has worked steadily since season 5.

text: Neighbors[edit]

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Sean Donahue (Beau Wirick, introduced in season 1) is one of Axl's best friends, teammate on the high school football team, and neighbor Nancy Donahue's only son. He is helpful, polite, and friendly, which makes him outwardly the opposite of Axl; that said, he always supports everything Axl does. In season 2, Sue develops a crush on Sean, but eventually ends the one-way relationship. In season 5, Sean came back from college to take Sue to prom upon learning that she had no date, but by the time he arrived, Sue had made plans to go with Darrin. Similarly, he often makes the several hour drive home from Notre Dame (at the request of his mother) to help the Hecks whenever there is a crisis, only to find the crisis resolved by the time he gets there. It was revealed in the season 7 episode "Hecks at a Movie" that his and Axl's respective first kisses were inadvertently with one another in a dark closet, something they have vowed to never speak of again. Also in season 7, Sean has taken on a "hippie" persona and has become a vegetarian (much to Nancy's embarrassment). By season 8, Sean has reverted by to a more clean-cut look. The events of season 8 reveal that Sean and Sue have a mutual affection, but neither person is yet aware of the other's feelings. In the season 9 episode "The Christmas Miracle", Sue and Sean are talking and realize they both have feelings for each other and kiss.
Nancy Donahue (Jen Ray, introduced in season 1) is the Hecks' neighbor and president of the booster club. The Donahues (Nancy, her husband Ron, their son Sean, and their two daughters) are portrayed as the idyllic family Frankie yearns to be like. From season 5, episode 4 ("The 100th"), Nancy and Frankie's friendship has waned a little, mainly because Nancy overheard Mike and Frankie talking about her. In season 7, episode 18 ("A Very Donahue Vacation") Nancy's daughter, Shelly hears Frankie talking about Nancy and tells her. However, Nancy forgives Frankie and they remain good friends.
Ron Donahue (Sean O'Bryan, introduced in season 2) is Nancy's husband and Sean's, Dotty, and Shelly's father, who appears to be very involved in his kids' lives.
Rita Glossner (Brooke Shields, introduced in season 1) is the Hecks' uncouth and troubled neighbor. She is the single parent of four rambunctious boys, as she had kicked the boys' father out of the house some years ago. The Glossners appear to be the only family on the block that is worse off financially than the Hecks. Rita often shows her disdain for the Hecks' higher status, even calling Frankie a "one-percenter" in the season 7 episode, "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death". The season 8 episode "Trip and Fall" reveals that Rita has a fourth son, Rodney, her oldest child who has just made her a grandmother. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Rita's children are sent to juvenile detention. After her children are gone, it brings out the nicer side of Rita.
Derrick Glossner (David Chandler), Wade Glossner (Parker Bolek), and "Diaper" Glossner (Gibson Bobby Sjobeck) (all introduced in season 1) make up the dreaded Glossner boys, Rita's children. They are neighborhood bullies who used to terrorize Sue and Brick. In the first season, Sue and Carly attempt to fight the two older Glossner boys via a dance routine set to "Kung Fu Fighting". In the fifth season, Derrick reveals he has a crush on Sue and unexpectedly kisses her multiple times. Despite describing her as a "rich girl" with "one dad and two different kinds of chips" (and thus out of his league), he vows to better himself and come back for her someday. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Derrick proclaims he has kept his promise by getting a part-time job at a tattoo parlor that pays him $50 a week. Sue tells him she is in love with someone else (Sean Donahue), prompting Derrick to call her a "cheater".
Paula Norwood (Julie Brown, introduced in season 2) is another of the Hecks' neighbors. She serves as somewhat of a counterpoint to the idyllic Nancy Donahue in that her life and family (including husband Bill) is depicted as being similar to Frankie's, having a lot of the same issues.
Bill Norwood (Pat Finn, introduced in season 2) is the Hecks' neighbor and Paula's husband who frequently embarrasses her. Bill tends to try too hard to convince Mike he's his friend, to the point of buying Mike expensive sunglasses for Christmas, even though the two had never agreed to exchange gifts. Bill reveals in the season 9 episode "The 200th" that he and Paula are separated. In the season 9 episode "Hecks vs. Glossners: The Final Battle", Bill meets a female police officer and the two agree to go on a date.
Dierdre Peterson (Emily Rutherfurd, introduced in season 7) is the Hecks' new next-door neighbor. She has three rambunctious, noisy children, plus a new baby.

text: Friends and classmates[edit]

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Darrin McGrew (John Gammon, introduced in season 1) is Axl's other best friend (along with Sean Donahue) and teammate. Darrin is the most passive and simple of Axl's friends, often landing himself, Sean, and Axl in problematic situations. In season 3, he takes Sue to the prom because of her "sunny disposition" and explained to Axl that he (Darrin) just wanted to go with someone and dance. In season 4, Darrin takes Sue to a Valentine's Day dance after her date cancels; and when tidying up in the hall after the dance they share a kiss. Later Darrin confides that he wants to continue dating Sue, which angers Axl. However, near the end of season 4, Sue breaks up with him after he accidentally punched her in the face while she was trying to break up a fight between him and Axl. After high school, Darrin enrolls in a heating and air conditioning repair school. In season 5, Sue feels like the breakup was a mistake and realizes that they only broke up because Axl was being so weird about it. With Axl having gone off to college, Sue gains a renewed interest in Darrin until she sees that he has a new girlfriend (Angel). Darrin later decides that his current girlfriend is too high-maintenance and he brings flowers to Sue, only to see her being kissed by Derrick Glossner. Despite a series of misunderstandings, the two ultimately reconnect at Sue's prom in season 5, and become a couple again. He proposes to Sue in the 6th season, and under pressure, she accepts. (In this episode, you see Darrin's mom for the first time and Darrin's last name is revealed to be McGrew, after Axl jokes that Sue's married name would be Sue Sue McGrew.) After realizing she does not want to be married yet, Sue breaks off the engagement with him three days later. Darrin has not appeared since that episode.
Carly (Blaine Saunders, introduced in season 1) is Sue's best female friend. She began in season 1 as a geeky character, wearing glasses and braces. Her braces were removed mid-season 1, and she became more popular as a result. Sue seems to be jealous, if only subconsciously, and wears makeup which her family finds garish. From season 2 onwards, Carly has reverted to a more geeky look. After making multiple appearances in seasons 1–4, Carly only made one appearance in season 5 (episode 14, "The Award") and one appearance in season 6 (episode 11, "A Quarry Story"). In a season 9 episode ("New Year's Revelations"), Carly attends the Hecks' New Year's Eve party, where it is revealed that she has a baby (and it is implied that she is a single mother).
Zack (Andrew J. Fishman, introduced in season 1) is Brick's friend from the socially challenged class. He has a tendency to behave like a cat, meowing and wearing oven mitts. Zack has not appeared in the show since season 4.
Arlo (Nick Shafer, introduced in season 2) is a friend Brick meets during the second season. He has an obsession with keeping everything on a schedule and takes frequent and lengthy bathroom breaks in the episode "Mother's Day II" when he is accompanying the Hecks to Brown County. He does not show up in the third or fourth season, although in "Year of the Hecks", he is mentioned.
Ashley "Weird Ashley" Wyman (Katlin Mastandrea, introduced in season 2) is Axl's weird classmate who has twice been his accidental date to prom. She is also on Sue's wrestlerette team. She has a keen interest in wizards, although she has never heard of Harry Potter. At their third prom together, Ashley is not Axl's date but dances with him when he's announced as prom king, as Axl and his date Cassidy had broken up only a few moments before the announcement. Axl is known to have a hatred towards her as he still regrets sending a text message about going to a prom with her. In season 5, Ashley invites Sue to hang with her at prom, as they are both there without dates, while Frankie's voice-over chides: "It wouldn't be prom if a Heck wasn't accompanied by Weird Ashley." In season 6, Ashley appears in Axl's dorm building out of nowhere, announcing she has transferred to East Indiana State because of their hotel management program. She tells Devin Levin that Axl was her boyfriend, which Axl of course vehemently denies. During an encounter with Axl in season 8 ("Exes and Ohhhs"), Ashley gets angry with him because he never officially said that he had no romantic interest in her, leading her to believe there was always a chance.
Ruth (Grace Bannon, introduced in season 3) is a member of Sue's wrestlerette team, depicted as an extreme religious conservative, often referencing "the rapture". Unlike the other wrestlerettes, Ruth wears an ankle-length skirt.
Becky (Jessica Marie Garcia, introduced in season 3) is a rough-and-tumble member of Sue's wrestlerette team.
Charles "Hutch" Hutchinson (Alphonso McAuley, introduced in season 5) is Axl's football teammate, best friend, and eventual roommate at college. Like Axl, Hutch does not get much playing time on the East Indiana State football team. In the season 9 episode "Eyes Wide Open", Axl visits Hutch at his new place in Chicago and finds that Hutch has turned into a responsible adult.
Kenny (Tommy Bechtold), introduced in season 5) is Axl's college roommate who does nothing but play World of Warcraft. He is mostly shown from behind as he sits at his computer. His face was shown briefly at the end of the season 5 episode "The Kiss". In an episode of season 6 ("The Table") Axl and Hutch move out of the dorm and into a rental house, but realize they cannot afford it on their own. They look up Kenny and invite him to be their roommate, too, as he apparently is reliable in paying bills and rent. Kenny speaks on-screen for the first time (and his face is shown again) in the season 7 episode "Halloween VI: Tick Tock Death". The season 8 episode "Pitch Imperfect" reveals that Kenny has developed some apps in between playing games, and has a fairly substantial net worth. Off camera between seasons 8 and 9, Axl accompanies Kenny on a trip through Europe to sell Kenny's apps. In season 9, Kenny marries a girl he met on a train in Amsterdam.
Cindy (Casey Burke, introduced in season 6) is a classmate of Brick's who becomes his pseudo-girlfriend in season 6. Though she stands taller than Brick, she seems as quirky as he is. She always wears a safari hat, her facial expression shows no emotion, and, since she finds Brick's missing shoe in her first appearance, it is heavily implied that the character is named for Cinderella. Cindy is very brief and direct in her communication. She has stated in multiple episodes that her favorite food is shrimp. Cindy's flaky parents are introduced in the season 7 episode "Crushed", when they ask the Hecks for a significant loan to save their house from foreclosure. The Hecks are not able to help, forcing Cindy's family to move in with her grandparents. This seemingly ends her relationship with Brick, until it is shown that her grandparents live only a block away. It's implied in the season 7 episode "Halloween VII" that Brick and Cindy eventually marry and start a family. In season 8's "The Final Final", Brick is elated to learn that Cindy's doctor told her she has likely stopped growing. Cindy and Brick briefly break up early in season 9, but are back together as of the episode "The 200th".
Troy (Jovan Armand, introduced in season 7) is Brick's large classmate who initially protects him from school bullies, then later becomes his friend.
Lexie Brooks (Daniela Bobadilla, introduced in season 7) is Sue's college classmate who, like Sue, fails to get accepted by any sororities at the school. She later becomes Sue's dorm mate and friend. She loves horses, and her family is rich. In the season 8 episode "Hoosier Maid", Lexie realizes she likes Axl, after denying his implications for several weeks. Because Axl is with April, she does not act on her feelings. However, after one date with Sean Donahue, Lexie tells Sue she thinks she wants more of a "bad boy". She ultimately reveals to Sue that she really really likes Axl in the season 8 episode "Swing and a Miss". Axl returns her feelings by kissing her in "The Par-Tay". They date in secret in "The Confirmation" and then by the end of the episode, their relationship is public knowledge. In "The Final Final", they're shown to be happily together.

text: Axl's love interests[edit]

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Morgan (Alexa Vega, introduced in season 1) is Axl's first girlfriend on the series, whom Frankie takes an instant liking to due to her straight-A grades and talent in multiple areas. However, after she breaks Axl's heart more than once, Frankie eventually explodes with anger and throws a beanbag at Morgan during a birthday party.
Courtney and Debbie (Brittany Ross and Natalie Lander, introduced in season 3) are airheaded, think-alike cheerleaders in Axl and Sue's high school who date Axl as one. Because the two are inseparable, Axl struggles to figure out which one is his real girlfriend and which one is just hanging out with the other. He makes a calculated guess that Courtney is his girlfriend and kisses her, which causes both girls to slap him and break up with him. They perpetually overlook Sue, often thinking she is a new exchange student, and later calling her a freshman during her senior year. In season 7, it is revealed that Courtney and Debbie are assistant cheerleading coaches at Orson High, and that they no longer like each other.
Cassidy Finch (Galadriel Stineman, introduced in season 4) is Axl's girlfriend in his senior year of high school. She met Axl when he was trying to boost his grades and needed a tutor. They did not get along very well in their first session, but then Axl kissed her and soon found out she had a boyfriend. She later broke up with her old boyfriend to be with Axl. Late in season 4, Cassidy's ex-boyfriend returns, putting tension between Axl and Cassidy for a while before they come back together. They break up in the episode "Hallelujah Hoedown", after Cassidy reveals she is going away in three weeks for an internship program and that they will be in different colleges come September. They begin speaking again in "The Award" (season 5), after Cassidy leaves an embarrassing message on Axl's voicemail. After a brief reconnection during spring break, Cassidy breaks up with Axl again, saying it is not fair to either of them to pursue a relationship while being 800 miles apart.
Devin Levin (Gia Mantegna, introduced in season 6) is a relative of Frankie's hairdresser who was only an acquaintance of Axl's in the past. In season 6, he notices how she has blossomed and that they share many interests, and they begin dating. The two briefly break up when Devin notices that Axl still has her listed as "Uggo from Idaho" in his cell phone contacts, but they get back together later on. Early in season 7, they break up again, each agreeing they should see other people during their college years.
April (Greer Grammer, introduced in season 8) is Axl's love interest, whom he meets offscreen between seasons 7 and 8. April is beautiful and sweet, but not very smart. Frankie immediately tells Axl he can do better, causing a rift between mother and son. Mike initially likes April, but later has a conversation with Axl in which he calls her "dumb as a box of hammers". Defiant, Axl marries April in a civil service. After both sets of parents find out, the marriage is annulled. Axl briefly continues to date his ex-wife, but later breaks up with April in order to pursue Lexie.
Lexie Brooks[4] (Daniela Bobadilla, introduced in season 7) is Sue's college classmate who, like Sue, fails to get accepted by any sororities at the school. She later becomes Sue's dorm mate and best friend. She loves horses, and her family is rich. In the season 8 episode "Hoosier Maid", Lexie realizes she likes Axl, after denying his implications for several weeks. Because Axl is with April, she does not act on her feelings. However, after one date with Sean Donahue, Lexie tells Sue she thinks she wants more of a "bad boy". She ultimately reveals to Sue that she really really likes Axl in the season 8 episode "Swing and a Miss". Axl returns her feelings by kissing her in "The Par-Tay". They date in secret in "The Confirmation" and then by the end of the episode, their relationship is public knowledge. In "The Final Final", they're shown to be happily together. They said their first "I Love You's" in "MommaPalooza". In this same episode, Lexie is annoyed that Axl will not let her spend frivolously on their dates, only to later learn that her parents cut her off to teach her responsibility.

text: Sue's love interests[edit]

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Brad Bottig (Brock Ciarlelli, introduced in season 1) is Sue's flamboyant, theater-loving, tap dancing and slightly camp ex-boyfriend, who is on the high school wrestling team. They date during Thanksgiving (season 1), but soon break up. Mike and Frankie assume the breakup was the result of Sue learning that Brad is gay, but Sue claims it is because she found out Brad has a smoking habit. Brad and Sue remain good friends despite their breakup as boyfriend-girlfriend, and she remains seemingly unaware of his obvious, if stereotypical, homosexual behavior. From season 5 onwards, Brad seems to be Sue's closest friend. In season 7, Brad prepares to tell Sue a secret (in which he is about to come out as gay), to which she responds that she knows, and she shows him love and support. In season 8, Brad transfers to East Indiana State, saying he felt dwarfed as a student at NYU.
Matt (Moisés Arias, introduced in season 3) is a boy on the wrestling team at Orson High who likes Sue; he becomes Sue's first real boyfriend but eventually ends the relationship after moving away and falling for another girl. In season 4, Matt asks Sue to the school Valentine's Day dance because he broke up with his girlfriend Sherrie. He later calls Sue at the last minute to say that he and Sherrie got back together, and he is no longer taking her to the dance. This paves the way for Darrin to swoop in and save the day for Sue.
Darrin McGrew
Logan (David Hull, introduced in season 6) is a guy from another high school who works as a shirtless model in the Abercrombie & Fitch store at the same mall where Sue works. He asks Sue to her prom after seeing her depressed over breaking up with Darrin, and he later reveals that he likes her. The two later try to connect during a chance encounter at East Indiana State, but Sue had taken Brick along that day, and he gets lost. Finally, Logan and Sue meet at a movie theater, where Logan says he is majoring in Religious Studies and plans to be a priest, disappointing Sue.
Jeremy (Will Green, introduced in season 7) is a hardcore environmentalist and anti-capitalist whom Sue first meets when he is chained to a tree on campus. The two briefly date, but Sue breaks up with Jeremy early in season 8.
Tyler (Keaton Savage, introduced in season 7) is the boy who drives the safe ride cart on the East Indiana State campus. He becomes Sue's brief love interest in season 8, until she spends most of their first date talking about Sean Donahue.
Sean Donahue (Beau Wirick, introduced in season 1-) In season 2, Sue develops a crush on Sean, but eventually ends the one-way relationship. In season 5, Sean came back from college to take Sue to prom upon learning that she had no date, but by the time he arrived, Sue had made plans to go with Darrin. Similarly, he often makes the several hour drive home from Notre Dame (at the request of his mother) to help the Hecks whenever there is a crisis, only to find the crisis resolved by the time he gets there. It was revealed in the season 7 episode "Hecks at a Movie" that his and Axl's respective first kisses were inadvertently with one another in a dark closet, something they have vowed to never speak of again. Also in season 7, Sean has taken on a "hippie" persona and has become a vegetarian (much to Nancy's embarrassment). By season 8, Sean has reverted by to a more clean-cut look. The events of season 8 reveal that Sean and Sue have a mutual affection, but neither person is yet aware of the other's feelings. In the season 9 episode "The Christmas Miracle", Sue and Sean are talking when the eventually realize they both have very strong feelings for each other and they passionately kiss.
Aidan (Jackson White, introduced in season 9) delivers food to Lexie and Sue's apartment on the evening when Sean Donahue is supposed to set up Sue with a blind date. In reality, Sean was going to surprise Sue by being her mystery date, but Sue assumes that Aidan is actually whom Sean sent. They go on an accidental date that evening, and Aidan later surprises Sue at the Hecks' New Year's Eve party, where he kisses her at midnight (thwarting Sean's plans to kiss Sue). Aidan is very clumsy and keeps accidentally injuring Sue, causing her to try to break up with him, but Brad begs her not to end the relationship until he has a chance to ask out Aidan's bandmate Luke. By the time Brad and Luke hit it off, Sue realizes how similar she and Aidan are and decides they should stay together, only to break up with him in "Toasted".

text: School staff[edit]

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Mrs. Tompkins (Krista Braun, introduced in season 1) is Brick's social skills mentor and guidance counselor.
Mr. Farrar (Christopher Darga, introduced in season 3) is a teacher at Orson High.
Dr. Fulton (Dave Foley, introduced in season 4) is the school therapist. He is an odd character who helps Brick bond with his peers and try to fit in more at school. An insecure man himself, Dr. Fulton is obsessed with his ex-wife Shelly, whom he mentions nearly every time Brick talks to him for "help". In season 8, he tells Brick he is dating a 68-year-old woman named Barbara, whom he prefers to call "Shelly". In season 9's "Thank You for Not Kissing", he tells Mike and Frankie that Shelly took him back after years of him stalking her.
Principal Cameron (French Stewart, introduced in season 4) is the principal at Orson High.
Coach Tink Babbitt (Brooke Dillman, introduced in season 5) is a physical education teacher, volleyball coach and detention monitor at Orson High. In the season 8 episode "Swing and a Miss", Mike hires Tink as a part-time assistant at the quarry, solely for the purpose of making her eligible to play on the quarry's softball team.

text: Miscellaneous characters[edit]

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Reverend Timothy "Tim-Tom" Thomas (Paul Hipp, introduced in season 1), is a youth minister at the Hecks' church whom Sue deeply admires. He surprised Sue by remembering her name after only having met her once, and always seems to appear just when Sue needs help the most. He is known for frequently playing his acoustic guitar and making almost anything into a song. He plays guitar with Axl on one occasion when encouraging him to do the right thing. In season 5, Reverend Tim-Tom gets a girlfriend (Reverend Tammy, played by Casey Wilson). Sue takes a disliking to Tammy and is not sure how to tell Reverend Tim-Tom, but Sue changes her mind about Tammy after the two talk.
Reverend Hayver (Dierk Torsek, introduced in season 1) is the pastor at the Hecks' church.

text: Notable guest stars[edit]

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Amy Sedaris as Abby Michaels (season 1)
Betty White as Mrs. Nethercott (season 1)
Doris Roberts as Mrs. Rinsky (season 2)
Ray Romano as Nicky Kohlbrenner (season 3)
Molly Shannon as Frankie's sister Janet (seasons 3 and 4)
Ed Asner as Ben (season 3)
Richard Gant as Pastor Watkins (season 3)
Whoopi Goldberg as Ms. Jane Marsh (season 3)
David Koechner as Jeff Webber (season 4)
Carolyn Hennesy as Connie McDonald (season 4)
Marion Ross as Ms. Dunlap (season 4)
Rachel Dratch as Principal Barker (season 5)
Keegan-Michael Key as Reverend Deveaux (season 5)
Casey Wilson as Reverend Tammy (season 5)
Nicole Sullivan as Vicki (season 5)
Mindy Cohn as Kimberly (season 5)
Richard Kind as Dr. Niller (season 6)
Kirstie Alley as Pam Staggs (season 6)
Dick Van Dyke as Paul "Dutch" Spence (season 6)
Faith Ford as Sheila (season 7)
Cheryl Hines as Dr. Sommer Samuelson (season 7)
Josh Cooke as Nick Grant (season 7)
Alan Ruck as Jack Kershaw (season 7)
Monica Horan as Anna Ferguson (season 8)
Alan Rachins as Mort (season 8)
Lisa Rinna as Tammy Brooks (season 9)
Gregory Harrison as Bennett Brooks (season 9)