Stuck in the Middle (TV series)

Harley struggles to get her siblings 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.

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.

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.

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 responsibility, 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.

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 slushinator is short-lived, her father commends her for not sinking his business and offers her the opportunity to continue working for him at the store. 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.

With her three younger siblings at their grandmother's with Suzy and her older siblings having plans, Harley gets a rare opportunity to do something on her own in the house. After getting her father's permission, she decides to invite her friends over to an outdoor slumber party for a rare comet viewing. Ellie arrives early for the party, but Harley's sleepover plans do not go smoothly as she deals with Rachel getting grounded, as well as Ethan and Georgie getting tricked at an event for unique basketball shoes. Also, as Harley goes out her bedroom window with Ellie to prepare for the comet's arrival, before the other girls arrive, Ellie's fear of heights causes her to accidentally lock her and Harley out on the roof. Harley tries different ways to get them out of the predicament without her father knowing. One of those ideas ends up distorting the Diaz family's satellite dish, and since Tom was watching television, she gets caught and grounded. After Tom rescues the two girls, they witness the comet's passing.

Guest stars: Lulu Lambros as Ellie Peters, Farrah Mackenzie as Sweet Girl

While Tom is away at Georgie's basketball tournament, Suzy runs the marina store. It worries Harley because her mother is hanging around her too much at the store. Harley and Ethan soon discover that Suzy's lack of friends—including not staying in touch with her old ones—is causing her to cling a lot to the family, so the two use an online site to connect their mother with a new friend who also lives in Marshport. When they find one who is almost a perfect match, they are shocked that it is their own next door neighbor, Bethany Peters. As she and Suzy spend time together as friends, the Diaz children notice radical changes, such as healthy food, limited television time and no dangerous objects, none of which suits them. Attempting to return things to normal, Harley asks her mother to invite Ms. Peters to Daphne's school play. Thanks to Rachel's musical direction for the play with Daphne the center of attention, the play turns too wild for Bethany's taste and effectively ends her brief friendship with Suzy.

Guest stars: Lauren Pritchard as Bethany Peters, Lulu Lambros as Ellie Peters

With school on break, Cuff is spending a lot of time at the Diaz house with Rachel, which also leads to his hanging with the twins. This overwhelms Harley because he is invading her personal stuff and Ethan because Lewie and Beast start thinking of Cuff as their older brother. Harley decides to find a job for Cuff, who winds up working at her father's marina store with her. Harley later tries to get him to quit by having him do a lot of unpleasant tasks around the store, but Cuff actually likes the work. When Rachel comes into the store to be with her boyfriend, he decides his job is more important, and it devastates Rachel. Cuff's absence at the house affects the twins as well, and Ethan struggles to be the awesome older brother again in their eyes. Seeing Rachel miserable prompts Harley to talk to Cuff about winning Rachel back. In showing Rachel how much he loves her, Cuff ends up getting fired by Tom for defacing store merchandise.

Guest star: Brett Pierce as Cuff

With Georgie in her sports off-season, outside of basketball, soccer and softball, Harley tries to involve her in another sport during the break. Knowing Georgie's tendency to score low when she plays, Harley gets her to try out for the golf team and invents a set of remote-controlled balls that will assure her a spot. When Georgie makes the team and starts feeling and acting like a winner, Harley tells her the truth about the golf balls and feels guilty about the cheating. Georgie eventually gives up on sports altogether and wants to become a regular teenage girl, but Harley reminds her how much the sports get the family involved, despite how bad she is. Meanwhile, Suzy challenges Rachel, Lewie, Beast and Daphne to cook dinner after they complain about her meals. After being successful with it once, Rachel and the twins are not thrilled with cooking all the time, so they prepare a less-than palatable meal to get out of it.

Guest star: Jill Basey as Mrs. Sullivan

While Harley is looking for parts for a snow machine she plans to build, her parents discover a gift certificate for a bed and breakfast trip, which Tom's parents gave to them but is nearly expired. Harley sees that as an opportunity for the two to get away for the weekend and suggests Rachel be in charge. It takes a lot of convincing for Suzy and Tom to believe their 16-year-old daughter is up to the job, but they go on their trip. Harley builds her snow machine and gives Rachel the opportunity to experience a ski vacation in the backyard; the two share a rare but brief sister bond, which ends when Rachel invites her friends over as well as Cuff. Lewie and Beast tackle a list of "don'ts" by doing everything forbidden on that list, while Ethan and Georgie wrestle with Daphne over the television remote. None of them know their parents are watching every minute of the action at the house through their tablet, and they occasionally call. When the house becomes a mess, and Suzy and Tom phone they are coming home, Harley looks to Rachel to take charge. With Rachel's leadership, the house gets clean in time.

Ahead of Marshport's tricentennial celebration, Harley invents a pedicab for Ethan's tour business. When the slushy machine breaks down at the marina store, and Harley needs money to replace a part, she teams up with Ethan. Harley's end of the business becomes a shuttle service and later expands into a daycare service. When Ethan finds out his tours were turned into babysitting rides, he quits and Harley continues solo. Although Harley is enjoying the money she is making from the pedicab venture, she misses her slushy business more and decides to fix the slushy machine. She turns the pedicab back over to Ethan for his tours, after which the two happen to spot singer Rachel Platten, the surprise celebrity guest for the tricentennial parade, who needs a ride to her float. Meanwhile, Georgie is selected to lead the parade by Mrs. Sullivan, who also helps get her in shape to walk the route, while Rachel and Daphne compete for Marshport queen. Georgie winds up directing the parade into the Diaz backyard.

Special appearance by: Rachel Platten

Guest stars: Jill Basey as Mrs. Sullivan, Eva Simone Fisher as Woman, Beau Dylan Hart as Kid 1, Toby Grey as Kid 2

Harley's latest invention, an efficient laundry transport, leads to trouble. After Daphne uses the invention to transport herself downstairs and nearly gets hurt, she blames Harley when their mother checks on what happened. Suzy sends Harley to her room and puts her on "lockdown", the severest form of punishment in the Diaz family. With Harley confined to her bedroom, Tom has Rachel and Georgie work at his marina store, while Harley looks to get back at her younger sister for always getting her in trouble. When she sees Daphne doing something suspicious in the backyard, she elicits Ethan's help and sneaks out of her room. They are ready to bust Daphne as she sells her toys and other things to the neighbors, but when Harley finds out why, she realizes how much she has been neglecting her sister lately. Meanwhile, Rachel and Georgie are put on lockdown after Tom catches them throwing a party in the marina store. Harley manages to return to her bedroom, with her siblings' help, before her older sisters join her in confinement. When Suzy sees evidence suggesting Harley snuck out, Daphne blames Ethan, but Harley comes clean; Suzy adds Ethan to the lockdown. Daphne then gets herself in trouble to join her sisters and spend time with them. All the while, Lewie and Beast are on a week-long camping trip and manage to make it through one day before Suzy decides they have gotten into enough trouble and brings them home.

Harley needs to go to a music event in Boston, where an invention of hers is entered in a contest. Her mother is unable to drive her there, so she looks to Rachel, who has her learner's permit, and asks her to take the driving test to get her license. Suzy finds out Rachel's driving instructor, Phil, is someone she knew in high school. When Rachel fails her test, she and Harley wonder what happened in Phil and Suzy's past that may have influenced his grading. Harley arranges for Phil to come over to the house so he and Suzy can shed light on their time together. As for Rachel's driving test, it turns out Suzy is insecure about any of her children driving, so she asked Phil to fail her daughter even though Rachel had demonstrated to her mother that she is a good driver. Having been unfair to Rachel, Suzy asks Phil for a retest and he is able to schedule it before Harley's trip. Meanwhile, Ethan is doing a buddy cop film and casts Lewie and Beast as the cops. During the filming, the twins happen to tamper with Harley's invention; when Harley shows Phil her invention, it malfunctions and Phil gets further endangered by the twins for the final scene of the film. Suzy ends up driving the family to Boston.

Guest star: Gabriel Tigerman as Phil

Harley gets to appear on the television series Girl Power to highlight her accomplishments as an inventor. When Mischa and Ken, the two-person crew for the series, see Harley's large family, they decide to go a different route and feature the family in a reality series called The Diaz of Our Lives. As the crew gets to know the family through filming, they make multiple changes such that the Diazes become displeased with the direction of the series and want to quit. Mischa reminds them that they are under contract, but when Harley shows footage of the crew's plans, using the camera feature of her vacuum cleaner invention she first showcased on Girl Power, the crew calls off the reality series.