20 Minutes ago in Tennessee, Patricia Heaton was confirmed as…See more

Hollywood colleagues flooded social media with support. Ray Romano tweeted “Debra Barone running a university? God help those freshmen,” while The Middle co-star Neil Flynn simply posted “A+ casting.” Even Nashville’s music elite took notice—Carrie Underwood welcomed Heaton to town with a basket of hot chicken and a handwritten note: “Now can we get a sitcom about choir moms?”