The Middle

Easy to follow can leave running fall asleep wake up and just keep watching. Although I always rewind to where I was because I like to say I've seen every episode of a series. I can however confirm with this show I have never not once been left disappointed. The entire cast has some significant part and their own unique way or portraying their characters and being humorous! Nobody in the show is just pure evil and it does remind me of my everyday life as part of a middle class family! It's never too far fetched. Not to mention I've never seen an episode I didn't at least giggle once every couple minutes! :-)

Supernaturally talented Patricia Heaton may be doomed to playing the long suffering wife now, as far as television goes -- but she is SO good at it. After who knows how many seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond she appears to have completely mastered the role. And who's complaining? I would never have thought there was so much fertile ground left for family comedy but the writers seem to have tapped a whole new vein. Patricia Heaton being one of the most talented humans ever, your expectations are high on anything new from this lady. No disappointments here! Great story - great imagery - sizzling dialog - wonderful character work from a top-notch cast. Where are all these brilliant new kid actors coming from? Atticus Shaffer is simply miraculous in his role as the ... "unusual child". There was so much entertaining content in this half-hour (or about 22 minutes, I guess, minus the commercials) that I felt like I'd watched a class A feature film comedy. It's not going to be easy to maintain this level of excellence but if they even get close, I'll be a huge fan. Can't wait to see the next episode!

Often times an actor or actress gets associated with an iconic role, a role they basically continue to play over and over, no matter what show or movie they're in. Happily, this is not the case for Patricia Heaton in her new show "The Middle". Her new character, while still a wife and mother of three, is much different than Debra Barone, the character she played for 9 years in "Everybody Loves Raymond."

In Debra, Heaton developed a character identified by her sharp, sarcastic wit, razor-sharp tongue, explosive temper, sexy appearance and a love-hate relationship with her husband and his family. Debra's problems were dealing with her passive-aggressive mother-in-law and her over-the-top intrusiveness, or the little "moral superiority" battles with Raymond. Because of this limited source for trouble and tension, the problems they had, while funny,were not down-to-earth, day-to-day problems most average families worry about.

In Frankie, Heaton has created a character who is more of a mother than a wife, and is on the same level as her husband instead of above him. That makes a huge difference in the tone of the show, and it's quite refreshing. The problems this family faces are problems most families can identify with, from struggling with bills and worrying about work to having a kid who just can't seem to get it together and find his or her place in the world. Frankie doesn't have time to worry about who didn't put up a suitcase or to fake a boob job to prove some minor point; she has to work together with her whole family just to get by. They face each crisis together, and sometimes have to settle for a less than optimal solution. But at the end of the day, they love and support each other in sweet, often surprisingly tender ways.

While not laugh out loud funny, the show has a sweetness and reality to it I find enjoyable. It has the same feel as old classic sitcoms from the 70's and early 80's, an era many consider to be the Golden Age of sitcom television. I think the biggest draw for me, though, is that I LIKE this family; I'd like to live next door to them, and get to know them. And really, can you say anything better about a show than that, that it makes a family so real and so genuine that you'd be happy to have them as neighbors? I hope the show continues and only gets better.

I'm guessing the family portrayed in 'The Middle' is not the norm but they certainly are closer to 'real' people than most sitcom characters or, for that matter, most 'reality' show contestants. The children are not perfect nor are they drug addicted or sex-crazed or alcoholic or parent-hating brats. The oldest son hanging out in boxer shorts? My son did that. The middle child, the daughter, trying to find her place in the school social order but often coming up short? Who hasn't failed at something in life? And the youngest child, the little boy who often repeats things in a whisper, is sweet and loves his parents. These kids make you laugh both from their unintentional humor and from recognition. And I especially like the fact that each episode ends on an upbeat note. The family members, no matter what crazy circumstances they may find themselves in, love each other and accept their lot in life without bitterness and anger. Far removed from the pop culture norms we've been fed lately, people living in 'The Middle' may actually exist after all.

Thank you for 9 fabulous, fun filled, heart warming, tear jerking years.