Kathman's Review

Cast of “The Middle”

ABC’s freshman comedy “The Middle” seems to think it has a clever title. See, middle-aged and middle-classed mom Frankie (“Everybody Loves Raymond’s” Patricia Heaton) is kind of having a mid-life crisis and she lives in the middle of America (Orson, Indiana – although some Omahans might think anything that close to the Great Lakes is practically East Coast).

Get it? So many middles! Clever, right? Only, it’s not like “The Middle” is the first sit-com set in “fly-over” country focusing on the everyday monotony of average “folk,” nor is it even close to being the best on TV right now (I’ll take “The Office” or the also Indiana-set “Parks and Recreation” over this any day).

This isn’t to say that “Middle” doesn’t have its moments of dry, kooky comedy. The only problem is that even what’s funny about this show isn’t original. Three years ago, a show with a very similar premise (odd family shares high jinks), a very similar style (single-camera, no laugh-track, narration) and even a very similar name went off the air after seven seasons. But this show put a kid named Malcom in “The Middle.”

Just like “Malcom,” Heaton’s comedy features a stressed to the max mom, a somewhat dim-witted father (“Scrubs’” Neil Flynn) and a brood of quirky children, particularly the youngest (breakout star Atticus Shaffer, whose real name suits his character’s uniqueness). But instead of little Frankie Muniz telling us his family’s story, Heaton provides the narration here. The other major difference: this “Middle” isn’t as consistently hilarious.

Flynn is a reliable riot, just as he was on “Scrubs,” and Shaffer provides an always funny bit when he loudly repeats himself in a weird whisper at random moments (there’s also a solid supporting role for “SNL’s” Chris Kattan, who is palatable in small doses). But Heaton was far better used on her cancelled Fox sitcom “Back to You” with Kelsey Grammar. She plays the “straight-man” to guys like Grammar and Romano far better than she does an imitation Jane Kaczmarek (the mom from “Malcom”).

Grade: C+