It's not that I am a puritan, but most sitcoms have enough raunch to them that I don't always feel comfortable watching them in mixed company. Yet often the humor lies in the very words, phrases and concepts that make me want to keep my kids away from the show. That is never a concern with "The Middle." On the other hand, it is genuinely funny - and although based on exaggeration, a solid reflection of the typical, average small-town American family. Most families have to live modestly from paycheck to paycheck, live in a plain, cramped house with old, tattered furniture, drive an older (sometimes junky) car and live with a degree of eccentric dysfunction. However, the family members are loyal to one another, even as the occasionally disagree. So many family comedies depict a group living in a house that, these days, would cost a million dollars, with furniture brought in by an interior designer, who talk in in soundbites heavy with zingers and put-downs. "The Middle" has a coherent plot and a nice flow of dialog. Frankly, I have been surprised it has been on for so many seasons, running somewhat under the radar as it does, and I am looking forward to future seasons, at least until Brick goes off to college.
Review of The Middle
