Best TV Show of the Week
The
Middle
on ABC
In a media landscape where sex-slathered sitcoms like
2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men,
and Whitney are the norm, ABC’s
The Middle
stands out in as an oasis of sanity for its benign attitude and gentle but
genuinely funny humor. While other alleged “comedies” wallow in explicit sexual
references, abrasive characterizations, and crude toilet jokes, The Middle
brings an everyday sensibility to television, with characters and storylines to
which average people can relate. Particularly notable in this regard was the
Wednesday, October 5th episode (8:00 p.m. ET), the
Best TV Show of the Week.
Mom Frankie is exasperated with her life: daughter Sue is
hogging her bathroom, so she cannot dress for work, forcing
Frankie to “shower” with the hose over the kitchen sink; teen
son Axl has left his sneakers on the kitchen counter; and Brick
is obsessed with a mail-order food catalogue. Frankie’s
depression increases when she learns that her old high-school
nemesis Pam Staggs is going to appear on Wheel of Fortune, and
she is cornered by her talkative boss. But when Pam wins a
million dollars on the Wheel at the same moment Frankie
discovers something disgusting in her bag of Doritos, she
explodes. Having hit the limit of her endurance with the
inconsiderate behavior of her family, Frankie walks out, after
informing the family that “there are gonna be some major changes
around here.”
Sue panics at the thought that their mom is gone; but husband Mike reacts
laconically. “She’s not gone. She’s only got twelve bucks in her purse. She
can’t get very far.”
“Actually, ten,” volunteers Axl.
“Eight,” adds Sue.
“Six-fifty,” concludes Brick.
Mike demands each of the kids think about what they did wrong to upset Frankie.
But after a session of mutual blame, followed by suggestion that they do chores,
the kids end up concluding that they won’t do anything.
Meanwhile, Frankie commiserates with her mother, who reassures her. As Frankie
returns home, the kids frantically clean the house – by throwing all the clutter
into the back yard. While no “major changes” have been made, Frankie contents
herself with minor ones…and with the love of her family.
Increasingly, families are tired of being assaulted by “comedies” featuring
characters who live lives that no real human being can possibly relate to. The
overwhelming majority of Americans are not foul-mouthed miscreants obsessed with
their own bowel functions who leap from bed to bed in search of ever-wilder and
more promiscuous sex – nor would they want to be. Only in Hollywood are such
attitudes seen as hilariously desirable. But most Americans can relate to things
like temperamental teenagers, disastrous camping trips, and financial problems.
The Middle
holds up a mirror to such events, exaggerating them only
slightly, just enough to make them funny. With its endearingly normal characters
and a sense of humor grounded in reality, The Middle
continues to be one of the most deserving choices as
Best TV Show of the Week.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
