Buried by the avalanche of reality TV, it's sometimes hard to remember that there are television shows that are put together by a talented team of writers and actors. There are even a few that are worth the time you spend watching them. These days, I'm gravitating more and more toward anything that makes me laugh so I make it a habit to check out 'Modern Family' and 'The Office' but my personal favorite may be one you've never seen. I'm talking about 'The Middle', an unassuming comedy gem that has one of the most realistic families ever presented on TV.
Watching the Indiana based Heck (as in what the . . .) family, I'm struck by the writer's uncanny ability to depict real life in a humorous, yet totally relatable way. I haven't been this impressed with a show's ability to "get it right" since 'Thirtysomething' (which wasn't usually funny but eerily mirrored my own life at the time). Every week 'The Middle' makes everyday struggles hysterically funny. The family consists of a loving, yet stressed out, middle-class pair dealing with a clueless teenage son, an awkward but impossibly resilient daughter and a gifted ten-year-old without social skills. These can't be actors; their family looks (and acts) just like one I'd find in my own neighborhood. And that's how you know you're watching something special. If you can stop laughing long enough to look for a listening device in your kitchen, convinced the writers are bugging your home for their material, you know they must be doing something right.
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