Chicago – Just as Kelsey Grammer returns to familiarly snobby territory with “Hank,” his “Back to You” co-star Patricia Heaton returns to the life of the harried matriarch with “The Middle,” but the results are vastly different. Where “Hank” feels like a relic, “The Middle” updates the working mother for a new generation and mostly delivers.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0
Not as daring as “Modern Family” but nearly as funny, “The Middle” works because of the fearlessness of its cast, primarily Heaton, who proves that she was just as essential an element to the success of “Everybody Loves Raymond” as Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, or Peter Boyle. But, as “Hank” proves, one talented lead does not a sitcom make and “The Middle” has potential because of its interesting and diverse supporting cast and its often-clever writing.

The Middle.
Photo credit: ABC/Bob D’Amico
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- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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