The Middle Series Review

No Spoilers. Sorry. For specifics, you’ll just have to watch it. :0

By Tom Yorlum

I can’t review each season. I can’t even separate them in my head. All I’ll say is this. It’s funny. Not Seinfeld funny. Very few times do I laugh out loud. But I always smile. I’m able to relax when it’s on. And I love being a part of the Heck Clan. I love every minute I spend watching them. It’s a dysfunctional family that you can’t get enough of. It’s not cynical. It’s not dramatic. It’s just there. And you take what you will of it. No one’s trying to impress you, or surprise you, or make you cry. No one’s going for the emmy from shock value you or drama for drama’s sake. This is life in middle America. It’s not thrilling. It just goes on. And why would you want it any differently?

Frankie can get annoying. You want to like her, but she definitely has a martyr complex. She’s not the perfect mom/wife that you tend to expect from sitcoms, which is awesome. I like seeing that stereotype cracked right open. She’s the most neurotic of them, and that’s saying something. It’s the reverse role of the fat dad. It’s the neurotic mom with the laid-back husband. Neil Flynn kills it as Mike. Kills it. I love his deadpan humor and go with the flow demeanor. If there’s any personality that embodies the show’s tone, it’s Mike.

There’s no kid that you root for, which is what I think makes it so appealing. You’re equally interested in all of them. Axl’s a douche. Sue’s a dork. Brick’s weird. Axl will always screw up everything, Sue will never succeed but never understand that, and Brick will never pick up on social cues. There’s no hope for any of them. I have no favorites because they’re all so flawed. But deep down, they’re all good people. They don’t want to hurt anyone, their inherent flaws just keep them from succeeding. And so I root for them all, knowing that failure is their destiny.

This is a family show. It has heart. It’s not preachy. It’s probably the best comedy on TV right now. After a hard day of work, I need a light show to keep my spirits up. Walking Dead doesn’t do that, as much as I love it. And so I give this show a 10/10. It’s nothing to go to the Emmys about, but who gives a crap? How many Emmy comedies can you put on repeat?

Seinfeld, obviously, but don’t ruin my moment. 🙂

And since I’m jipping you out of six seasons worth of reviews, here’s another pic.