Brian Damage
07-13-2009, 08:40 PM
'The Middle'
Premise: The middle-class Hecks of Indiana juggle their dead-end jobs with raising three kids -- rebellious Axel, awkward Sue and "quirky" Brick.
Cast: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Atticus Shaffer, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Chris Kattan
What Works: This new comedy is a dead ringer for 'Malcolm in the Middle' with its realistic, wry take on regular family life, from daughter Sue's disastrous attempt at joining the school choir to fast-food family dinners in front of the TV. Heaton shines as the stressed-out mom at the center of it all (the scene of her putting on Spanx made us LOL), but little Atticus Shaffer steals the show as younger son Brick.
What Doesn't: Wish there wasn't such excessive use of voice-over, but that's really a minor quibble.
Our Excitement Level (Out of 10): 8
http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2009/07/13/the-middle-on-abc-new-tv-pilot-preview/
Premise: The middle-class Hecks of Indiana juggle their dead-end jobs with raising three kids -- rebellious Axel, awkward Sue and "quirky" Brick.
Cast: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Atticus Shaffer, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Chris Kattan
What Works: This new comedy is a dead ringer for 'Malcolm in the Middle' with its realistic, wry take on regular family life, from daughter Sue's disastrous attempt at joining the school choir to fast-food family dinners in front of the TV. Heaton shines as the stressed-out mom at the center of it all (the scene of her putting on Spanx made us LOL), but little Atticus Shaffer steals the show as younger son Brick.
What Doesn't: Wish there wasn't such excessive use of voice-over, but that's really a minor quibble.
Our Excitement Level (Out of 10): 8
http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2009/07/13/the-middle-on-abc-new-tv-pilot-preview/