Lucy Backman

The Middle is an underrated, sitcom focusing on the everyday interactions between the Heck family who live in the middle of Indiana. The television series pictures the raw, comical aspects of family life and is shaped by an attitude of displaying the familial experience. It doesn’t attempt to gloss over the craziness of what it means to function as a family. The show depicts a truthful representation of family life: the ups, the downs, and all those dull moments in between. The show incorporates daily family activities such as doing laundry, but also highlights events like graduations. The Middle is relevant to what so many American experience daily, whether that be economic struggles, an annoying older brother, or forgetting your mom’s coffee pot at school. In my opinion, the family comedy is so attractive because it is so relatable. Each punch line is that much funnier because it happened just yesterday in my kitchen at home. The characters are not perfect in any manner, but they are real. The actors who bring the characters to life play a large role in making each scene plausible and real to the audience. I have grown to love each character in the show because their acting is so skillful. They all seem to be very in tune with the characters’ desires and motivations. Each actor has developed their characters to be so distinct and believable that when I see those actors in other shows or films, I almost can’t imagine them as anything other than Mike, Frankie, Axl, Sue, and Brick. The sitcom includes tough topics like parents working multiple jobs to make ends meet or siblings using nasty sarcasm to lash out. Even though these moments make The Middle relatable, the show doesn’t settle for those hurtful albeit laughable moments. It rises above the struggles with sincere moments, balancing punchy comedy with heartfelt scenarios. In Season 5, Episode 9, Axl comes home from college for Christmas and is very rude to his mom, Frankie. He dismisses her desire to spend time with him over the holidays. Instead, he wants to hang out with his high school friends at various parties or bonfires. While Axl demonstrates some very uncharitable behavior, the episode concludes with him making the choice to spend time with his family looking at their Christmas tree and enjoying each other’s company. This is a perfect example of how The Middle stays true to the reality of the family dynamic, but still upholds the dignity of the human person. I would even dare to claim that sticking to real family interactions is a form of encouraging human dignity. It highlights that family is important, even when it is difficult. Small scenes like the Heck family gathered around their tree inspire the audience for dig deep past the hard times to love each family member. At its core, The Middle encourages families to exist, to battle through the difficult, and to love each other unconditionally. I would sincerely encourage families with adolescents to invest in watching this wholesome series. It is truly enjoyable at all stages of life. I watched as a thirteen-year-old, now at nineteen, and plan to enjoy this wonderful sitcom well into adulthood.