DVD
REVIEW:
THE MIDDLE (Season 1)
08/30/10
OVERVIEW: Emmy® winner Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) stars as Frankie Heck, an exhausted wife and mother in the warm and witty, new television comedy The Middle, the first season of which will be released on DVD by Warner Home Video (WHV) on August 31, 2010. Titled The Middle: The Complete First Season, this DVD collection will feature 24 half-hour episodes from the show’s debut season plus nearly 30 minutes of never-before-seen bonus material.
SYNOPSIS: Welcome to Orson, Indiana, home of the world’s largest polyurethane cow and TV’s funniest new family: the Hecks. Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) makes a triumphant return to the family sitcom as Frankie Heck, a harried wife and working mother of three who uses her wry wit and sense of humor to try to get her family through each day intact. Neil Flynn (Scrubs) stars as her sardonic husband Mike, helping Frankie navigate hanging-on-to-middle-class life without a GPS app. The series also stars Charlie McDermott (The Office, Frozen River), Eden Sher (Sons & Daughters, Weeds), Atticus Shaffer (Hancock, The Class) and Chris Kattan (Saturday Night Live).
SEASON REVIEW: What makes a television comedy funny in the year 2010? If we look at the successful comedies from last season you would probably say quirkiness. Two perfect examples are Modern Family and The Middle. When did been quirky become so funny. What happened to the days of pratfalls. This all started a long time ago with the success of shows like Seinfeld and continued with the success of The Office. These shows made it hard for traditional comedies and comedy writers had to try harder as audiences became much more cynical.
I watched about two episodes of The Middle during the season’s run, but it wasn’t until I started reviewing the DVDs that I watched the pilot and about three episodes in a row that I found myself laughing out quiet a few times, and that’s when I noticed that this is a very good show. Now that I’m about half way through the first season, I think The Middle is probably the funnies show of 2010.
The best thing about the show are the characters and my favorite are Sue Hick(the daughter) and Brick Heck(the younger son). Brick Heck is a genius who has no social life. I wouldn‘t say he has no social skills as he is an expert at manipulating a situation. Once of the weird things he does is whisper to himself a few word from his last sentence. It’s like some kind of OCD and it’s hilarious. Maybe I’ll tire of it by the time I’ve watched all the episodes. Sue Hick is a geek who tries out for everything and I mean everything. The wonderfully thing about her is that she has no self-awareness and even though she never makes anything she never loses her confidence.
Axl Heck (the teenage son) is your typical teenager, he thinks everything is lame and just wants to hang out in his boxers and watch TV all day. Mike Heck (the father) and Frankie Heck (the wife) also play a big part of what makes this show so funny. Mike and Frankie try to do the best they can for there kids, but with kids like theirs it isn’t always easier. Add to Mike and Frankie struggle that they are always trying to make ends meat and it sets things up for some funny situations. Like the time they needed a dryer and….well you’ll just have to see the episode, but I promise that the results are hilarious.
In a time where television comedies come and go it looks like The Middle has managed one of the hardest things: get renewed for a second season. I can’t wait to finish watching the series and start getting into season two. The only problem is with all the promising shows coming this year, I don’t know if I’ll have the time and more importantly thee room for it on my
DVR.
Review
By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Enhanced for 16x9 Tvs
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround,
English Spanish
Subtitles - English, French Spanish
BONUS FEATURES:
Raising a Sitcom Family: Series Creators Recount the History and Development of This Unique Comedy About Small-Town Life in the Midwest
Sue’s Best Shots: Sue’s Hilarious School Photos Provide the Springboard for Cast and Crew to Recall Their Own School Photo Experiences
Unaired Scenes
Gag Reel
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