It's the misadventures of the Heck family in the small town of Orson in the flyover state of Indiana. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) does everything to make ends meet. Strong silent type Mike (Neil Flynn) is the supervisor at the quarry. The oldest child Axl (Charlie McDermott) is self-possessed to a fault. Middle child Sue (Eden Sher) is unflinchingly positive despite constant bumblings. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) exists on the spectrum.I like this family. I really like this family. I've seen only a few episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. It's obvious that Heaton personifies the mother character. The cast is all great. The calling card of this show is a middle class nobility to middle America as it struggles with the world. It's not political other than the flyover premise. Its longevity is self-evident of quality work. This is a nice network sitcom. Its only misstep is probably Chris Kattan and they dropped him after 3 and a bit seasons. He was never more than a side character. This is a good solid sitcom with a long network run.

It was one worthy show. It's been long years with you guys. I am kind of sad.Best wishes from Germany.

Most sitcoms in recent times are unfunny and banal but I found a few I liked. And this was one of the more recent ones I enjoyed. I know liking this show now makes me a late bloomer but I will watch reruns when they come on another network. Like Malcolm in the Middle there is no laugh track but it doesn't have to have one. It's just a neat dysfunctional family with a father, a mother, their two sons, and their daughter. The youngest (and younger son) is also Ono the cattle egret from The Lion Guard. He's also a whiz kid with a serious view of the world. Next week will be the series finale and I intend to watch the whole thing. The best part about The Middle is that there are no drugs, no sexual acts, or alcohol. What a change! It makes the show a little more family-friendly. I can't help but wonder what's next for the stars. I'll still watch Brick Heck (Atticus Schaffer) as Ono on The Lion Guard. That'll be on for a while.

The Brickster! Brick is the goofball character that makes The Middle worth watching. You gotta love his amusing idiosynchrosies like looking down at his feet and repeating some key word or phrase from his last sentence or looking up in the air sporadically and saying "Whoop". Of course, Brick has no real friends ("Books are my friends", he says) and is a supposed genius.The Reverend Tim Tom is another unusual goofball who travels around with a guitar playing sophomoric songs that contain important life lessons.Sue Sue, the daughter, with her giant braces has the worst luck in the world but somehow always remains optimistic.Axl, the oldest son, (what kinds of parents name their kids Brick, Axl and Sue Sue, anyway?) is the family slacker.All in all, The Middle is a pleasant, but quirky, sitcom that can hold your interest when there's not much else to do. That might sound like a backhanded compliment but compared to most of the trash that is on television these days this show is top notch!