When Scrubs had its series finale, I was sad that I’d never see the janitor, played by Neil Flynn. But then ABC came to my rescue in the form of a pilot sitcom called The Middle, starring Neil Flynn as the father. It’s about a blue collar family living in Iowa. They have three average kids, average jobs, and average lives. I love this show because it’s more realistic than most sitcom families. The kids aren’t all model gorgeous, in fact they’re downright goofy. Their youngest son talks to himself and his best friend is a backpack. Their teenage daughter is a complete klutz and their oldest son is going through his evil teenager years.
D and I crack up watching this show because I think we’d be so much like the parents. I love how the husband thinks of new crazy punishments for his kids, like when he makes his oldest son stay within 30 feet of him at all times. It’s hilarious when they go to the public pool and his son can’t talk to girls.
I also love how down to earth this family is. They aren’t high powered working parents yacking on their Bluetooth headsets or model gorgeous living in fancy houses. They’re in a regular house, much like the one I grew up in, living regular lives. It’s the perfect comedy for middle america, and definitely perfect for current economic times.