Two freshman comedies on Wednesday nights on ABC have been giving me something to look forward to every week: Modern Family and The Middle. And given that Mad Men’s season three finale is on Sunday, we need something to fill the void each week.
My weekly Pop Culture and Politics column over on Mommy Tracked this week is about how these two comedies have filled the space in my heart that used to be filled by the wacky Malcolm in the Middle. Modern Family’s snarkily sarcastic, while The Middle, featuring Patricia Heaton, is charmingly kooky.
These two videos give you a taste:
1 comment:
I'm not yet a member over at your other blog, so I'll comment here to say I LOVE MODERN FAMILY. It is the sharpest writing and most creative humor to come out of comedy since "Arrested Development" (and I say that even as a "30 Rock" fan, a show so blisteringly brilliant that it often hurts my eyes to look at it). The show could have teetered on that painful "Oh, shucks, y'all. We're the happiest family EVER!" with the tender reflection concluding each episode, but those sweet moments are countered and balanced by the grit, sarcasm, and humor of the other 21 minutes of each episode. Ty Burrell is a genius, and it's good to see Julie Bowen on TV again after her stints on "Boston Legal" and LOST. My boyfriend and I look forward to "Modern Family" every week. I will say, though, that while it's hard to pick out something to criticize, I find myself usually rolling my eyes at Manny. TV sitcoms often try hard to have that uber-precocious kid on shows, and while Modern Family sort of makes fun of itself in that way (i.e. Manny drinking coffee and helping Claire with her problems), the little boy just kind of annoys me. But that's one complaint in a sea of praises, so who am I to nitpick?
I haven't watched "The Middle," though I've heard good stuff about it. I've had a weird aversion to Patty Heaton ever since her days on "Everybody Hates...er...Loves Raymond," so I'd have to get over that before I could watch the show. Maybe I'll give it a shot. ;)
C.
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