The Middle: The Complete First Season

While of all the ABC comedies that premiered last season, Modern Family easily took the most attention and praise but there was another sitcom that deserved just as many accolades - The Middle. It might be easy to overlook the Patricia Heaton family sitcom in the shadow of Modern Family but as the first season comes out on DVD, it should be given your undivided attention.

The Middle of the title refers to the middle of the country, namely an Indiana town where life is simple and the real life of our society is reflected in the fact that the family has money problems, the kids aren't perfect and Mom (Heaton) and Dad (Scrubs' alum Neil Flynn) don't always have the answers. And the kids aren't your traditional sitcom kids either. Axl (cute Charlie McDermott), is the underachieving teen son whose choice of clothing is his boxer shorts. Sue (Eden Sher) is the gangly, awkward teen who tries so hard and usually fails. And, finally, pre-teen Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is a bookworm misfit with some of the best comic timing of any young TV actor today.

The first season DVD contains all 24 episodes of The Middle along with a few features such as Raising a Sitcom Family (the creators - who are Midwest natives - talk about creating the series), Sue's Best Shots (Sue's photos help the cast and crew recount their own school memories), unaired scenes and a gag reel.

One admirable trait about the series (and a testament that the creators are from 'the middle') is that Indiana and the Midwest is portrayed as a simpler part of the country but it is NOT dumbed down like popular series often do. And while The Middle might not be as edgy or sharp as Modern Family, the laughs come easily because we can all relate to someone in the cast.

Also, to her credit, Patricia Heaton creates another memorable mother character that is different enough from her Everybody Loves Raymond persona. The Middle is more like Malcom and the Middle minus the frenetic quick cuts and over the top stories.

As the second season of the sitcom is set to begin later this month on ABC, it's the perfect time to catch up with the first season, which is now available wherever DVDs are sold.