The Middle Season 2

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

Work. Kids. Bills. Comedy. It’s how the middle half lives. The Heck family returns for Season Two, bringing with them 24 episodes of offbeat fun with one foot in reality and the other on a greasy wrapper from Burgerworld. Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn star as Frankie and Mike Heck, frazzled parents trying to stretch their patience and paychecks around three brilliantly true-to-life kids: Axl, whose latest dream girl has tattoos, body piercings and pink hair; Sue, who’s thrilled to come in eighth (out of eight) in Square Dancing with the Stars; and Brick, the only kid who has his birthday party at the public library.

-Ama

You know all those over-hyped, supposedly ‘edgy’ and daring comedies the critics insist all discerning TV fans SHOULD love and appreciate? Well, The Middle isn’t among them 😉 But while critics have given the show a lukewarm reception, all of the actual TV viewers I know have been immediately charmed and delighted by this underrated gem of a show.

The Middle doesn’t go out of its way to flaunt just how edgy and risque it can be. It doesn’t, like so many other critically lauded shows, feature wholly unlikable people doing wholly unlikable things while half-winking at the camera over just how zany they are. It doesn’t go for over-the-top wackiness or the kind of constant lowbrow sexual innuendo and fart jokes that you might unplesantly associate with high school locker rooms.

Instead, The Middle simply tells the story of a family that’s likable and even admirable despite also being realistically, comically flawed. The humor stems from the strong characterizations, sharp dialogue and the clever insight peppered throughout. (You’ll be thinking “that is SO true…it’s scary how well I can relate to that!” at least a few times per episode). We get flashes of heartwarming poignancy here too, but rest assured that it’s never too sappy or forced.

This is one of those rare shows that successfully blends humor with heart, and I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much I’ve come to love spending time with this family. I used to have a weird visceral dislike for Patricia Heaton and, for reasons alluded to above, rarely like sitcoms…but this show immediately reversed my opinion of Patricia Heaton’s acting abilities, and even gave me a renewed hope for the sitcom genre!

One major reason it’s worth owning on DVD: The vast majority of the episodes not only hold up with multiple viewings, but actually improve, as you notice subtle moments of awesomeness that you were too busy laughing to pick up on the first time around. So many shows *claim* to have struck that balance between wit and poignancy; to have created lovable yet hilariously flawed characters; to have written dialogue that’s sharp and memorable. This is one of the few shows that, in my clearly Middle-loving opinion, has actually succeeded in all those areas and more. It’s a show that provides mood-boosting humor with moments of sharp insight into what it means to be part of a family and a steady supply of heartwarming charm. I can’t wait to FINALLY get my fangirl hands on the Season 3 DVDs, and look forward to rooting for and laughing with the Hecks for many years to come!

– RR

I don’t watch much prime-time TV and never even heard of this show until it was in like it’s fifth season and I caught some reruns on (I think) the Sundance channel. But I was an instant addict: what a really funny, funny show. The characters and the writing are extremely clever and it’s the first weekly sitcom (other than Modern Family) that I have really gotten addicted to in years. I don’t think the current season’s writing is as good, but Season 2 is just a blast. The Sue character, in particular, is just riot to watch–such a great physical comedian. Whoever taught that young woman (Eden Sher) to act did a wonderful job.

I now own both the first and second seasons and I have to say, there isn’t a dull episode. I’m a comedy writer and I really wish I had invented this series!

– Jeff Wignall

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Patricia Heaton
Format: Multiple Formats, AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Dubbed: Portuguese
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: Warner
DVD Release Date: September 27, 2011
Run Time: 528 minutes
ASIN: B003L77FZM