Spotlight on THE MIDDLE Star Patricia Heaton
October 27th, 2009

For some reason, America seems to have something against the middle. We talk about the curse of “middle-child syndrome” and generally think of being between a rock and a hard place as a pretty crappy place to be. But if there’s one person who can appreciate the value of being smack-dab in the center, it’s Patricia Heaton, star of ABC’s recently-renewed sitcom THE MIDDLE. And while the show may not yet have blazed its way to the top of the ratings charts — thanks at least in part to HANK, the weak-link in ABC’s Wednesday night laughfest which happens to feature Heaton’s BACK TO YOU co-star, Kelsey Grammer — THE MIDDLE is winning new fans every week.
“Critics have been wonderful and everyone seems to really like it,” said Heaton during a recent chat about the show’s trajectory.”ABC realizes that as soon as people watch the show, they’re going to love it, and I think they’re really putting their support behind it.” Which speaks volumes about the network’s belief in the recession-friendly, lower-middle-class sitcom, espcially given how reluctant modern networks are to allow a show time to find its audience. “Sometimes, all a show needs is to be out there long enough for people to see it.”













