The Middle
ABC | Release Date: September 30, 2009
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: It's hard to know where The Middle will go after tonight's decent pilot. And that's part of the sitcom's promise, that it has the potential to blossom into a sweet if small celebration of a family of oddballs living distinctly unhip lives. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: Ms. Heaton is less acerbic than she was on "Everybody Loves Raymond," but just as comical playing an overwhelmed Midwesterner who works at Orson's only surviving car dealership. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: The Middle appropriately falls somewhere in the middle, in a zone where the immediate challenge has less to do with being flown-over than flipped-away from. Read full review
50
SalonHeather Havrilesky
Season 1 Review: ABC's The Middle, a comedy about living in the nondescript middle part of the country, resides somewhere in the nondescript middle of the pack of new fall comedies. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: It's traditional sitcom fodder. But what makes The Middle a pleasant surprise is that the series itself is eccentric and funny in unexpected ways, not just the kids. Read full review
50
Slant Magazine
Season 1 Review: The Middle is just a show about a quirky family, and their quirks simply aren't that interesting. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: The Middle feels like a sitcom version of standup comedy. "Three guys and two girls walk into Indiana..."It's not offensive. Just superfluous. Read full review
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