The Middle: Season 3

A cross between Malcolm in the Middle and Roseanne, this sitcom receives little network support, respect from critics, or recognition from the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences. But operating under the radar, it remains one of TV's buried treasures. The third season is hardly the charm for the Heck family from Orson, IN, who live chaotic lives of financial and social desperation. The Hecks are the family who takes in the mail and tends to the pets of vacationing neighbors (and are invariably rewarded with souvenir refrigerator magnets as thanks). As with The Honeymooners, what keeps The Middle from crossing over into the utterly depressing is its clever writing, fully-committed performances, and indefatigable spirit: the Hecks have been lapped a thousand times over, but they refuse to quit the race. At the heart of the series are those “once in awhile” moments in which, against all odds, the family manages to come together (albeit fleetingly). In one episode, mother Frankie (Patricia Heaton) moves heaven and earth to get two Justin Bieber concert tickets for herself and daughter Sue (Eden Sher) as a bonding outing, only to be crushed when Sue invites a friend to use the second ticket. Watching TV by herself, Frankie winds up being unexpectedly joined by her usually thoughtless, selfish slacker son (Charlie McDermott). Guest stars include Ed Asner, Molly Shannon, and Heaton's Everybody Loves Raymond costar Ray Romano, who appears in a two-part honeymoon flashback episode. Compiling all 24 episodes from the 2011-12 third season, extras include deleted scenes and bloopers. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)