All Praise for Patricia Heaton in "The Middle"

Patricia Heaton knows what works for her – which is why she has returned to the small screen as harried mom Frankie, in another domestic situation comedy. Her previous starring role, alongside Kelsey Grammar, in "Back to You" two years ago, failed to make an impression on either critics or the public. While the workplace comedy didn't do much for her, "The Middle" is quickly making up for it.

Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times says, "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… Though the troubled economy is only glancingly mentioned in the show, it colors the landscape, and that makes Frankie's ill-founded optimism all the more amusing."

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun enthused, "This family will make you smile a lot, especially Frankie's stressed-out, manic attempts to keep this house of nutsiness almost functioning. Heaton is an outstanding comic performer who really deserved all those Emmys in the 'Raymond' days."

Heaton was nominated for the ‘Lead Actress in a Comedy Series' Emmy seven years in a row (1999-2005), and won the award in 2000 and 2001.