i cried watching “The Middle” Wednesday.  Though “Modern Family” may be the best comedy ever…  Though Adam works full-time on “Black-ish”, the best new comedy… the only show Phyllis and i always watched together was their lead-in on ABC, “The Middle”.

Phyl watched “The Closer”, “NCIS”, ”Downton Abbey”, and “Regis”.  Too classy for me who watches WWE, “Springer”,  “Maury”, and “Walking Dead”.  Only once a week, did the twain meet.

We identified with “The Middle”; two shleppy parents who have no luck and scrape by, paycheck-to-paycheck.   They have two sons, one a popular, creative conniver, the other a younger, self-righteous genius, but both good kids.  They also have one daughter, Sue, a wannabee pop, desperate-to-be-in-crowd, but the lowest of the out-crowd, high school girl.  Myphyllis absolutely loved the character Sue. i think Sue reminded Phyl of her no-extracurricular, always-had-to-have-a-job-after-the-bell days and Phyl’s career raison d’etre; the outcast student she felt for and coveted to help in her classroom and library days.  When Sue inevitably screwed up or got shafted, Mypreciousphyllis would laugh hysterically or cry openly.  It always ended wrong for Sue.  As insane and inane as it sounds, Wednesday, when the melted cheese machine spoiled her prom dress and prom, but led to finding her true love, i was bawling because i know Phyllis would’ve been.