Hits and Misses so far for 2009/2010 Television Season Part 1 (ABC)

We're over a month into the new season of television and there is a picture forming of how shows are doing, and I'm starting with ABC which has the most new shows this season.

Breakout hits:

Modern Family undoubtedly is the new comedy hit of the year. Getting rave reviews from critics and fans, Modern Family's ratings have stayed in the healthy 3s.

Cougar Town has had definite success though less than Modern Family. The ratings are dropping, but so far, Cougar Town looks like it will be staying.

Questionable:

FlashForward was touted as the next Lost by ABC, but clearly it hasn't lived up to the billing, and the ratings for the past few weeks have reflected that. While I expect a renewal, FlashForward needs something to jump start the ratings, lest it fall to the wayside like Heroes.

The Middle did well enough to be picked up for a full season by ABC, but the ratings are still poor. I am guessing it won't be renewed, but it may have a chance depending on how well Scrubs and Better Off Ted do.

Misses:

The Forgotten failed from the beginning. Another cop drama, but the twist is that they're not actually cops, and no one cared.

Hank was terrible from the beginning and the viewers acknowledged that by not watching. Sorry Kelsey Grammer, better luck next time.

Eastwick is actually a decent show that I would watch if I had more time, or was more interested in girly shows, so I don't understand how Eastwick has had such low ratings. It will most likely be canceled.

Returning Shows:

Grey's Anatomy is facing stiff competition from all networks, but so far, it has dominated Thursdays, blowing out CSI which used to be its main competitor.

Castle may be considered a winner having received a full season pickup and increasing ratings per week. If it continues down the path, it could be renwed and be a solid show for ABC.

Ugly Betty was put on Friday and looks like it will die there.

I know there are more shows, but these are the more important points that I see.

ABC's The Middle fails

While I liked The Middle better than I liked Hank, the show was still pretty bad. There have been comparisons of this show to Malcolm in the Middle. It is a fair comparison in that both are quirky family comedies, but The Middle lacks several key ingredients. The cast isn't as good as a long shot. While Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn come close, the kids on The Middle cannot match up against the ones on Malcolm in the Middle, and which group of kids could? Frankie Muniz adds so much that isn't there on The Middle. The jokes lack the edge of Malcolm in the Middle and while I was amused, I think I laughed only once.

The story actually has direction and purpose unlike in Hank. Heaton's character Frankie ends up in the middle of nowhere, so the episode leads in what happened. It turns out that her really weird son Brick needed her for a presentation, so she dresses up in tights and arrives at his school, except the presentation is next week. Her son is so bizarre that he is funny most of the time, though I was confused whenever he repeated the same word in an undertone. Frankie rushes back to the car dealership where she works to get a desperately needed sale. The customer suggests they just drive off which she does. By then, we can kind of see what will happen. The customer steals the car, leaving her stranded.

The writing was average with typical jokes about a middle-aged mom and her family. I actually think the concept of Hank is better than that of The Middle, so the episode wasn't too terrible. Nevertheless, I'm not touching either show again. Unless of course, one suddenly becomes a megahit.

One thing I would commend The Middle for is the lack of the laugh track which was lame on Hank.

Score: 7.5/10