Heaton savors vantage point as mom at ‘The Middle’ - Military Entertainment, Air Force Television, TV, Must See TV - Air Force Times

Heaton savors vantage point as mom at ‘The Middle’

Been there. Done that. Won the Emmy.

Twice.

That was Patricia Heaton’s first reaction when the former “Everybody Loves Raymond” wife was offered the TV mom role on ABC’s “The Middle.”

Then she met the show creators, DeAnn Heline from Ohio and Eileen Heisler from Illinois.

“We’re all moms, and they get it,” says Heaton, 52.

“I love DeAnn and Eileen. Everything they write about, I’ve experienced in my life. You can pretty much guarantee it, if you have a family,” says Heaton, mother of boys ages 11, 12, 14 and 16.

The writers, who met as Indiana University roommates in the early 1980s, cast Heaton as Frankie Hicks, the middle-class, middle-aged working mother of three living in the middle of the country.

Unlike “Raymond,” the Ray Romano sitcom (1996-2005) that earned Heaton two Emmys as best actress, “The Middle” tells stories from the wife’s point of view. And that resonates with viewers, says Heaton.

“DeAnn and Eileen write about things that we haven’t seen on TV — at least in a long time — that are important to many people’s lives,” she says.

“The struggles you have with your kids is 90 percent of their lives. You worry about your kids. You worry about how you can help your kids grow up,” she says.

“The tone is perfect. I know people in the Midwest are smart people. They’re sharp and can laugh at themselves.”

The Middle

Airs 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesdays on ABC