Patricia Heaton is stuck in 'The Middle' on ABC

Patricia Heaton is indisputably rich and famous. Nine seasons on the hit show "Everybody Loves Raymond" will do that for you.

But Heaton insists that it's not really a stretch for her to play a harried wife and mother on ABC's new comedy "The Middle," which debuts Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on Ch. 4.

"I relate to every single thing (in the show)," Heaton told TV critics. "I grew up in Ohio, and I didn't really get a regular start in this industry until much later in life. I feel that Midwestern roots are still really within me, and I feel that's where I'm most comfortable. So this is a very comfortable character for me to be in."

Heaton stars as Frankie, who's middle-aged, middle class and living in Middle America. And none too comfortably — she sells cars at her town's only surviving car dealership; her husband, Mike (Neil Flynn) works at the local quarry.

They have three kids who are hardly the picture-perfect sitcom children of years past. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is sort of a dumb jock; Sue (Eden Shur) is an enthusiastic failure at everything she tries; and Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is, well, odd.

They're struggling to get by, living off fast food and whatever Frankie can prepare on the run.

"We have a scene in here where Frankie throws some frozen pancakes in the microwave and then calls everybody down for breakfast. I don't do it so much anymore, but when the kids were little and I was working a lot, that was totally me," said Heaton, who's the mother of four boys, ages 10, 12, 14 and 16. "I get moms feeling harassed in having to do everything and do everything really quickly. And always feeling inadequate because everything you see on TV, in the magazines, is how you are supposed to prepare everything, and it's supposed to be fresh and organic and eco-friendly and all of this kind of stuff.

"You just don't have time for it, and you are exhausted."

There hasn't been a mom on TV like this since, well, Roseanne. Although if Frankie is the new Roseanne, she's a kinder, gentler model.

Against all odds, "The Middle" is a surprisingly funny show. Heaton and Flynn are a hoot, and the young actors playing their kids actually come across as real kids.

It's not exactly reality — this is a comedy, not a documentary — but it is sort of a heightened reality. Real people will see lives they can relate to and understand.

"It's exactly what we all go through," Heaton said. "And there's nothing on right now that really deals with Midwestern people and the struggle — the economy —but in a funny way and in a celebratory way."

"The Middle" is absolutely worth checking out.

UNRECOGNIZABLE: Heaton insisted that she does know what it's like to be a real mom. And she doesn't have any hired help these days.