On Tonight: American Idol, The Middle and Modern Family

Wednesday, May 18

American Idol, 8 p.m., Fox

Lauren, Haley and Scotty, oh my. That’s a top 3 I never saw coming a long time ago. I will say this (and keep in mind I am the mother of a 10-year-old who is devastated by the events of last week): I rewatched the entire performance episode and I think they might have been the most talented Top 4 ever. You might not be a fan of each of their styles or genres, but all four knocked it out of the park. I think Lauren is the one who is peaking at the right time, though. I think she is the one who might surprise us all here. Jordin Sparks was never a front-runner. Carrie Underwood was not one until near the end. I think this may be the path Lauren is on. Tonight, they each sing three songs.

The Middle, 8 p.m., ABC

“Frankie and Mike try to get Brick over his fear of crossing bridges.” When my daughter was two, she was afraid of elevators. Don’t ask me why. But it wasn’t a big deal because it’s not like we lived in an apartment building. Then my parents took us to a resort in Puerto Rico and we were staying on the 18th floor. My husband and I quickly decided that the two minutes of screaming and the mortification of enduring it with total strangers inside the elevator was easier than climbing those stairs. By the time the trip was over, we had desensitized her (brainwashed, scarred for life; take your pick) and she has been fine ever since.

Modern Family, 9 p.m., ABC

The super popular sitcom suffered a bit of a comedic slump this season, IMHO, and was surpassed in the LOL department by Raising Hope over on Fox, and even by its own Cougartown, which I hate to admit is sort of growing on me. Agree? Disagree? Discuss.