In Patricia Heaton's funny new sitcom The Middle, she gets to play a mom. Again.

Does the former mom on Everybody Loves Raymond ever just want to punt all these damn kids?

"You know what, it's not the kids so much, it's the wardrobe," Heaton said. "When I went back for my wardrobe fitting for (The Middle), I stood in front of the rack and just started sobbing.

"But you have to be true to the character and she certainly is not a fashion plate. That is not what is first on her agenda. I don't know why I couldn't be on Desperate Housewives, but there you go."

That said, in the first episode of The Middle, Heaton does get to wear a fairly form-fitting superhero outfit.

"That was the height of my sartorial experience on this pilot," said Heaton, 51. "I really wanted to make it look as bad as possible. I tried to get a girdle underneath it that would really cut in, so you could see lumps and bumps. Hopefully it will show up, because in high-def everything shows up."

The Middle debuts tonight on ABC.