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The Middleman
SERIES: ABC Family, Monday 8:00p (60 minutes)


7.4

based on 8 reviews
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based on 18 votes
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Official Show Site

Starring Natalie Morales, Matt Keeslar, Mary Pat Gleason, Brit Morgan, and Jake Smollett

In this adaptation of the Viper Comics graphic novel, Wendy Watson is a temp who finds herself recruited by a man called The Middleman to help stop creatures and criminals.

GENRE(S):	Action / Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
CREATED BY:	Javier Grillo-Marxuach
FIRST AIR DATE:	June 16, 2008

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

The special effects have wacky charm--not surprising for a series based on graphic novels. Yet the dialogue is even more special. Javier Grillo-Marxuach, creator of the novels and the series, gives his characters witty, distinctive things to say.

The New York Times Susan Stewart

Middleman skillfully incorporates real-life details into its fantastic scenarios. Its characters aren’t just Manichaean warriors; they also live the kinds of lives that people read comic books to escape from.

Variety Brian Lowry

Bright and breezy, The Middleman manages the increasingly rare feat of being knowing but not snide. It's a show, frankly, for people who love (and have probably watched too much) TV. By that standard, it's far from the middle, but rather rises straight to the top.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

The plot of tonight's premiere is silly and campy, but because The Middleman is based on a comic book, that's not altogether out of place. Whether this tone wears well over time remains to be seen, but in its first outing The Middleman rises above the middle-of-the-pack of scripted cable shows.

Boston Globe Joanna Weiss

The Middleman is so light as to feel almost weightless, and compared to much TV, that comes as a relief. If comic books are meant to be escape, there are far worse worlds to camp in for the summer.

Los Angeles Times Mary McNamara

This is good summer entertainment, like a Saturday afternoon B-movie matinee transposed to Monday-night TV.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

The Middleman is at once retro and post-modern, the sort of result you'd get if you threw "The Tick" and the '50s black-and-white "Superman" TV show into a blender. And it's quite a lot of fun.

Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond

The creatures are essentially designed as bowling pins for our protagonists to knock over with a well-placed shot and a quip, and Keeslar and Morales’ interaction is nothing if not playful and lively. But you’re left not really knowing if you want to come return and spend a whole lot more time with this quarrelsome twosome.

The average user rating for this tv show is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Brilliant dialogue!

John W. gave it a10:
There are times when this show brushes gently up against perfection but is too humble to admit it.

Jennifer P. gave it a9:
My whole family loves this show - the teenagers and the old people agree. This is wonderfully campy and funny.

Kenneth S. gave it a10:
I had this Graphic Novel when it first came out, and it's even better on tv. I'm glad it's not on FOX...they'd just cancel it...cause it's great. Please don't shaft a great show.

Andy R. gave it a10:
How did this awesome show get on the air?

Shannon S. gave it a9:
Awesome show. Funny and campy.

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The Middleman SERIES: ABC Family, Monday 8:00p (60 minutes)

The Middleman
SERIES: ABC Family, Monday 8:00p (60 minutes)