The Middleman

The Middleman is an American television series. The series, which was developed for television by Javier Grillo-Marxuach for ABC Family, is based on the Viper Comics series, The Middleman, created by Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine. The series ran for one season in 2008. Originally confirmed for an initial 13 episodes, the order was reduced to a 12-episode season due to low ratings. In February 2009, a comic book based on the unproduced 13th episode was announced, confirming the series' cancellation. Billed as a "series finale", The Middleman – The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse was released in July 2009. The complete series DVD set was released by Shout! Factory on July 28, 2009.

Creators and Cast

Creators

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Javier Grillo-Marxuach

Creator

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Les McClaine

Creator

Cast

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Matt Keeslar

The Middleman

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Mary Pat Gleason

Ida

83MovieNerd Score

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Natalie Morales

Wendy Watson

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Brit Morgan

Lacey Thornfield

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Jake Smollett

Noser

Episodes

Specials

12 episodes

S0 E1 · Web Featurettes

Five Web Featurettes (about 18 minutes in total). Javier and actors explain the concept with clips and interview footage in promos that aired for ABC Family. There’s a set tour, showing off gadgets and hats, commentary on the comic roots of the series, and more on the Varsity Fanclub appearance.

S0 E2 · Javi-Casts

Javi-Casts (14 of them, about an hour and 20 minutes total), which are web interviews with Javier where he answers fan questions. I appreciated seeing Wendy’s paintings showed off and some of the other writers appearing. Some fans seemed to want Wendy and the Middleman to get together, but I totally agree with Javier that it was a working/brother-and-sister-type relationship, not a romantic one.

S0 E3 · Gag Reel

No summary.

S0 E4 · Alternate Scene 1: The Flying Fish Zombification Pike Attack

No summary.

S0 E5 · Alternate Scene 2: The Manicoide Teleportation Conudrum Opening

No summary.

S0 E6 · Audition Footage

Audition footage (12 minutes or so) for Natalie, Brit, Jake, and Mary Pat.

S0 E7 · The Opening Title Sequences

No summary.

S0 E8 · The Wilhelm Scream

A short discussion of the Wilhelm scream (5 minutes), a sound effect first used in 1951, and clips of everywhere it was used in the series.

S0 E9 · The Complete 'The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome' Table Read

No summary.

S0 E10 · The Middleman-ager

Five web promo sneak peeks

S0 E11 · PSAs

Five PSAs, fake public service announcements from the characters.

S0 E12 · Sheer Elegance in Its Simplicity

DVD Easter Egg

Season 1

12 episodes

S1 E1 · The Pilot Episode Sanction

2008-06-16

Wendy Watson is thrust into the middle of a science experiment gone wrong while temping at a laboratory. Fortunately for Wendy, The Middleman, a crime fighting comic-book-like superhero, shows up to save the day. Impressed by how Wendy handles herself when faced with danger, and in need of a colleague, the Middleman recruits Wendy into his secret organisation.

S1 E2 · The Accidental Occidental Conception

2008-06-23

Wendy and The Middleman attempt to stop a revived Terracotta Warrior from unleashing a hail of fire upon Earth.

S1 E3 · The Sino-Mexican Revelation

2008-06-30

Sensei Ping is abducted by a band of Mexican wrestlers. The Middleman benches Wendy who failed to stop Ping's abduction and embarks on a solo rescue mission. However, despite The Middleman's efforts, he too is captured, which leaves Wendy to save the day.

S1 E4 · The Manicoid Teleportation Conundrum

2008-07-07

A group of peaceful aliens with an addiction to plastic surgery are being hunted down by a homicidal entity. Meanwhile, Ben puts his and Wendy's break-up video on the internet: Wendy is not thrilled. Recap: Wendy is working on a painting of a gorilla with a gun and shows it off to Lacey. Lacey is less than thrilled but has to admit that Wendy is enthusiastic about her work. However, she also...

S1 E5 · The Flying Fish Zombification

2008-07-14

Wendy and The Middleman work to contain a trout-eating zombie outbreak.

S1 E6 · The Boy-Band Superfan Interrogation

2008-07-21

The Middleman and Wendy investigate a haughty 14-year-old named Cindy who has a dangerous obsession with Drysea, "the world's most popular boy band".

S1 E7 · The Cursed Tuba Contingency

2008-07-28

Wendy and The Middleman don Edwardian clothing to destroy a cursed tuba from the RMS Titanic before it can harm innocent civilians. Elsewhere, The Middleman and Lacey share a movie together and consider dating.

S1 E8 · The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation

2008-08-04

Wendy goes undercover as a sorority sister to investigate ghost sightings at a university. Meanwhile, Tyler resurfaces and mistakes Lacey for the woman he met on the day of the Lucha Libre attack.

S1 E9 · The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown

2008-08-11

A former Middleman, Guy Goddard, is revived from his cryogenic slumber to do battle with his arch-foe, The Candle.

S1 E10 · The Vampiric Puppet Lamentation

2008-08-18

To prevent the resurrection of every vampire that has ever lived, The Middleman and Wendy search for a possessed puppet that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Meanwhile, Noser pulls a disappearing act.

S1 E11 · The Clotharian Contamination Protocol

2008-08-25

A malign Ida who has been infested by nanobots from outer space dupes The Middleman and Wendy into initiating a lockdown at Middleman HQ.

S1 E12 · The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome

2008-09-01

Wendy is abducted by The Palindrome, a supervillain, and taken to a mirror universe that is run by the ironfisted Fatboy Industries.