Saturday Night Showcase> The Middleman: The Pan-Universal Parental Reconciliation!

And so began one of the most underrated shows that aired on ABC Family. The Middleman is based on a series of graphic novels by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Being a TV creator as well he managed to bring his show to sadly only one season of awesome fun. The comics, which I reviewed an omnibus of, are just as fun as the show, as said show is mostly faithful to the comics, a rarity in Hollywood, but I guess having the comic writer being the show producer helps.

The franchise is told from the perspective of Wendy Watson, an artist who lives in an “illegal” sublet with another artist and their musician next door neighbor. She’s drawn into a secret comic book style world behind the scenes when an explosion at the lab she’s the secretary for ends up creating a monstrosity of some kind. Her coolness around the weirdness earns the respect of The Middleman, a “Men In Black” style crimefighter who doesn’t swear and is squeaky clean outside of the whole killing monsters thing, who works for the Organization Too Top Secret To Know (O2TSTK). He takes Wendy on as a sidekick and trainee, aided by the wisecracking robot Ida, who has taken the form of a grumpy and frumpy older woman. The comic ran for four graphic novels and unlike the show ended on a cliffhanger where the Middleman was presumed dead, and Wendy having to be further trained by his predecessor…spoilers necessary to follow along with tonight’s Showcase…her long lost father! At least that’s what it appeared to be.

Grillo-Marxuach crowdfunded a fifth volume which I sadly have yet to get and read, but considering how much I enjoyed the omnibus of the first one, the comic adaptation of the unaired episode, and the “Tales Of The Middleman” short stories that re-imagined the cast in other genres, I really want to. I decided not to spoil myself by watching this one but it’s been in the coffer way too long so I’m at least sharing it with you. What follows is the cast of the TV show doing a live reading of the fifth volume story, reprising their roles from the show but in the continuity of the comic and continuing after the cliffhanger. What’s next in comic Wendy’s life? I hope to find out someday but you get to find out now, unless you already read volume five or decide to wait as well. Enjoy.