# The Middleman (2008)

> A struggling artist is drafted by a secret agency into a world of bizarre dangers, guided by an earnestly wholesome hero who calls himself The Middleman.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/14120

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, science fiction, action, adventure
- Created by: Les McClaine, Javier Grillo-Marxuach
- Network: ABC Family
- Cast: Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Brit Morgan, Mary Pat Gleason, Jake Smollett, Cassandra Jean Amell, Todd Stashwick, Bobby Edner
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1122770/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tongue-in-cheek, breezy, whimsical, earnest, self-aware

## Synopsis

The Middleman (2008) is a short-lived American superhero parody series created by Les McClaine and Javier Grillo-Marxuach for ABC Family. Struggling artist Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) is recruited by a secret agency into a line of work fighting dangers humanity isn't prepared to face, and she is guided by a handsome, relentlessly wholesome hero who calls himself The Middleman (Matt Keeslar). Her engine is simple: she wants to keep her footing and her dignity while absurd threats arrive each week, and the hero's unshakable sincerity keeps colliding with the chaos around them. Her colleagues Lacey Thornfield (Brit Morgan), Ida (Mary Pat Gleason) and Noser (Jake Smollett) add comic texture to the agency's cluttered offices. The series spans a single twelve-episode season of hour-long adventures, each a self-contained case built around a new oddball peril. Set in present-day Los Angeles, it plays as a tongue-in-cheek adventure with a bright, breezy, self-aware register. Its comic-book sensibility and deadpan delivery recall fans of Eureka, Chuck and Pushing Daisies, along with cult favorites that embrace earnest, genre-savvy absurdity.

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