The Middleman

One of the joys of life for me is stumbling upon an unexpected gem.  So it was on Saturday when my family and I were browsing in a Best Buy and came upon the DVD collection of the complete Middleman series.  I had never heard of the series, but it seemed to be some sort of comedy science fiction show and it was only $29.00.  Recalling the McClarey family shopping motto, “If we don’t like it we can sell it on e-bay.”, we purchased it. 

I wasn’t expecting much when I put it on, and I was shocked while watching the pilot.  It was startlingly good!  Funny, intelligent dialogue, vastly entertaining, the superlatives could go on at some length.  I will not give away too much of the series  for fear of spoiling it for anyone who has never heard of the series that was briefly on ABC.  Think of a funny X-files series that spoofs virtually every science fiction, horror and fantasy theme imaginable.  This summary of course does no justice to the series.  It is also a sharp satire on contemporary life.  Except for a few off-color references it is a clean series fit for family viewing.  It is also “adult” in the best sense of the word in scattering throughout the show references to books and movies that are a treat to pick up on.  I am surprised that the series survived on  ABC Family for 12 episodes.  It is far too bright a series for network TV where the base, the obvious and the banal tend to reign supreme.

Enough text, time for videos!

The wit and wisdom of The Middleman:

Star Trek references of The Middleman:

The Middleman is of course public spirited as demonstrated by these PSAs:

Against cheating:

Against cheating Mother Nature:

Against playing with fire:

Against vampire cows:

If you enjoy smart well written comedy, I highly recommend The Middleman

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