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
Ok I am sold – going to Best Buy to see if I can find it 🙂
Looks funny! 🙂
Never hear of this; it looks hilarious. I’ve added it to my Netflix queue.
She is without doubt my favorite performer right now. What a great performer. Just fantastic!