# Javier Grillo-Marxuach's The Middleman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318 "2017-02-08T12:19:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Pork-Chop_Express)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/1 "2017-02-08T12:19:54Z")
I was looking around the SDMB for mention of this show, but amazingly there appears to be none! So, as a self-appointed champion of The Middleman–yet another fantastic tv gem that met an untimely death–I felt it my duty to set this right. I hate when people give away even the most minor plot points, so let me just say that The Middleman is a delicious stew of all the good parts of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Men in Black, Pushing Daisies and comic books and classic sci-fi in general. I’m gonna gush now, but I fell in love with it. There is no show I’d resurrect before it, not even Firefly. It’s very funny and eminently rewatchable. Although it isn’t very serious, I think it could have become America’s Dr Who. If you haven’t seen it, I envy you if you choose to. It is a real treat. > **[The Middleman (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Middleman_(TV_series))** > > 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' cancell... Anyone else a Middlefan? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/2 "2017-02-08T12:41:37Z")
Yes - I am pretty sure I watched all of the episodes and enjoyed it. I see Natalie Morales who played the snarky Middleman in training on shows. I haven’t seen as much of the actor who played the MM - Matt Keeslar? - but recall home from an episode of Dollhouse as a bad guy. It was a fun show. I was sorry to see it stopped before its time. ETA: I haven’t sought it out, but my daughter might like it. Is it viewable anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/3 "2017-02-08T12:50:43Z")
It was a great show, a sendup of spy shows with a sly sense of humor. I have theDVD; I should watch again. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Pork-Chop_Express)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/4 "2017-02-08T14:16:29Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Yes - I am pretty sure I watched all of the episodes and enjoyed it. I see Natalie Morales who played the snarky Middleman in training on shows. I haven’t seen as much of the actor who played the MM - Matt Keeslar? - but recall home from an episode of Dollhouse as a bad guy. > > It was a fun show. I was sorry to see it stopped before its time. > > ETA: I haven’t sought it out, but my daughter might like it. Is it viewable anywhere? iTunes have it, last time I checked. Grillo-Marxuach is showrunning the Xena reboot, fyi. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Pork-Chop_Express)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/5 "2017-02-08T14:18:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was a great show, a sendup of spy shows **with a sly sense of humor.** I have theDVD; I should watch again. I don’t know how a lot of it got by ABC Family censors!😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/6 "2017-02-08T14:42:47Z")
> [@The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](#): > > **I was looking around the SDMB for mention of this show, but amazingly there appears to be none!** So, as a self-appointed champion of The Middleman–yet another fantastic tv gem that met an untimely death–I felt it my duty to set this right. > > I hate when people give away even the most minor plot points, so let me just say that The Middleman is a delicious stew of all the good parts of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Men in Black, Pushing Daisies and comic books and classic sci-fi in general. I’m gonna gush now, but I fell in love with it. There is no show I’d resurrect before it, not even Firefly. It’s very funny and eminently rewatchable. Although it isn’t very serious, I think it could have become America’s Dr Who. > > If you haven’t seen it, I envy you if you choose to. It is a real treat. > > [The Middleman (TV series) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Middleman_(TV_series)) > > Anyone else a Middlefan? You didn’t look far enough back. **Exapno Mapcase** reported on this show when it first appeared back in 2008, applauding its writing and sensibility. I can’t locate his first thread on it, but here’s his thread about its abrubt cancellation the next year: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508326&highlight=Middleman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508326&highlight=Middleman) ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/7 "2017-02-08T14:56:26Z")
Shoot, there’s a DVD out? I had the series on hard disk back when it came out in 2009 but the computer died and the videos were unfortunately lost. Would love to watch it again. Name-dropping time! I’m passing acquaintances with Les McClaine, the man who drew the original comic on which the TV series is based. (He and I used to frequent the same web cartoonist forums _way_ back in the day, and I met him a couple times at SPX in Bethesda. Great guy.) In the episode with the gorilla gangster, you can see his picture on the wall in the background of the hideout. He has it in his house now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Pork-Chop\_Express](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Pork-Chop_Express)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/javier-grillo-marxuachs-the-middleman/779318/8 "2017-02-08T15:11:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You didn’t look far enough back. **Exapno Mapcase** reported on this show when it first appeared back in 2008, applauding its writing and sensibility. I can’t locate his first thread on it, but here’s his thread about its abrubt cancellation the next year: > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508326&highlight=Middleman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508326&highlight=Middleman) Weird, nothing showed up when I looked. Cheers!