The Middleman

Finally caught the first episode of The Middleman from ABC Family. Pretty dagnatious funny. If I had to put a label on it, I'd say it's Torchwood Lite. The premise is that all the stuff that happens in the comic books is true, and a young slacker girl is recruited to be the sidekick for a superhero called The Middleman (played by cutiepie Matthew Keesler) who fights things like Hentai tentacle monsters and genetically enhanced gorillas.

It's fast-paced, and you'd have to be pretty plugged in to catch all the pop culture references that whip buy. They riff on a lot of areas of nerdverse. Keesler has a great way with the snappy patter, and the heroine is smart and funny and (if it's not too retro to say) totally Girl Power in an up-to-date Nancy Drew sort of way. The special effects are kind of Dr. Who-cheesey, but that's kind of part of the fun. It doesn't anywhere approach the kink factor Torchwood, all the sexuality is of the kissy/flirty/hetero variety, but that makes it safe for the kids to watch. I watched with my 16-year old niece, and she liked that the heroine had a brain and wasn't just obsessed with shopping and boys, and could kick ass.

I'd give the premiere episode a B+. There were a few problems with the plot being a little jerky, and the characters only gelled late in the episode. But those seemed to be problems that could smoooth out after a few episodes. It could end up as a solid A if they capitalize on their assets. Fire up the DVR!