The Middleman
New releases announced today, March 19:
Flight of the Conchords - The Complete 2nd Season will be coming out August 4
The Middleman - The Complete Series will be coming out July 28
Robot Chicken - Star Wars: Episode II will be coming out July 21
Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Season 2 will be coming out June 30
Visit TVShowsOnDVD.com for the complete stories on these and other news items.
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The Middleman
What ever came of The Middleman and his plucky sidekick, Wendy? Fans of ABC Family's quirky single-season series will get the answer to that and more when a proper finale is presented in a slightly different form this summer. Get all the details, after the jump.
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Olivia Wilde (House), Ali Larter (Heroes), Kiefer Sutherland (24
Senior editors Matt Mitovich, Mickey O'Connor and Tim Molloy answer your questions. Drop us a line at mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
House is my favorite show, but I am getting sick of this season's Thirteen-centered storylines. When will we see more of Wilson, who has been woefully underused? — Gillian
MATT: Personally, I'm (Olivia) Wilde for Thirteen, partly because her portrayer gives great quotes on the red carpet (and, ahem, is definitely not chilly). But I hear your woe, and can promise that Robert Sean Leonard has meaty stuff coming up later this season, only some of which has to do with Wilson's long-lost brother. Also, for what it's worth (and as hinted at this week), we'll also be spending a bit more time with Peter Jacobson's Taub.
I hear that either Hayden Panettiere or Ali Larter wants to be released from her Heroes contract. Is this true? — Brian
TIM: One of the key Heroes dies at the end of this volume, so that would be an easy out. But Larter ...
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Question: I am already going through withdrawal symptoms for my favorite summer obsession, The Middleman. I fell for this show hard. I love each and every quirky line and cheesy bad guy they throw at me. When they added the brilliant Mark Sheppard as Manservant Neville, I may have literally jumped for joy. Sad, I know. So needless to say, I am very dismayed to learn of the shortened order. It doesn't bode well for a second-season pick-up. I have to say if ABC Family decides against the further adventures of Dubbie and The Middleman, they must be Peter Piping Weirdos. They need to sit down with a tall glass of icy milk and dismiss any notion of canceling this series. Dare we have any hope at all, or do we inhabit the alternate reality where hope must be bought with cold cash and tennis bracelets? On another front, I carefully pored over my Fall Preview issue, but in the midseason replacement section, there was no mention of Castle, the series starring Nathan Fillion. Was that just ...
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Henry Ian Cusick by Bob D' Amico/ABC; Marg Helgenberger by Robert Voets/CBS; Mariska Hargitay by Michael Parmalee/NBC
Every Wednesday, senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your questions!In what capacity we will be seeing Desmond and his constant, Penny, next season on Lost? Any word on that? – MajaMatt: Maja, this is an excellent question. I even rewatched the season finale to confirm my own POV: "Why would we ever see Dez again?" I mean, he and Penny reconnected just before sendind the Oceanic Six on their (actually not-so-)merry way. However... I have it on good authority that Henry Ian Cusick is still a part of the cast, and that Sonya Walger is likely to resurface as well. As one setsider reminds me, "Just like when people die on Lost and you see them again, just because everyone reunited doesn’t mean you've seen the last of them."I was wondering what fans of CSI could look forward to for some of the other characters? There's been a lot of talk about Grissom and Sara but nothing about, say, Catherine or Nick. – JocelynMatt: The good news, if you did not g...
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Question: I know this question may sound desperate, but I think desperation is a common theme among those of us who don't want to watch terrible reality TV shows or one of the many mutant forms of Gossip Girl next season. So here goes: Do you think it's possible that The Middleman, if indeed not picked up for a second season by ABC Family, could be picked up by another, more appropriate network? ABC Family never seemed like the right place for this quirky but talented show, and it especially doesn't now that the network seems to prefer a wishy-washy, mediocre show like The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The Middleman might do better on a network that garners an older fan base. Network switching may be an unlikely possibility, but we watched NBC mistreat Scrubs for years, and now it's getting a new home on ABC! I feel like The Middleman is relegated to the bottom of ABC Family's new TV shows in terms of advertising and promotions, so it's not even getting a fair chance to ...
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Elizabeth Mitchell by Art Streiber/ABC; Patrick Dempsey by Bob D'Amico/ABC; Emily Procter by Doug Hyun/CBS
Senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich and Mickey O'Connor answer your questions!I know Skaters and Jaters are asking about their Lost couples, but please don't ignore us Jacketeers! Is there hope for a Jack-Juliet reunion? – TamunaMatt: Hope? Sure. It's just a matter of where (back on the island, I can only assume) and when (perhaps as early as this coming season, at least one source tells me). And for those fretting about Elizabeth Mitchell's future with the show, I am assured that Juliet figures very heavily into Season 5. Me, I see her and Sawyer (wet and shirtless or even dry and clothed) taking charge as Locke and his band of worshippers move forth with whatever cockamamy plan they have in mind. Can you give me any Grey's Anatomy scoop about Meredith and Derek? – BryanMatt: The good news: They're together! The bad news: Do either of them have any idea what "together" means? Not really. So when the action picks back up, they'll be trying to figure out how being a mutually ...
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Question: There has been some buzz around the Internet forums that ABC Family has stopped production of The Middleman. The rumor says that only 12 of the 13 episodes will be produced. I find this a shame as the show is a summer gem. It's hip and funny, like Eureka, Men in Black and The Tick, with a touch of Kevin Smith. Can you confirm the cancellation?
Answer: ABC Family confirms that the first season has been trimmed from 13 to 12 episodes, with the explanation that they "want to put all our creative forces into making a great season finale." No decision on a renewal will be made until after the season wraps on Labor Day, but I would think the odds are only so-so, since the show apparently didn't catch fire in the ratings the way Kyle XY did in previous summers and the new Tuesday drama Secret Life of the American Teenager (already renewed) did this year ...
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Question: As soon as I decided to watch The Middleman and said, "Hey, this is surprisingly smart and really good," I went to your section of TVGuide.com thinking you might have mentioned it. And I was delighted to see that it was actually the subject of a Roush Dispatch. I have two questions for you regarding this highly recommended show. First, do you think it stands any chance of surviving? I wonder if it will be able to develop an appropriate, appreciative fan base on a network like ABC Family, as it seems to have cult following written all over it. Secondly — and this might seem a little weird or stupid — are there any traces of anti-Semitism in the show? I just want to make sure that the fact that the writers gave the devil-like, fashion-obsessed character a name like Wasserman, and other similar things, is not a reason to stop tuning in on Monday nights.
Answer: I honestly hadn't picked up on any anti-Semitic qualities of the show, but I find it awfully hard to take anything about
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The Middleman by Eike Schroter/ABC Family
Posted by dmmabc...Cheers to ABC Family's new sci-fi series The Middleman! What writing! What great characters! What a whole lot of fun! Television like this gives one the excuse to stay inside in the air-conditioning during the summer.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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