The Middleman
ABC Family | Release Date: June 16, 2008
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Season 1 Review: The special effects have wacky charm--not surprising for a series based on graphic novels. Yet the dialogue is even more special. Javier Grillo-Marxuach, creator of the novels and the series, gives his characters witty, distinctive things to say. Read full review
80
The New York TimesSusan Stewart
Season 1 Review: Middleman skillfully incorporates real-life details into its fantastic scenarios. Its characters aren’t just Manichaean warriors; they also live the kinds of lives that people read comic books to escape from. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Bright and breezy, The Middleman manages the increasingly rare feat of being knowing but not snide. It's a show, frankly, for people who love (and have probably watched too much) TV. By that standard, it's far from the middle, but rather rises straight to the top. Read full review
70
Boston GlobeJoanna Weiss
Season 1 Review: The Middleman is so light as to feel almost weightless, and compared to much TV, that comes as a relief. If comic books are meant to be escape, there are far worse worlds to camp in for the summer. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara
Season 1 Review: This is good summer entertainment, like a Saturday afternoon B-movie matinee transposed to Monday-night TV. Read full review
70
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: The Middleman is at once retro and post-modern, the sort of result you'd get if you threw "The Tick" and the '50s black-and-white "Superman" TV show into a blender. And it's quite a lot of fun. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: The plot of tonight's premiere is silly and campy, but because The Middleman is based on a comic book, that's not altogether out of place. Whether this tone wears well over time remains to be seen, but in its first outing The Middleman rises above the middle-of-the-pack of scripted cable shows. Read full review
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