Every summer, I bemoan the loss of all my favorite shows, and every summer, the networks throw me a few bones to keep me entertained throughout the warm months. (Yes, I know that summer is supposed to be spent outside, enjoying margaritas on patios and long walks in the sunshine, but I live in the UK. We get six days of sun all summer.) This year, we have Swingtown, Weeds, and Burn Notice, all quality programs that make the long wait till September a bit more bearable.
ABC Family is also trying to get into the action with The Middleman, a show that is earning far better reviews than it has any right to. It’s all part of the channel’s efforts to rebrand itself, an effort that had surprising success with the frat house comedy Greek. What makes Greek so successful is that, despite having the feel-good exterior with a warm creamy center necessary for a family channel, it is also well-written and surprisingly original. The show takes some of the most easily stereotyped characters in the history of TV — the party guy, the rich guy, the gay guy, the nerd — and gives them depth and layers. It’s actually an intelligent show underneath it all.
The Middleman, unfortunately, does not succeed on the same level. Based on a graphic novel, the basic premise centers around the titular heroes, who go around secretly saving humanity from various bizarre things that defy rational explanation. This is a common sci-fi trope for a reason — it’s a whole lot of fun — so I won’t say anything mean about that. Yes, I can forgive a lack of originality if it amuses me. I’m fickle that way.
In fact, overall, the show should work. It’s whimsical, but not self-consciously so. Matt Keeslar is entirely charming as the veteran hero, and Natalie Morales, playing his newly recruited assistant is…fine, I guess. Her line readings are a bit forced at times, but she sufficiently embraces her character’s geekiness for me to overlook that flaw. In the end, the program suffers by trying to be young and hip AND a family show. Every time it succeeds with the former, the latter pulls it right back down. Just as I start to enjoy the ridiculously quick-paced banter or the stylized production, up pops the “family” from the channel’s title. We’ve got a robot that looks like a cranky schoolmarm and a gorilla that thinks it’s a gangster. I’m fairly certain that I saw those when I was seven and watching The Wonderful World of Disney. It’s not fresh, and it clashes noticeably with the parts of the show worth watching.
It’s not a bad show, by any means. If I stumbled across it while flipping through channels, I’d probably watch it. It’s a pleasant enough way to kill an hour. But, since iTunes gets a pound off me every time I watch a show, I’m going to pass on this one…and keep waiting eagerly for September.
Did anyone out there watch this, or do you tend to forget that you even have a channel called ABC Family?
Of course, if you’re the BBC, struggling a bit to find truly high quality programming amidst various searches for the next West End Star or the world’s 
Here’s the thing: none of these shows are even close to the proverbial shark. The term comes from an episode of Happy Days, in which the Fonz goes water-skiing in Hawaii and literally jumps over a shark. It was ridiculous, out-of-character, and completely against the spirit of the show. It wasn’t just that the show made some bad decisions; it suddenly felt like a different show altogether. The three shows above haven’t committed any such crimes. They’ve simply written some plot lines that loyal viewers don’t like. And, to those whining about this, I can only say: tough. No, really. Disagreeing with a storyline is not the same thing as the storyline sucking.
I watched Viva Laughlin last night. I watched because a) I am a sucker for any show in which characters randomly break into song & dance and b) because until Hugh Jackman decides to leave his wife and show up at my house with Gerard Butler and a large bowl of chocolate pudding, I must content myself with watching him on screen.
And all this before we even get into the ways that David Tennant’s D.I. Carlisle outright humiliates Eric Winter and his pretty-faced version of the same role. Tennant is a master of irresistible charm as cover for deep sadness; Winters looks like he got lost on his way to the Days of Our Lives set. Although Hugh Jackman could get me to watch just about anything (I’ve seen Kate & Leopold, for god’s sake. I am not proud of this.), his movie star appeal can only sell so much, and the show ends up being all light charm — which would likely have more appeal if I hadn’t seen how a little darkness would have made it so much better. Simply put, the UK wins this round.
I have never watched more than five minutes of a football game at once, despite growing up with a brother who was a rabid 49ers fan. I hated pretty much every minute I spent in high school, convinced that life would dramatically improve the moment I graduated (thankfully, I was right). I have the sort of irrational fear of Texas that can only be found in a frothing-at-the-mouth liberal such as myself. Despite all that, I love Friday Night Lights with a passion that transcends all reason. This is the best show on network television, and almost no one is watching it.
3. The cast. Alex O’Laughlin plays the lead character with such a general lack of emotion (save smugness and a cooler-than-thou attitude) that the viewer roots for decapitation. Sophia Myles continues to promote her specific brand of sleep-inducing acting by barely seeming to appear on screen, even when she is the only person in the frame. If I could bear to watch this show again, I would be looking forward to her first scene with Shannyn Sossamon, a scene which would only be notable for containing less interest or charisma than you would find at a city council discussion of traffic lights. The only bright spot is Jason Dohring, but his ability to actually make the banal lines sound interesting is quickly smothered by the charisma vacuums with which he is surrounded. On the plus side, however, so long as the other three actors are kept busy, they won’t be turning up on any shows I actually like.
