TV.com Sign-in

Become a Member Forgot Password?
news hub  |  next story »

LATEST NEWS!

Quirky superhero show won't be picked up for second season by ABC Family; finale episode coming via graphic novel, DVD date also announced.

Gone before its time...<em>The Middleman</em>.
Gone before its time...The Middleman.

Some power users here at TV.com are going to be really disappointed. ABC Family's The Middleman, a consistent favorite of some of TV.com's most dedicated users, will not be picked up for a second season. In a press release sent out by ABC Family, the network revealed that the series finale will be made into a graphic novel, dooming the television series.

The graphic novel finale will send The Middleman back to its roots; the show is based on a series of comics created by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost), who also birthed the television series. "The Middleman-The Doomday Armageddon Apocalypse" is set to hit bookshelves this July to coincide with ComicCon International.

The Middleman launched on ABC Family in June, and ran for 12 episodes (the unproduced 13th episode serves as the source for the final graphic novel). In the show, normal girl Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) gets recruited by a secret organization to aid crime-fighter The Middleman (Matt Keeslar).

ABC Family also announced that the first season of The Middleman will be released on DVD in July.

You will be missed, The Middleman.

COMMENTS

 
  • member since: May 2, 2007

    This show was great! I'll miss you Natalie. I don't understand why the best shows get cancelled: Firefly, Arrested Development... and now the Middleman. Sci-Fi should pick this up

    02/23/2009 19:34:57
  • member since: Oct 14, 2005

    what is wrong with these people another great show killed before its prim joey birds of prey committed heck evan the news about kyle xy what the hell bring back middleman bring back the funny

    02/23/2009 19:29:19
  • member since: Aug 9, 2006

    Do these people even watch the shows before cancelling them? Or at least read some viewer opinions. This show was funny and refreshing and will be missed :(

    02/23/2009 11:57:45
  • member since: Apr 23, 2005

    NOOOOOOooooooo!!!! :o

    02/23/2009 09:43:07
  • member since: Sep 27, 2005

    Seems a shame a popular show like this is about to go.

    02/23/2009 06:43:55
  • member since: Jun 7, 2005

    I really liked this show. Sad to see it go.

    02/23/2009 02:05:10
  • member since: Jun 6, 2005

    It hasn't been on since summer so no suprise. I forgot about the show.

    02/22/2009 18:33:17
  • member since: Feb 23, 2009

    So true: You will be missed. I am glad to see Keeslar doing other things, like guest starring on Dollhouse, but it sure seems like he was born to play The Middleman.

    02/22/2009 14:08:52
  • member since: Jul 5, 2007

    Too bad, It seems like any show with a little originality just does not seem to reach the masses, but you would think a show like this would be able to survive on a cable channel, now ABC fam is cancelling the only 2 shows I watch onthat channel, Kyle XY and Middleman.

    02/22/2009 13:58:05
  • member since: Apr 9, 2004

    ABC Family Axes yet another great show.... I guess they are just like the big boys. New New New Shows and then Ax Ax Ax them....

    02/22/2009 13:23:38
  • member since: Mar 4, 2008

    First off, it wasn't the greatest show on tv but it was better than any "reality" stuff. I personally thought it was interesting and funny enough to continue to watch it. Secondly why do people who have never seen the show say that they think it should be cancelled. I don't understand. Are you the same people that want to ban books without reading them because someone else said they are evil. No logic there.

    02/22/2009 07:27:47
  • member since: Nov 29, 2007

    well at least theres the graphic novel finale unlike certain other shows that were said to have a comic continuation aka veronica mars

    02/22/2009 03:04:30
  • member since: Jan 5, 2007

    That's a shame, my household really liked the show. Cute, quirky & unexpected. Even got my boyfriend who generally doesn't watch tv shows to watch. Couldn't they cancel some of the other less intelligent, less interesting shows out there instead? Guess we'll go back to ignoring ABC family as a source for shows. It made me feel guilty anyway to watch anything on a channel that shows the 700 club.

    02/21/2009 22:56:23
  • member since: Feb 14, 2006

    I never even heard off it till now, and I read tv.com every second day. blame tv.com for not letting me know earlier. I really on you for new shows!!!!

    02/21/2009 22:09:34
  • member since: Sep 13, 2008

    Oh Nooooo! Not Middleman, it was such a funny show! :-(

    02/21/2009 21:17:53
  • member since: Jul 21, 2008

    My kids and I love the show. When I told them it had been cancelled, they were really upset. I hope it is true that they haven't made up there minds yet, but I doubt the DVD sales will be strong enough to save the show. Not enough people knew about it to by enough DVDs.

    02/21/2009 20:26:59
  • member since: Jul 9, 2005

    I heard the name of the show before, but never saw it. Blame me for the lack of ratings, I've earned your rage.

    02/21/2009 16:43:45
  • member since: Jan 24, 2007

    Loved it. Saw it coming though. :( Is there any hope for an episode more? A movie? TVM? Anything more than a comic? Y'know, something with real people?

    02/21/2009 16:27:11
  • member since: May 18, 2006

    it was friggin hiliarious cmon people get a sense of humor

    02/21/2009 14:15:57
  • member since: Dec 4, 2007

    Actually, there has been NO official word from ABC Family on cancellation, and EP Javier Grillo-Marxuach has blogged at http://themiddleblog.livejournal.com to try and clear up the misconceptions created by PopMatter's original claims. ABC Family is waiting for DVD sales figures to make a final decision. SO for now, "The Middleman" isn't dead--it's hybernating in a high-tech vat.

    02/21/2009 13:25:15
  • member since: Oct 27, 2008

    I only saw rwo episodes and i dont like it much maybe its because i watch only 2 eps but i wont missed it XO XO :):)

    02/21/2009 13:24:08
  • member since: Jul 12, 2005

    Won't be missed.

    02/21/2009 12:39:20
  • member since: May 24, 2007

    glad its goine. what an awful, AWFUL show. did i mention it was AWFUL?

    02/21/2009 11:14:16
  • member since: Jan 3, 2009

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I was praying this show would be back for a second season, this is just as bad as when I found out Santa wasn't real!!!

    02/21/2009 09:27:27
  • member since: Mar 18, 2008

    I've never seen it before but would like too. Certain science fiction magazines in the UK seem to rate it highly so Its a shame another good show is cancelled so early.

    02/21/2009 08:37:17
  • member since: Jun 16, 2005

    What the...WHAT THE HELL!!?

    02/21/2009 07:08:42
  • member since: Feb 24, 2008

    Maybe many never heard of this show because it was in ABC Family not in the regular ABC network. It was a decent fun show where nothing was taken seriously.

    02/21/2009 06:29:24
  • member since: Mar 21, 2008

    It's a real shame! I loved this show... it was different, funny, crazy and very smart! I will surely miss it. And now, since they are not fighting evil for us, that means we have to start fighting it on our own...! I think the first villain I will fight is ABC for cancelling the show!

    02/21/2009 06:18:22
  • member since: May 26, 2003

    I watched a couple of episodes, but by the time I heard of and added this show to my dvr's season pass, I only could watch a couple. Just from that viewpoint, it couldn't gather enough of my interest, though the premise seemed like it would. Oh well, bad timing strikes again. Poor deal for the TV viewers to have to switch media for a finale.

    02/21/2009 06:12:05
  • member since: Sep 16, 2005

    ABC isn't even a network I watch anymore, that's probably why I've never heard of this.

    02/21/2009 06:09:48
  • member since: Apr 27, 2007

    Well it's not like we didn't know it was coming

    02/21/2009 04:57:55
  • member since: Dec 2, 2005

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...... I Loved this show - hated the first episode but it really grew on me!!! WHY!?!?!

    02/21/2009 03:53:13
  • member since: Sep 10, 2008

    this show is waste of time, its good that they canceled it

    02/21/2009 01:04:21
  • member since: Mar 22, 2008

    Brilliant and hilarious show. Glad theres a dvd on the way though - it needs an ending. Too bad it was cancelled - I loved Middleman!!

    02/21/2009 00:33:58
  • member since: Jan 27, 2007

    Wasn't it already canceled? I haven't heard about this show for a long time. And it wasn't even that great.

    02/20/2009 23:33:26
  • member since: Jul 1, 2007

    I never heard of it.

    02/20/2009 22:56:31
  • member since: Aug 1, 2007

    Hmmm..I totally thought this was already canceled lol I mean they moved it to 11 after like three weeks. That's an indicator right there. I tried to watch it once but I fell asleep in the middle of it and never tried again.

    02/20/2009 22:18:08
  • member since: Mar 23, 2006

    LOL ... was sitting here wondering today if this show had been axed already .. guess this answered my question ..

    02/20/2009 21:05:55
  • member since: Sep 28, 2008

    It was a quirky show that took some getting used to but I enjoyed it. Too bad...

    02/20/2009 19:38:43
  • member since: Mar 2, 2007

    I LOVED the show. This is typical of them - always cancelling good shows.

    02/20/2009 19:05:08
  • member since: Jan 30, 2009

    This show was good, what a shame. It would be nice if they could also put episodes online.

    02/20/2009 18:59:28
  • member since: Jan 15, 2008

    Yet another show that seemed to be entertaing and different that Australians are unlikely to ever see air here because it was cancelled. We never saw any of Pushing Daises either.

    02/20/2009 18:24:06
  • member since: May 19, 2006

    i'm not too surprised really but very, very disappointed. :( this was a hell of a eccentric show, just the way i love it most!

    02/20/2009 17:00:31
  • member since: Oct 7, 2006

    not surprised the show was extremely boring

    02/20/2009 16:58:53
  • member since: Jul 23, 2006

    ive never even heard of it

    02/20/2009 16:38:10
  • member since: Sep 4, 2005

    I started watching the show from the start. And I felt that the show had a lot of potential to go for a long time. This is, unfortunatly the first I've heard of it. Well, there goes annother good TV show down the toilet. Kyle XY and Middleman, after Danny Phantom, Surface, and 4400 (yes I know older ones by now) there is no justice for good Scifi shows anymore. I just hope that no one cancels Doctor Who on top of it. As for the lack of advertisement, good grief! The only thing that they even closly trued to keep going was the crappy reality shows that, with every new commercial, made me not want to see it more. Say goodbye to a possible fan ABC go jump off a cliff. Pterodactyl out.

    02/20/2009 16:32:33
  • member since: Jan 3, 2009

    The Middleman... I heard about it over the summer, tried to watch it, but I just couldn't really get into it. It didn't feel like ABC Family's other shows to me. But, ABC Family does not have to axe every show out there. First Kyle XY, now this...

    02/20/2009 16:19:23
  • member since: Mar 20, 2006

    it was a horrible show anyway glad they canned it.

    02/20/2009 16:13:09
  • member since: Apr 4, 2007

    Where is my Middleman? Somebody stole my Middleman! This stinks! This is totally BS! Oh...there it is, among the graphic novels. Huh...this still stinks!

    02/20/2009 16:12:14
  • member since: Aug 17, 2007

    What is middleman, why do I hear first time about this show. hmm.. probably it isn't very exciting. ha.

    02/20/2009 15:57:31
all features »

COMING UP NEXT

advertisement

Today's Gallery

Joel Madden and Nicole Richie are set to be made parents for a second time! More »

blogs we love

users that like to share
    advertisement