The man in the middle

By Casey Gillis

Published: June 14, 2008

In the world of “The Middleman,” some chucklehead is always trying to take over the world.

Or so the Man in question says, and from the looks of the ABC Family series’ first episode, he’s not lying.

The new comedy, which premieres at 8 p.m. Monday night, is about a secret superhero, who saves the world from comic book-esque villains. He’s an independent contractor who “solves exotic problems,” he says.

Either way, think of this series, based on a graphic novel, more along the lines of the quirky fun and humor of “Men in Black” than the darkness of, say, “Batman.”

We’re introduced to the Middleman’s world through the eyes of slacker Wendy (Natalie Morales) who, after graduating from art school, is bouncing around from temp job to temp job. It’s at one of those jobs that she encounters a monster and, after he jumps in to save the day, the Middleman (played by Matt Keeslar).

Impressed by Wendy’s nonplussed reaction to the fact that monsters exist, the Man sets out to recruit her into his organization.

“You know how in comic books, there’s all kinds of mad scientists and aliens and androids and monsters, and all of them want to either destroy or take over the world? Well, it really does work like that,” he later tells her.

The two begin working together and quickly establish an entertaining banter.

The deadpan Wendy subscribes to the “Juno” school of sarcasm, while the Middleman is a wholesome goody-two-shoes who drinks a lot of milk, loves country music and uses expressions like “jeepers,” “lickety split” and “dag diggity.”

And, at least so far, there isn’t an ounce of sexual tension between them, as is so often the case with most male-female pairings on television these days. It’s actually kind of refreshing.

The first episode provides consistent laughs and two very likable leads. And if the series keeps bringing in talented guest stars — Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays Chloe on “24,” appears in the premiere — it can only get better from here.