Battling Evil Is Cute
Posted on | June 20, 2008 at 7:24 am | 2 Comments
What’s up with the ABC Family channel lately? Actually, I’ve never really watched it except for reruns of Gilmore Girls, though I hear that their original shows like Kyle XY and Greek are making in-roads among the non-family orientated hip. Based on the buzz, I tuned into the pilot episode of new original show The Middleman and came away impressed. There was actual swearing in this show, although it was bleeped out and black-bar-over-the-mouth censored. It’s kind of like a combination of Heroes, Venture Brothers, Buffy and Gilmore Girls. The dialog is very snappy and quick, like GG, and frequently filled with comic book and pop culture references. Both of the principal characters definitely know their comic book history. The central conceit is that it takes place in a world like ours, but most people don’t realize actual supervillains (and heroes) exist. Young disillusioned artist Wendy is recruited by the titular milk-drinking ultraclean mystery man to be his new sidekick, and her eyes get opened to a whole new world of craziness. The two of them banter like Mulder and Scully on speed. The pilot guest-starred Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe from 24) as a deadpan scientist, and featured super-intelligent villainous apes, along with the inevitable dialog mentioning Gorilla Grodd. Yeah, the dudes in gorilla suits came off as cheap and lame, but it doesn’t pretend to be super realistic. The show runner is one of the vets from Lost. The leads are likable and engaging, and the writing is very funny. Yet, there’s also an undercurrent of drama and hints of an elaborate backstory that I assume will be revealed slowly over the course of the season, giving the show an essential arc.
It’s hard to tell after one outing, but I’m thinking it might have legs and I’m pulling for the show. There is a danger of it becoming a bit too twee or cloying or something – sometimes it seems like a bit less art-directed Pushing Daises. (Although I get the ABC Family channel in HD on my satellite system, and the art direction really benefits from the extra resolution.) For now I’ll keep watching and hoping that the quality stays high. It’s definitely something the whole family could watch, but there’s a lot of stuff in it for adults (especially us arrested development adults).
Note: I do not work for ABC Family.
In other developments, this morning’s Garfield really made my day (click to enlarge):
It sure looks to me like Garfield’s owner Jon is finally gonna get him some tonight! Maybe then his life won’t be so empty and he won’t feel the need to surround himself with pets, especially ones who denigrate him.
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 57°F). Back up to the full route at last!
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Bed of Nails” (The Cavedogs)
- “Don’t Entertain Me Twice” (Feckless Beast)
- “Have We Really Got To Go Through This” (Yes)
- “Kiss and Make Up” (Blake Babies)
- “Midnight Coward” (Stars)
- “Xmas Trip” (Run On)
- “Waiting For Caroline” (Chris Brown)
- “Love Comes Inside” (The Maggies)
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “phobias coconut”.
Comments
2 Responses to “Battling Evil Is Cute”
June 21st, 2008 @ 12:28 am
My son and I watched The Middleman and loved it even if I had to explain the “That’s what made Hoover wear a dress.” joke.
But we also like Chuck, so that explains a lot.
June 21st, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Chuck is an “on the fence” show for me. I like it, but I’m not sure I like it enough to keep watching it. Especially since Monday nights are going to be really crowded this fall, and I’ll probably have some conflicts and have to give up stuff.