Great Mother of Preston Tucker! Seems like fans of last summer’s cult hit The Middleman are getting what they’ve been wishing for. According to show creator Javier Grillo Marxuach, Shout! Factory will be producing the DVDs with the goal of a Summer 2009 release.
The Middleman, a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi adventure that tossed more in-jokes per episode than your entire high school theatre department, debuted last summer to glowing reviews and gained a small but loyal cadre of diehard viewers. Unfortunately, the show’s future is in jeopardy; there has been no official word from ABC Family that a second season will be forthcoming (though tantalizing hints have been dropped by Grillo Marxuach). Good news for fans just joining us, though: Season One ended on a nice clean note, so you can pick up the DVDs without worrying about any nail-biting cliffhangers.
I’m really hoping that the show gets a chance to return. It’s rare to find a science fiction TV show that isn’t dour, and even rarer to find one that revels in its dollar-budget, self-referential geekery. As far as I’m concerned, they could make a second season that’s nothing but Wendy Watson, the Middleman, and Ida hanging around at Jolly Fats, and I’d still tune in every week. (Peter piping weirdo, that’s me.)