The Middleman (TV series)

[3] Wendy lives in an illegal sublet apartment with her young, photogenic, animal activist friend Lacey.

The Middleman is a freelance fixer of "exotic problems", which include mad scientists bent on taking over the world, hostile aliens, and various supernatural threats, aided by Ida, a robot in the form of a grumpy schoolmarm.

For example, in the first episode, Wendy calls herself "Robin the Boy Hostage", a quote from the comic book The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller; that same episode features a super-intelligent ape who murders several members of the Italian Mafia and spouts catchphrases from American movies about the Mafia, such as Scarface, Goodfellas and The Godfather.

[6] Daily Variety wrote that "this series could potentially work on any number of networks, and it's almost too smart for the room at ABC Family; nevertheless, this sprightly summer arrival should fit nicely into the evolving niche the channel established with Kyle XY.

"[7] TV Guide had it as its "Mega Rave" for the week of June 15, 2008, and wrote that "It's loaded with clever banter – like Men in Black if Will Smith's character was a geeky girl.