TVSquad

Well, crap. I don't think there is really any way to spin this in a good way. ABC Family has cut the order for Middleman episodes from 13 to 12. That's rarely a good sign. Television history isn't exactly full of stories that go, "Then they cut the episode order, and everything was frickin' awesome." All is not lost though. Please join me in taking solace in the fact that the show hasn't actually been canceled.

A quick trip to Radio Free Javi, where you should go for all of your Grillo-Marxuachian news, tells a little more of the tale. As Javi puts it, the show is getting great reviews and the network loves it, but the ratings have not been stellar. He adds that the decision to drop the 13th episode was a joint one, between himself and the network. A possible silver lining is his mention of pooling their resources to make the finale the biggest and best that it can be. So, tell your friends to watch, and tell them to tell their friend with the Nielsen box to watch. The Middleman really is a good show and deserves to make it to a second season.

Javier Grillo-Marxuach, a supervising producer and writer on Lost, is leaving the show. He was hired on about two years ago when Lost was just a gleam in J.J. Abrams' eye. On his website, Javi says his gig on Lost was only meant to be a couple of months so he could help create long-term story arcs and basically plan out the series (and write a pilot!). Two years, seven episodes, and "one hanging hobbit" later, Javi said it's the right time for him to leave and let the other writers take the show where it needs to go.

Javi has been one of the most high-profile writers of the show, frequently producing the Radio Free Javi podcasts about Lost and his other interests, including comic books. He also is a frequent contributor to The Fuselage, the ABC-sanctioned forum about the show.