The Avengers
As in the stylish '60s Brit romp, a pair of bantering (and borderline
romantic) secret agents — one male (Matt Keeslar) and one female (Natalie
Morales) — are employed by a clandestine agency whose leadership is rarely
seen...and perhaps totally beside the point. The series is set in the
fanciful ''spy-fi'' milieu, so our heroes can battle both terrorists and
mutant monsters.
The Tick
Like the blue boob, the Middleman doesn't just wallow in comic-book
conventions. He's an ironic commentary about them — a square-jawed,
milk-drinking, swearing-averse superguy who knows he's a square-jawed,
milk-drinking, swearing-averse superguy. And like the Tick's sidekick,
Arthur, Morales' Wendy is more sensible, is equally fanboyish, and
sweats being the weak link.
Reaper
Our hero's hip and hot twentysomething ''chosen one'' partner is just as
relatable as The CW's demon hunter: broke, romantically challenged,
steeped in pop culture, but not totally shallow. Because as playfully
far-fetched as the show is, it needs to be grounded in (extensively
market-researched) reality. Toss in slacker friends and a random frumpy
old lady and — voilà! — The Middleman.
