I See Dead People

STARBURST takes a look back at a show that doesn’t get enough love - MEDIUM

- Ed Fortune

Telefantasy by its very nature tends to be strange and original. The TV show Medium did something remarkable, even for a genre show. It made the unusual normal and the unnatural seem almost comforting by turning the ability to see the dead into a key part of a procedural crime drama. Part family drama, part cop show, part supernatural thriller, it’s something a bit different.

Medium details the adventures of Allison DuBois, a psychic who can walk into dreams and talk to the dead. The show’s history is a bit of a rocky one. It was always on the verge of cancellation, despite making it to seven seasons. The main character is based on a real person of the same name. In the real world, this psychic was firmly debunked and the assistance they offered the police was proven to be worthless. The TV show imagines a world in which Allison’s powers are real, and the inevitable consequences of being able to talk to the dead. Its appeal is helped enormously with Patricia Arquette as the charismatic lead.

Let’s take a quick look at some key episodes.

Pilot

Where it all began. We meet Allison DuBois, who has a fairly normal life. She is married to an aeronautical engineer, she has two children, and is interning with the Phoenix District Attorney’s office with a view to going to law school. In addition to all of this, she can see and talk to the dead. Her husband, convinced of her power, contacts various law enforcement agencies with details of her visions. The Texas Rangers respond and Allison finds herself as an asset in the fight against crime, when she’s not juggling it with her home life, that is. Just as the police start to trust her, the evidence is lost and the tone is set for the show.

Twice Upon a Time