DRAMA
"Even among the special, you're special," a fellow psychic assures main character Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette) in the Jan. 3 premiere of this series about paranormal crime-fighting. Come now, Medium isn't all that extraordinary. A few years back, NBC tried and canceled a show called The Others that did a better job with the "I see dead people" theme.
Nonetheless, Medium's opener will hook you once Allison (based on a real person) finds her true calling. Unfulfilled as a law student and an intern in the Phoenix prosecutor's office, she sees the deceased in dreams and visions but hasn't convinced her superiors that her powers can be useful in solving cases. Allison's husband (Jake Weber) suggests she offer help to law-enforcement agencies around the country, and she winds up working with a Texas Ranger captain (Arliss Howard) in investigating the disappearance and presumed murder of a young boy. Howard gives a terrific performance as he takes his character from eye-rolling skepticism to sputtering amazement to growing respect for Allison's psychic input. Unfortunately, Howard is not a regular, and the Texas case only establishes Allison's bona fides. By the end of the pilot she's back in Phoenix as a consultant to the colorless district attorney (Miguel Sandoval).
Though Allison is potentially worth watching as both a medium and a mother of three, someone needs to conjure up a stronger supporting cast if this show is to hold our interest.
