Medium

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Created by Glenn Gordon Caron

Written by Glenn Gordon Caron, Robert Doherty and others

Starring Patricia Arquette, Miguel Sandoval, David Cubitt, Jake Weber, Sofia Vassilieva and Maria Lark


‘Medium’ premiered on the NBC network on 3 January 2005. It has now been in production for three seasons and a total of 60 episodes. Although viewing figures have dropped from an average of 13.9 million in season one to 8.5 million in season three, a fourth season has been commissioned and will premiere in America on 20 January 2008. Neve Campbell appeared in three episodes of the third season and Angelica Huston will appear in six episodes of season four.

Patricia Arquette has won an EMMY for her performance as Alison Dubois and has been nominated for a Golden Globe three times. Sophia Vassilieva has won a Young Artist Award for her performance as Ariel, the eldest of the three Dubois’ children.

The show was created by Glenn Gordon Caron, who also created the show ‘Moonlighting’ and had previously been a staff writer on ‘Taxi’, ‘Fame’ and ‘Remington Steele’. He directed the Michael Keaton film ‘Clean and Sober’.

‘Medium’ is based on the life of Alison DuBois, an author and self-proclaimed ‘medium’ who works as an intern at the district attorney’s office in Phoenix. Initially, it is said, DuBois, who acts as a consultant on the show, objected to the casting of Arquette, who she thought was “too liberal”.

In the show Alison Dubois is an intern at the district attorney’s office in Phoenix. She has dreams in which she is given vague clues about crimes and murders that have been committed or that are going to be committed. This is known to the district attorney (played by Miguel Sandoval, a well-known character actor from numerous films and television shows) and to a homicide detective working in the local police department, but it is otherwise kept a closely guarded secret.

The story of her work helping to solve serious crimes is told in tandem with her home life. Her husband Joe is a mathematician who works for an aerospace company. They often argue and constantly worry about financial matters and the future of the children, but Joe tries to be supportive of Alison’s gift. They have three daughters, Ariel, Bridgette and Marie, all of who seem to have inherited their mother’s psychic abilities. In real life, Alison DuBois also has three daughters.

This is the part of the show I really like. The “fantasy/procedural” element is fine – a kind of mix of ‘Tru Calling’, which came before it, and ‘Ghost Whisperer’, which came after –- but the family drama storyline is really well done, very realistic, and benefits from some great acting. Jake Weber (Joe), the English actor who was in the remake of ‘Dawn Of The Dead’, and Sofia Vassilieva (Ariel) are particularly impressive.

Bridgette (played by Maria Lark) is hilariously goofy and rather endearing. Marie (played by Marinda Carabello –- in as much as a three-year-old can be said to be acting) is impossibly cute. I’ve watched all 60 episodes of the show. It’s the first show since ‘Invasion’ and ‘Surface’ that I’ve tuned into unfailingly each week.

In August 2006 Patricia Arquette told World Entertainment News Network that when she first signed to do the show she was told by producers she would have to lose weight, but refused to do so. Good for her. While I don’t want to slip into the role of a body image fascist, it is refreshing to see a leading American actress who has not been browbeaten to become overly skinny. Arquette looks fantastic as she is.


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