Am I the only one who misses Medium?

I must not be, because the show has been enough of a hit to run for four seasons. So why has NBC been treating this fan favorite like dirt? I’ll give you a clue: they’re either douchebags, or idiots, or both.

First, they push Medium back to a midseason premiere in favor of Christian Slater’s ill-fated spy drama, My Own Worst Enemy. Well, that obviously backfired, and MOWE is now toast. So why is Medium still only coming back to its loyal viewers on February 2? Because it would get in the way of two hours of Superstars of Dancing, of course!

Apparently the bigwigs over at NBC are trying to compete with FOX’s American Idol this winter for the title of Most Useless Filler Squeezed into a Reality Competition. At least that’s my best guess as to why they would need not two, or three, but four hours on Sunday and Monday nights of what I can only imagine is Dancing With The Stars, sans the stars.

This is just one of many terrible decisions made by NBC lately, but it especially angers me because Medium is such a worthwhile show. It’s got a little something for everyone.

There’s usually a mystery of the week for the crime buffs to try and solve, and while CSI usually tries to trigger your gag reflex with close-ups of open Y-incisions and severed limbs, Medium instead focuses on the emotional impact on the victims and their families. The thing that really sets it apart from other crime shows is that through her dreams and visions, Allison sees and feels what the victim does (or did), which translates to the viewer feeling more connected to the story.

For those who like family dramas, the DuBois’ have a great family dynamic that feels  neither overly wholesome, nor unbelievably dysfunctional. There are three daughters that are each unique and are starting to deal with abilities of their own, a husband who is the rock of the family and tries so hard to be supportive of his psychic wife even though it drives him a little crazy sometimes, and Allison, who has to juggle being a wife and mother with the need to use her gift to help others.

And obviously, for those of us who love all things paranormal, you couldn’t ask for better than Allison DuBois. The dream sequences have such a surreal quality that they often remind me of another old favorite of mine, Twin Peaks. However, where Twin Peaks was often deliberately absurd and confounding with its lack of resolution, we know watching Medium that every dream and every vision means something, and we’ll soon enough get the answers.

I know Medium is not the best show there is, but it is some damn fine television! Sure, NBC ordered a half dozen more episodes than originally planned, but they only did it after the craptacular failure of My Own Worst Enemy. It’s not rocket science, folks. The show, and its viewers, deserve better.

Are there any other Medium fans out there?

Clacked by Cate Cropp
on Jan 06, 2009 @ 13:30 EST5EDT