Medium
Medium
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Medium

"She Sees What Others Can't."

7.5
Yr 2005
Status Ended
Crime Drama Mystery Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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Series Brief

Overview

Allison Dubois works in the District Attorney’s office using her natural intuition about people and her ability to communicate with the dead to help to solve crimes. Her dreams often give her clues to the whereabouts of missing people.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 70 /100

Medium arrived with a premise that risked feeling like a tired genre trope, but it largely won over critics who praised its atmospheric direction, storytelling skill, and intelligent focus on how paranormal abilities impact the lead character's family life and psychology. Many reviewers highlighted the show as an 'unheralded gem' that balanced procedural elements with messy, realistic domestic drama, anchored by high production values and tight teleplays.

While the series generally earned acclaim for its execution, it was not without detractors. Some critics found the protagonist to be a passive lead, and others expressed moral objections to the show's reliance on 'haunted mysticism.' Additionally, while the series was chilling for adult audiences, reviewers cautioned that its intense, sometimes graphic, and disturbing subject matter made it unsuitable for younger viewers.

“A well-acted, atmospheric drama that manages to create an intriguing mini-drama each week, as well as show domestic life in all its turbulent, messy beauty.”

“It explores very intelligently how this would impact on [Allison's] psychology, her family life, and her career.”

“The concept is cool, the teleplays are tight, and the show is about as well-directed a TV series you're ever likely to see.”

“Although the show's premise may intrigue kids, it's just too intense and scary for them.”

Why fans love it

Medium maneuvers through the intersection of domestic stability and the supernatural. Set in Phoenix, the series anchors its investigative threads in the internal life of a woman whose intuitive ability to communicate with the dead dictates the rhythm of her family household. By grounding psychic phenomena within the routine constraints of a local District Attorney's office, the show treats visions and dreams as practical, if unsettling, evidence.

Patricia Arquette anchors the procedural elements against the visceral nature of the paranormal. The narrative avoids typical horror tropes in favor of a steadier, more weary examination of the toll these cases take on those involved. Criminal inquiries rarely offer clean conclusions, as the boundary between the living and the departed remains porous. This approach creates a procedural identity that relies on quiet dread and the limitations of foresight rather than sudden shocks or easy resolutions.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 6
Longest run 128 eps
Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette
as Allison Dubois
128 episodes
Jake Weber
Jake Weber
as Joe Dubois
128 episodes
Miguel Sandoval
Miguel Sandoval
as Manuel Devalos
128 episodes
David Cubitt
David Cubitt
as Lee Scanlon
119 episodes
Sofia Vassilieva
Sofia Vassilieva
as Ariel Dubois
128 episodes
Feodor Lark
as Bridgette Dubois
128 episodes
Tina DiJoseph
as Lynn DiNovi
38 episodes
Wallace Langham
Wallace Langham
as Alan
2 episodes
Show 67 more
Sarah Drew as Suzie Keener 2 episodes Tony Curran as Lucas Harvey 2 episodes Grant Shaud as Leo Krane 2 episodes Ellen Geer as Grandma Benoit 2 episodes David Morse as Douglas Lydecker 2 episodes Deirdre Lovejoy as Dr. Messner 2 episodes Natalia Baron as Sally Greer 2 episodes Ryan Hurst as Michael Benoit 3 episodes Erin Chambers as Julie Snowden 2 episodes Lily Rabe as Joanna Wheeler 2 episodes Bret Loehr as Owen Kearns 2 episodes Jessy Schram as Young Allison 2 episodes Tracy Pollan as Caitlyn Lynch 2 episodes Geoffrey Owens as Unemployment Evaluator 2 episodes Arliss Howard as Captain Kenneth Push 4 episodes Lee Garlington as Marion Wheeler 2 episodes Gretchen Egolf as Mary Stacey 2 episodes Ben Feldman as Justin Lydecker 2 episodes Steven Flynn as Peter Connolly 2 episodes Neve Campbell as Debra 3 episodes Katie Kreisler as Melinda Bell 2 episodes Jennifer Lawrence as Young Allison 2 episodes Joshua Rush as Tanner Campbel 3 episodes Ramon De Ocampo as Aaron 3 episodes Shashawnee Hall as Principal Phillips 3 episodes Lesley Boone as Sondra Banister 2 episodes Kimberly Scott as Coroner 3 episodes Dagmar Midcap as Reporter 2 episodes Jason Priestley as Walter Paxton 2 episodes Arye Gross as Cooper Conroy 3 episodes Gerry Becker as Marcus Canty 4 episodes Jane Lanier as Female Campaign Official 2 episodes Mark Hutter as Male Campaign Official 2 episodes T'Shaun Barrett as Uniform Cop 2 episodes Paul Fitzgerald as Graham Stacey 2 episodes Susan Goodwillie as Melanie Linder 2 episodes Kelly Preston as Meghan Doyle 3 episodes John Prosky as Tom Van Dyke 10 episodes Dean Norris as Paul Scanlon 4 episodes Kurtwood Smith as Edward Cooper 3 episodes Paul Bartholomew as Teacher 2 episodes Andrew Rothenberg as Kevin Flynn 2 episodes Anjelica Huston as Cynthia Keener 8 episodes Ted Garcia as Reporter #3 8 episodes Ned Schmidtke as Terry Cavanaugh 6 episodes Kamala Lopez as Walter Paxton's Attorney 3 episodes Annamarie Kenoyer as Ashley Whitaker 7 episodes Brian Avers as Brian Fondran 5 episodes Joel David Moore as Keith Bruning 4 episodes Neil Schwary as Officer Mills 4 episodes Mark Sheppard as Charles Walker 3 episodes Gina St. John as Reporter #2 5 episodes Brian Schwary as Robert Edward Lowell 3 episodes Roxanne Hart as Lily Devalos 6 episodes Mitch Pileggi as Dan Burroughs 4 episodes Bruce Gray as Joe's Dad 11 episodes Margo Martindale as Catherine 3 episodes Kathy Baker as Marjorie Dubois 5 episodes Brent Jennings as Wayne 3 episodes Saida Pagan as Morning News Anchor 4 episodes Kendahl King as Sondra 8 episodes Conor O'Farrell as Larry Watt 8 episodes Mary Strong as Reporter 3 episodes John Wesley as Judge 3 episodes Holliston Coleman as Hannah 9 episodes Miranda Carabello as Marie Dubois 18 episodes Madison Carabello as Marie Dubois 7 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Medium overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

medium psychic power paranormal criminal consultant phoenix, arizona
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
January 03, 2005
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
575