Those damn psychics are so hot right now! Afterlife, a British import currently being broadcast on BBC America (they're finishing up the first season Thursdays at 9), stars Lesley Sharp as Alison Mundy, a psychic who speaks to the dead. The show premiered in Britain in 2005, the same year Medium premiered in the US.
While both shows feature a psychic named Alison (okay, okay, it's "Allison" on Medium) haunted by ghosts seeking some sort of resolution, there are a few differences. First of all, Lesley Sharp doesn't look like Patricia Arquette. She actually looks like - dare I say it? - a real person! Crazy, I know. Alison Mundy doesn't have a convenient job that exposes her to new crimes to be solved every week, with understanding supervisors and an inhumanly patient husband. Instead, she's still struggling to find her place in the world, and constantly challenged by a skeptical psychologist who's writing a book about her.
The tone of the show is also somewhat darker, which may be due to a gloomier Bristol setting (as opposed to Medium's sunny Arizona location). It could also be due to the fact that they cast actors who look like real people, which tends to increase the "it could happen to me!" freak-out factor. But it's not really a scary show so much as a psychological drama, with layers of complexity which belie its X-Files-esque "skeptic/believer" premise.
Although sometimes the interactions between Alison and the psychologist (Robert) seem a bit forced, the show is generally really good, and makes me wonder what else I'm missing on BBC America. So what else am I missing on the Beeb, people? Feed my TV addiction--be an enabler!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Afterlife: Not Just a "Medium" Rip-Off
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Medium: Hey! It's That Guy!
Last night's Medium featured a return appearance by a total Hey! It's That Guy!, in an above-average episode with a couple good twists.
His name is Mark Sheppard, and I recognized him from a first-season X-Files episode, apparently one of his first TV jobs ("Fire," in which he played Cecil L'Ively, for the curious). His resume contains an impressive number of guest-starring TV drama roles (including the requisite demon role on Charmed), and it's no wonder--he was totally creepy last night as Dr. Charles Walker (18th-century doctor/girl-cutter-upper), and totally relatable as Jack Walker (21st-century regular guy who hears the voice of his 18th-century serial killer relative). Well played, Mark Sheppard.
I liked that the episode showed that Allison isn't totally infallible, although I think the show could probably stand a little less of the "if only the police had listened to Allison, that girl would still be alive" stuff. It's sort of like on The X-Files (since it's in my head already), when Mulder was pretty much always right, and there was something supernatural afoot. It's not as interesting if the protagonist is ALWAYS right, guys.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Medium: Psychics and Robots!
So I watched the two-hour premiere of Medium after having watched the show intermittently last season, and I'll probably keep watching this year. To be honest, I was a little disappointed last night given that it was a two-hour premiere during sweeps, which sets the bar very high, but it was generally a pretty good episode.
I will say, though, that Joe Dubois is way, way too unbelievable as the best husband ever. I mean, what kind of person is THAT understanding? At first I thought he was going to get crazy jealous when Allison's ghost ex-boyfriend showed up, but noooo, he was all reasonable and cool about it. I'm pretty sure he's a robot or something, which just goes to show how useless Allison's psychic powers are. Figure it out, Allison--no flesh and blood human would be that cool about everything!
Also, I'm loving Bridgette, the psychic daughter, more and more. The actress is great, and not just because she isn't a Dakota Fanning look-alike (although I do love that). And I really appreciated the writers' efforts to make her powers childlike by showing her death premonition dreams as cartoons--it was a great touch, beyond being an important plot point.
The episode also painted a fuller picture of the non-Dubois characters. D.A. Devalos is suddenly vulnerable as a diabetic who hates going to the doctor, and Detective Scanlon, after putting himself out there with his girlfriend only to have politics get in the way, falls into bed with someone else.
Oh, and I really hope that when NBC does its announced schedule-juggling, it puts Medium on after Heroes. The combo makes much more sense than Heroes/Studio 60, and Studio 60 isn't exactly flourishing in the timeslot. I'm just sayin'.
