Medium (2005–2011) User Reviews

I Saw That Coming

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 8/10 · 30 January 2018]

In 2005 a new series premiered on NBC that caught viewers fancy and tied into that desire to know what would happen in our futures if we could. Our fascination with psychics had been a long one going back to people like Edgar Cayce and Jeanne Dixon and moving forward at the time with John Edwards. This series renewed that interest and took as its basis the real life story of psychic Allison DuBois, a psychic who has aided the police on several occasions.

Patricia Arquette stars as DuBois in the series. Having grown up with these abilities but never applying them she tries to lead a normal life living in Phoenix with her husband Joe (Jake Weber) and their three daughters (Sofia Vassilieva, Maria Lark and Madison and Miranda Carabello). Allison becomes an intern working for Phoenix District Attorney Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) and while working for him has a dream about a murder case taking place in Texas. Now the problem is how does she convince the law enforcement people she works with that her visions are legitimate not to mention convincing her husband as well? Of course she does eventually get them to follow up on the clues she can provide and bad guys are caught. In the course of these events her abilities are accepted and she helps with more cases than ever.

The thing is if they never accepted her abilities there wouldn't have been a series worth of stories to tell and especially a series that lasted 7 seasons. And as a viewer you have to believe that the crime in Phoenix would become non-existent with the way the DA and his team rely on her abilities more and more often as it progresses. Plus they have to convince anyone in other police departments in other cities of her abilities when she dreams about those locations.

But this is television. We want to believe, we want to be entertained and we want to hope that someone out there like this can help put bad guys away behind bars. With the crime statistics in this country it would seem a never ending battle. But again that doesn't matter as long as the show can be entertaining and this one was.

Arquette comes off as an everyday mom who has had these visions all her life but who has finally found a way to apply them to help others. At the same time it's not just helping solve crimes that goes on here. She's making lunches for her kids, dropping them off at school and dealing with their day to day issues as well. She has to comfort her husband when the need arises and the pair here on screen present a loving couple that deals with the same issues we all do on a daily basis be it bills or bullies or gossip mongers. Arquette's performance here brings the character to life in all of these circumstances.

Weber does a great job as well as the beleaguered husband who at first doesn't believe and yet learns that what she claims is true. And with the dreams and visions she has being those involving murder and mayhem he's the solid base she needs to stay grounded. Weber's portrayal of that supportive spouse is well done here. Even more so when it turns out that their three daughters also are in the midst of developing the same psychic connections.

While the series did well enough when it was on it was often up against some of the stiffest competition there was. It battled against the CBS juggernaut that was the CSI franchise in one form or another, the hottest shows on at the time. It later found itself up against LOST and the phenomena that that was and then LAW & ORDER: SVU but it carried on. The series lasted 5 seasons on NBC and then shifted over to CBS for 2 more seasons before finally calling it quits.

This box set contains all 7 seasons for fans to go back and enjoy all over again. And if you never got around to watching any more than occasional episode you can now join in from the start and follow through to the last episode. Fans of Arquette will love having them all in one spot on the shelf and those who have been picking them up in individual seasons can now sell those off and take up less space there with this comprehensive collection.

Very good series but a bad series finale

[bondoman2422 · 8/10 · 31 January 2012]

If you like suspense and twists, then Medium is your show to watch. I have enjoyed watching the show and enjoyed all the characters but I must admit that Patricia Arquette did get on my nerves at times while in character and although she was the star of the show, she was my least favorite character on it.

All the seasons were good but the show was "losing its steam" in the last half of season 6 and again in the final season, as the plots were just not as good as previous ones were. Obviously producers were running out of ideas when they had Allison turn on Scanlon in one episode and later in another episode she betrays Devalos. After all those 3 have been through together, you just can't do that as a producer and expect that to be accepted and believed by the viewer.

As for the final episode, well in my opinion producers continued their bad streak and got it wrong again. You MUST keep that family intact throughout, from beginning to end. They completely ruined it with Joe's death. A much better final episode would have been for Allison to find out she was pregnant, she and Joe wonder how they can go on with their careers while raising another child. Then they can fast forward to the future, in the end, of the entire Dubois family attending the High School graduation of the son Joe and Allison never had, until now.

Overall I enjoyed the series and recommend it highly.

Warm, funny, thrilling, and brilliant

[Painbow · 8/10 · 3 July 2009]

Alison Dubois is a medium. She communicates with the dead but more often they communicate with her. They do this by showing her things when she dreams. She doesn't always get the complete message and taken out of context, this can mean that Alison doesn't have the complete picture which means a certain amount of investigating will be needed. Fortunately she has the assistance of the District Attorney as well as detective Lee Scanlon who are both aware of her abilities.

Now that you know the general premise, i will tell you why i love this show. The stories are very well written and can be touching, thrilling, funny, scary but most of all, entertaining. Some episodes are obviously better than others but even the weaker ones are good and the simple reason for this (and the reason i really love the show) is Alison's family.

Her husband Joe and their three daughters, Ariel, Bridgitte and Marie are the anchor of not just Alison but also the show itself. The daughters also happen to have the same abilities as their mother. Their relationships are beautifully portrayed and extremely warm and provide the necessary breaks from the supernatural element. Joe is the rational scientist who may not believe in the supernatural but does believe in his wife and always offers her sensible, logical advice concerning her dreams and what to do with them. Ariel is the confused teen who is mature beyond her years, Bridgette is the joker and Marie is the adorable youngest member of the family.

The family dynamic allows the supernatural aspect of the show to maintain your interest and never become too dominant. If it was nothing but ghosts and murder each time then it would become tiresome and predictable but that never happens because you genuinely care about the Dubois family and simply want to see them get through the day (even if that day involves a serial killer) I can see this show going from strength to strength because of this very wonderful family dynamic and in many ways, this is what the show is really about (certainly for me) and the supernatural element simply allows for new stories to be told around the Dubois family. That isn't to say the other characters aren't as compelling and watchable because they are and the actors playing them are all extremely talented.

The only thing that could spoil the show is if the writers dared to play around with Alison and Joe's marriage (many shows feel the need to do this) If they did, it would be a mistake. It's the Dubois family that make Medium the fantastic show it is.

Wonderfully intelligent series

[bbewnylorac · 25 December 2017]

Some people will find the concept of a crime fighting psychic ridiculous. But the excellent scripts, direction, special effects and mostly the compelling acting raise this series above the norm. It reminds me of The Twilight Zone for its playful willingness to explore the supernatural. The plots play on our fears about the things in life we can't control. And having the main character, Allison Du Bois, being an average suburban Mom is a master stroke. She's portrayed as someone doing her best - between doing the laundry and cooking meals - to prevent catastrophes and right wrongs. She is constantly scared and baffled by the situations she finds herself in, so we identify with her by wondering what we'd do in the same situation. The supporting cast, including her loving husband, Joe (Jake Weber), their three daughters and the charismatic detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) are all excellent and exude intelligence. Some very serious issues are explored in this series, but there are also plenty of fun scenes and playing around with time, characters and effects. I recently rediscovered Medium on repeat, and was reminded what a fantastic, quality show this was.

Six Year Run 100% Deserved, Arquette Amazing

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 10 November 2013]

Before we talk about the show, let's talk about the talent. Glen Gordon Caron has been on the other side of the camera for a very long time, with a pedigree that includes, oh, for example, discovering Bruce Willis. And that's just for starters. Similarly, Arquette had a long and fairly impressive run in features, not always the A-roles, perhaps, but consistent nonetheless. Bringing these two together in 2005 was a match full of promise and ultimately the promise was kept. Next, the stories. It may be because the premise was based on a real person that the week-to-week plots were entirely consistent with the way real intuitives actually operate in the real world. Ordinarily Hollywood simply cannot resist the temptation to take it up a notch, especially from season to season. Had the plot arcs followed the usual Tinseltown roadmap, the Alison character played by Arquette would be getting predictive dreams in Season 1 and raising the dead by Season 6. But the producer showed restraint, and I believe that is part of the reason for the success of this show. I have seen every episode, and I recall that by the time the last season rolled around, they were getting just a tad frisky -- Alison may have a fatal illness, Alison's ability may be illegal in court; Alison tries to help Joe's business with her gift -- but a 6 year run is nothing to sneeze at. It was consistent, it was solid, it was entertaining. In TV, that's about as good as it gets.

Saint Husband

[UltraMaximal · 7/10 · 28 June 2022]

At first I wasn't sure if I would like this how. I ended up loving it. It's strange and goofy in a lot of ways. But the stand out to me was the husband, Joe. He is portrayed as a wonderful, intelligent, funny, caring father and devoted husband. Note the last part. How he could be so devoted when Allison was so emotionally and mentally abusive to him is beyond me. She is horrible. She demanded attention, gratitude and support in all aspects of her life at all times of the day and night, so much to the point where she would abandon her family and husband in order to fulfill her need to be right. No matter the immediate family need she would dump all responsibility on poor Joe.

I ended up loathing her by season 6 and watched for Joe and Bridgette, whom was hysterical. Kudos to the supporting cast and players but Allison was just an abusive wife . Terrible person, just awful.

Almost a decade later...

[mathmaniac · 10/10 · 2 May 2017]

It's been more than ten years since the first episode of 'Medium' aired. It was one of my favorite shows - a mixture of horror, crime, and warm family drama. Today, watching the series on amazon instant video, the series is just as entertaining as it was when my kids and I first watched it.

The parents in the drama, played by Jake Weber and Patricia Arquette, are reasons for the show's success, along with excellent scripts and plot lines. They interact in a way that reeks of verisimilitude and what we all HOPE could be marital communications. Joe is a little bit too adoring of his wife, Alison du Bois. Alison is a little too perfect a mom, rarely truly losing her temper with her three girls. Irritated, maybe, angry, not much.

Still, they talk to each other like real people with jobs and housework and kids who need to be driven to school. This is refreshing.

The episodes are built around crimes that make a person cringe. Pedophilia, kidnappings, rape. Murder is common, but cannibalism even makes an appearance.

Every episode features lots of dreaming. Lots of dreams. Very cleverly done, very smart, very creative. But beware: some of the stories are moving and frightening and tragic, so your own dreams might not be so pleasant if you are binge-watching 'Medium.'

An excellent dramatic series.

Plots that keep you guessing

[j-04496 · 7/10 · 23 March 2020]

This is a good show with plots that always keep me guessing. At times it feels like there's a little too much "Hollywood" in them and I wish it would stick to what an actual medium would experience, but I still enjoy them. It's supposed to take place in Phoenix, Arizona. They use street names and local landmarks that I recognize from the 11 years I lived there, but--and I know this is minor--the outside shots are in no way filmed in Phoenix. Phoenix is in the desert and the outside shots usually look like they're filmed in lush, green settings with tall trees that would probably not survive there. Very few cacti, which should be plentiful in the desert. Other than that I enjoy the show and wish there were more like it on TV.

My #1 show.

[mexicanmoon16-809-24579 · 10/10 · 11 August 2018]

I have watched every single episode at least 4 times. It's the only show I'll sit through and watch. Patricia Arquette is a phenomenal actress. Everyone on the show is fantastic. I really hope they bring it back one day.

Allison Is Infuriating!

[Livia-2468 · 7/10 · 3 August 2023]

I have just finished watching all 7 seasons and I love the show but Allison makes me so mad sometimes. She is one of the most selfish, self centred people on TV and makes it really hard to watch at times. She is supposed to be the hero but I just find myself wanting to fast forward through her whining. Her husband Joe is a saint to put up with her for as long as he has. As are her children, although Bridget is a very annoying child.

She expects everyone to take everything she says as truth and to forgive her when it turns out she is wrong but she judges others harshly and has a very black and white view of justice. For example, she stops being friends with Detective Scanlon because he lets a bad man die. She has done worse things but conveniently forgets that.

Despite Allison's character flaws, I still enjoyed the show as the concept is good and the stories each episode are interesting.

Skillfully woman, bright children, martyr husband

[krogkarina · 5/10 · 17 November 2023]

Medium is an okay entertaining series about the wife and mother Allison Dubois and her ability to communicate with the dead and through that helping to solve crimes, while having to juggle the balance between a highly stressfull job, her abilities and parenthood with a mathematician for husband. So far so good.

But to watch that husband of Allison Dubois is painful. He has got to be the pure embodiment of everything Martyrian. Always sighing of ALL the terrible hardship he has to endure, when his "weird" wife has to go out for the 4th (!) night in a row to catch a mad serial killer, while he, all alone poor man, has to get the kids to school and talk to a teacher. Oh love and behold the hardship of his life.

Male martyr in plain sight. Painful.

Up date the show into the 19th century,and bring the physic girls back in there own show

[mary-93-275653 · 10/10 · 26 March 2019]

I know this isn't a review, but don't know how to get this Question out there. Sence they are bringing back older showed/series, HOW ABOUT GETTING THE MEDIUMS GIRLS TO COME BACK IN A SHOW ALL GROWN UP, and extend there phyhic powers they had on the show. (...is...Like the conners?) Now there is a show people would love to see!!!

I cannot relate or feel for the actress

[dontakeitpersonal · 7/10 · 22 March 2022]

I guess if her character doesn't act the way she acts there is no story. Very thick at times. For someone who has the gift all her life, I find she makes questionable decisions. I actually couldn't stand the actress as well, her acting was questionable for me. I tried to like her, but unfortunately I couldn't stand her face/way of acting during certain episodes or scenes. All the other actors, where for me more relatable and connectable. Loved them all. The storylines were great, great dialogues and filming.

Honest Reviews Would Be Nice

[cfaltesek · 2/10 · 19 May 2022]

In my opinion the series started off really nice but then it all changed. Allision is out of control, she bends the rules when it applies to her, she whines non stop, she puts any dream over her marriage and children. To sum it up you can only take so much whining and seeing her whole family take the back seat to her life.

Great first episode

[carol4pace · 5 January 2005]

I was very impressed by the pilot. It quickly set up how this woman got into helping solve crimes. We did not have to slog though a long set-up, because it got quickly to the action.

I liked seeing her husband and daughters. Her husband was portrayed as a very supportive man. I already care about how she will handle this atypical job and be with her family. Will she have to do a lot of traveling, being away from home?

She is a strong character. I liked how she stood up to the sheriff (or police chief, whomever). And with moments like "Tell him you know about the kiss." we see that she is also very perceptive with a quick mind.

In spite of her strengths, she also showed a natural reaction to being odd/different. I also appreciated her frustration when she felt that what she was trying to do was for nothing.

This episode had good acting, drama, suspense, humor. And it wasn't creepy. I'm really looking forward to future episodes.

Best show ever!

[apkatt80 · 10/10 · 23 February 2011]

Many reasons could be said about this show and why i think its a 10 of 10. One reason is the smart script. I cant understand how some people can compare this show to Ghost Whisperer. The characters feels real and every show is scary, smart and "funny".

But i must say that the last episode was the weakest. It felt like the writers just " OK we got fired so lets do something funny whit the last episode, its doesn't matter". The end, and particularly the final scene didn't feel like a "real" episode of medium, more like one of her dreams. It felt "unserious". But OK, 1 bad episode out of 129 very good ones is OK.

Ahem...Well.

[cheftoni55 · 6/10 · 19 June 2023]

The characters are mostly realistic, despite the premise of the show. (Yes, the main character is loosely based on a real person; I mean secondary characters.) Some of the acting was quite good at times. (And no, I don't mean the nepotistic casting of Dinardo, the blonde woman who played Lee Scanlon's girlfriend/fiancée/wife. She was wooden, terrible with few moments of growth. Bro cringey performances from her. But she's Glen Gordon Caron's real-life wife. It's the only reason she was cast & nothing can convince me otherwise.)

The family dynamic was believable & heart-warming; it was nice to see such a strong, loving husband/wife relationship. (Plus, Jake Weber was One Hot Daddy. And he made a great Joe Dubois...the ending pissed me off, but at least it wasn't a true "Hollywood happy-ending".) The kids were all fantastic.

The writing was often sloppy. Not the overall plots, but the dialogue, which was abysmal at times. (I'm convinced if viewers were flies on the wall during rehearsals, they'd have seen eyerolls, heavy sighs, & possibly vocal objections & suggestions to the script-writers, from the actors. Esp the seasoned ones.) Sometimes the performances were uneven, but I chalk it up to directors chosen for certain episodes and the awful dialogue.

Also, why the dressing of the main actress (Patricia Arquette, who doesn't receive enough credit as an actress and did what she could with the material. The only exception was when she cried in the show. It was...laughable) swung wildly btwn fabulous & sloppy (this seems to be an overriding theme on the show) is a mystery. Budget? Terrible costumers? The actress wanted comfort in certain filming days? Did appreciate her various haircuts over the span of the series though.

I recently re-watched the series and overall, it was an enjoyable show, but def needed polishing & better writers. For those who are intolerant to imperfection, this show should be avoided.

excellent show

[markstylesnyc · 9/10 · 6 September 2017]

The actors are very well cast, and all excel in their roles.. The writing is quite intricate, there are subtle 'teasers' (they go by unnoticed at first, and later in the episode, you realize, 'wait' they hinted at this earlier'.. quite clever..

It has the perfect balance of supernatural (never overdone)..humor, drama, and sometimes a really touching subplot, about, family, relationships.. They give some ample time to the co-stars to shine in a scene or two. (although I would have loved to see the the younger girl, get more action.. She, her older sister, and the other supporting actors all shine at doing their part to make the show a really total great package..

Right from the beginning it's quite good.. Somewhere in the 2nd season, the whole project, (writing, development of characters, back ground history, start to come to the surface to give this series an even deeper depth, than you were aware of at first..

Love it..

Entertaining Fiction

[reymunpadilla · 7/10 · 22 December 2023]

This isn't a series deserving either 10s or 1s. The highest and lowest reviews seem to be based on whether people agree with the premise of a psychic being genuine and working with police.

FWIW, the premise is fiction. The "real life medium" it's based on is not believable. The police depts and the Texas Rangers in particular deny she ever worked with them and no evidence backs up her claims. There's no sign she's ever solved any crimes. Far from making a living working with police, she's only made money off of her dubious claims with her books.

But that doesn't make the series and less well written, acted, or entertaining. Think of it as a detective show with a paranormal twist. On that count it's worth seeing, and not on the "based on a true story" false claim.

My All Time Favorite TV Series

[waelkatkhuda · 9/10 · 28 July 2017]

If someone asked me what is your all time favorite TV series? i'll simply say Medium.

Now a lot of people might think that i'm overrating this show and they are a better crime series such as: CSi, NCIS, Bones etc. but what is so special about this show is the whole package in a way none of all these series bring it to the audience.

The first thing ( which is the strongest thing) is the family life of medium i dare anyone to give me any series (a long side with Friends) that makes you feel that you know this family, that you feel most of the time that you are living with them. and the whole family is likable Alison and joe are perhaps the best couple I've ever seen in my whole life, and it doesn't mean that the are perfect the have ups and downs, fights and a lot of times they are out of money, but nevertheless the continue to live as a happy family. Also all of Alison daughter are likable. Ariel is so sweet and intelligent, Marie is so innocent,and Bridgette is the soul of the whole show she is so cute so intelligent and walks and talks as she was an old person.

The second thing that was so special was they way of the crime, most of crime show is to identical by not knowing the killer and then the investigation method tell at the end you discover the whole thing, but in medium it is different the brought a new thing which is knowing the truth by psychic lady that helps the police to get the bad guys although she have no experience in crime scenes.

Even when you goes out of the dubois family you feel the same way of the supporting cast :

Miguel Sandoval (Alison boss) which delivered one of his best performance till this date.

David Cubitt also gave us a very nice performance of the ideal Detective, even when it comes between the justice and his own brother he choose the justice immediately.

The only thing the bothered me in the whole show is the final episode , i mean what they where thinking when they killed the husband the made the show so stupid and the way that Alison died was very bad and annoying (at least they could gave us a nice ending not a bad one!!!)

At the end it was and still a great TV show with great cast, a show that is focusing on everything from A to Z, and brings to the audience the suspense, horror, love, some how an ideal family life that everyone of us hoped to have.

Good show ruined by one word

[kimmerlyann · 7/10 · 20 February 2024]

I love the series, I'm just thrown by the fact that a college educated woman who works for the district attorney, cannot pronounce the work "district". If I hear "disrick attorney" one more time, I might actually lose IQ points. It's literally the name of the office she works for. If this person showed up at my door and said she works for the disrick attorney, I'd tell her she's full of crap because they usually only hire folks who can enunciate. The only way possible to ignore the fact that this incredible woman can't pronounce her employer's title, is to turn it into a drinking game, and I don't drink. Maybe the reason I've enjoyed Patricia Arquette in the past is because she didn't mispronounce the same word over and over.

Stupid and poorly acted

[tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane · 1/10 · 15 July 2022]

I've tried to watch this several times, but it's incomprehensible as far as I'm concerned. I can't believe this show used to scare me. But then again, I was 12 when this first started coming on TV. Yes, I was a 12 year old who got frightened easily. I didn't watch rated R movies like these kids nowadays. Medium is so lame. It tries to be this atmospheric, nail-biting, have you hanging on the edge of your seat psychological thriller, but it fails miserably. The acting is terrible. A high school drama class could put on a better performance. The story itself is preposterous. A housewife who has clairvoyant abilities and joins the team of her local police department's detective unit to help them identify murderers is so unrealistic. I've never been a fan of shows where an ordinary person turns out to be a superhuman. The plot lines of the episodes are also choppy. They always go back and forth between different scenes that have no relation to each other, at least not to me anyway. I find myself more focused on how she constantly wakes up startled from one of her visions. I feel sorry for her husband. The poor man never gets any sleep. It's a wonder he doesn't leave her just for that reason. If you want a crime program that also has an element of darkness, I recommend Scandinavian noir. This show is bizarre, idiotic, and disturbing.

Series Final

[weatherboi2 · 9/10 · 19 January 2011]

I see that this Friday's episode (January 21, 2011) will be the series final show as according to a preview from last week. Too bad we lose another good quality family show (the other show was Ghost Whisperer which went off the air in May of 2010, but we can still see the reruns on other networks). I can see one of the shows being canceled or moved to another date and time as both had similar themes. All the same both shows will be missed. There were many great actors/actresses in each show of both programs, and some actor/actresses got work and recognition of their fine talents. So CBS please bring back more family quality shows like these, we have enough crime dramas to last us a life time. THANKS

Please don't judge this show by the dialogue

[professor_of_gamez · 7/10 · 6 November 2020]

The dialog in this show is often mind-numbingly stupid. Especially between Joe and Allison, and especially when they're in bed. Typical dialog: Allison: "It's raining outside." Joe: "What the heck are you talking about? I don't understand what you are trying to say to me!" I should mention that Allison is ostensibly a college graduate (having been in law school before the show started) and Joe ostensibly has at least one PhD (I think they said in mathematics, even though he works in aeronautic engineering). But from their dialog, it would be EASY to assume the two had not yet graduated from the 6th grade.

Also, Joe seems to be in seriously poor health. He often sounds like he's barely conscious (not just in bed, but most of the time). He often barely moves his mouth when he speaks (which only contributes to the impression he is in poor health).

Also, despite the fact that Allison, Ariel AND Bridgette often burst into tears for no apparent reason, not one of them has sought treatment (as I would INSIST if I were Joe and had to live with this).

Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag.

[cbauman · 5/10 · 21 July 2007]

Most episodes of this show can be summed up by the following: Allison has a vision that relates to a crime that has occurred or is about to occur, her husband/boss/co-worker/etc doubt her conclusions and Allison nags them until it is somehow proved that she is correct and they, being the dumb men that are, have been wrong all along.

I know the show is supposed to be based on a real person, but the show must take a lot of liberties. And I'm surprised the real Allison Dubois is OK with the way she is portrayed.

But the plot lines to the crimes are usually pretty good, even if the main character is rather annoying.