Product Description

From Emmy Award-winning executive producer, creator, and director Glenn Gordon Caron, comes the hit Paramount Network Television drama series MEDIUM, inspired by the life story of Allison Dubois. Emmy Winner Patricia Arquette stars as Allison, a woman who can communicate with the dead, but for most of her life viewed this gift as a curse. Allison finally submits to her calling when she realizes she can do more good as a medium then a lawyer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5676 in DVD
• Brand: ARQUETTE,PATRICIA
• Released on: 2006-06-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Dimensions: .70 pounds
• Running time: 684 minutes

Amazon.com
It's not a coincidence that Medium represents not only Glen Gordon Caron's best TV work since Moonlighting but also his most successful siege on the Nielsen ratings since the 1980s heyday of the latter show. In an interview included in this five-disc set (which contain all 16 episodes from the first season, in addition to bountiful bonus features), the writer-director-producer confides that the series was partly inspired by films like Something Wild and Married to the Mob, in which director Jonathan Demme achieved a balance of what Caron calls "the serious and the frivolous." Medium also contains elements of Moonlighting and another Caron creation,1999's underrated Now and Again; there are echoes of The Sentinel and The Dead Zone as well, not to mention a hefty dose of The Sixth Sense. So while it's not what you'd call unique (then again, what on TV is?), Medium nevertheless provides engaging, rewarding entertainment.

Patricia Arquette stars as Allison DuBois, whose skills as both a medium (i.e., she sees dead people) and a psychic (she can fairly accurately read minds and predict future events) make her an invaluable help to the Phoenix district attorney (Miguel Sandoval). But like most characters possessed of extraordinary powers, Allison isn't entirely comfortable in her own skin; plagued by awful nightmares (one of which kicks off every episode), she tends to become cranky and depressed, has a hint of a drinking problem, and regularly gets into it with her supportive but skeptical husband, Joe (Jake Weber). Those are the very characteristics that make the show consistently watchable. Although one might wish that she would find herself in real danger more often as she deals with everything from necrophiliac serial killers and air crashes to ghosts and child molesters, Caron focuses less on special effects and police procedure than on Allison's humanity, including her efforts to balance work and family responsibilities (sub-plots involving her young daughters are usually effective, if sometimes a bit too cute). It's the stories and the writing that make Medium work; Caron, in fact, is the show's real star. Well over an hour's worth of bonus features include deleted scenes, commentary on some episodes, a couple of "making of" featurettes, and a look at the real-life Allison DuBois, whose powers are apparently every bit as impressive as her fictional counterpart's. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Episode guide
Season One debuted in January 2005 and ran through May with a total of 16 episodes. Based on a true story, the series follows Allison DuBois, an assistant to a district attorney, who has psychic dreams and solves murders. This well-produced series features an intense stand-out performance by Patricia Arquette (a surprise Emmy winner for Best Actress) as well as clever and involving story lines. The only annoyances are an irritating husband who never wants to believe his wife's gift. After several episodes, you would think he would be wiser by now. The cutesy child actors are another burden to the script but at least the middle kid is often funny to watch.

Episodes are:
#1 - "Pilot" - Allison's husband Joe hopes to prove that Allison's visions are stress related by sending descriptions out to law enforcement agencies. To his surprise, one of Allison's dreams bears an eerie similarity to a Texas homicide case involving a 17-year-old murder suspect. Guest stars Arliss Howard.
#2 - "Suspicions and Certainties" - Allison finally gets a call from her old boss, D.A. Devalos, who needs her help in selecting a jury who will return the death penalty for a twisted murderer/rapist. Initially, she is certain of her power to do good, but Allison suffers a crisis of confidence when she suspects she's put the wrong man on death row.
#3 - "A Couple of Choices" - Devalos introduces Allison to Detective Lee Scanlon who has been trying to track down the person he believes murdered his sister and her husband whose deaths were ruled a murder/suicide.
#4 - "Night of the Wolf" - Allison is convinced that a murder witness is giving a false report to a sketch artist.
#5 - "In Sickness and Adultery" - Allison suspects her husband of having an affair when a psychic tells her that a crisis involving a third person will occur.
#6 - "Coming Soon" - Allison is haunted by dreams of a serial killer who targets young women.
#7 - "Jump Start" - Allison is haunted by dreams of a young girl who commits suicide by jumping off a cliff.
#8 - "Lucky" - Allison dreams of her brother Michael being killed while serving in Afghanistan.
#9 - "Coded" - Allison's oldest daughter Ariel is having dreams of a young girl who looks just like her and is being held prisoner in a castle.
#10 - "The Other Side of the Tracks" - Allison's recurring dream involves two young boys who are trying to outrun a train - one makes it, the other one doesn't.
#11 - "I Married A Mind Reader" - Allison becomes obsessed over an old 60s sitcom starring a husband and wife team which was cancelled when the husband was convicted of killing the wife.
#12 - "A Priest, A Doctor and A Medium Walk Into The Execution Chamber" - When Allison witnesses the execution of a convicted drug lord whose girlfriend is murdered on the evening of his death, her powers to see the dead are put to the test. Allison also learns a tragic secret about the mother of Ariel's best friend.
#13 - "Being Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" - Allison is caught in a moral dilemma when she has to decide whether to help investigators build a case against a cocky airline pilot suspected of murdering his wife.
#14 - "In The Rough" - Allison finds herself in a difficult spot when she has information that could cause a murderer to go free. At home, Joe's mother comes to visit. Kathy Baker guest stars.
#15 - "Penny For Your Thoughts" - Allison battles the spirit of a psychopathic doctor who was the murderer of teenaged girls.
#16 - "When Push Comes to Shove" (Part 1) Reprising his role from the pilot episode, Arliss Howard guest stars as Capt. Kenneth Push of the Texas Rangers who literally puts his life on the line to help Allison find a serial killer before he can claim his next victim.

Started out skeptical and then became HOOKED on this show
Being somewhat of a disbeliever in psychic phenomena, I really avoided watching this show for awhile. That was my loss. What I didnt realize was that this show is for BELIEVERS AND NONBELIEVERS alike. You don't have to believe in psychics or mindreading abilities.
Because, let's face it: so many movies, from Batman to Lord of the Rings, depend on our suspension of belief, on our saying, "What if?" Medium is no different. If you believe, fine; if not, you can simply say, "What if? What if someone COULD read minds?"
And so I decided to go along with the premise and imagine what it WOULD be like for someone who had the psychic abilities Allison does. I also became involved in the details of her life, her family and how her job and home life intertwine. This isn't a series built around a "gimmick". It is a fully fleshed out show, one that gets more complex and interesting as time goes on.
The relationship between Allison and her husband is a bit edgy, not always smooth and harmonious. They clearly love each other but he becomes frustrated with her at times. After all, she has a habit of waking up from terrible dreams, often in the middle of the night,dreams warning her of some impending crisis - or perhaps giving her clues to solve a crime. In any case, she is always having visions and she is also quite sensitive. This leaves him baffled - and sometimes his anger comes out.
Her job and home life can't be kept separate. They intersect in all sorts of ways and it is this connection that gives the show real substance. At this point, I can't wait to see what happens next. Patricia Arquette seems to be more comfortable with her role as time goes on, seems to have a real sense of who Allison is. The show is a pleasure to watch.

I sense that you're going to purchase "Medium"
An exceptional series in a drab year "Medium" picks up the slack for the cancelled "Tru Calling". Emmy winner Patricia Arquette plays Allison DuBois who is studying for her law degree and interning at the D.A.'s office in Arizona. She has scary dreams. Many times these dreams come true or she'll see people long dead that she's never met and they'll tell her something about upcoming events or pass along a message. She suspects that she might have psychic powers. Her husband Joe suggests that she sent along info to authorities on an unsolved murder or mystery and if it turns out to be helpful, well she does have psychic powers but her husband says he suspects they're just dreams. They're not. She is contacted by the Texas Rangers and a Captain (Arliss Howard)who is trying to solve a missing person/murder involving a child flies her to Texas to help. He has his doubts until she discloses something personal about himself that he never told anyone.

But then you knew all that didn't you? You saw it in a dream or at the very least on CBS.

"Medium" is a terrific show whether you're a believe in this stuff or not. It's well written and suspenseful with exceptional performances. The DVD set has the first 17 episodes of the show plus an extended version of the pilot that never aired. Aside from the extended version of the pilot (which appears on the first disc) all of the other extras appear on the last disc.

We get two nearly ½ hour featurettes that focuses on the creation of the show and changes that occurred prior to the show getting the green light for shooting the pilot and the series itself. "The Making of Medium" features interviews with executive producers Kelsey Grammer (hopefully he'll make a number of guest star turns in the show), Caron, Steve Stark, Ron Schwary and production members such as Ken Kelsch (cinematography who discussed the moody work he contributes to the show), Allison Dubois, actors Arquette (who by the way one a much deserved Emmy for her performance this year for the second season), Jake Weber (who plays her husband Joe), Sandoval and others.

"The Story of Medium" continues with interviews of the usual suspects mentioned above plus input from some of the writers on the show discussing how events involving real medium were crafted to fit the concept of the show. It's a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of creating and writing episodic TV shows.

We also get a pair of shorter featurettes that deal with Allison Dubois both real and as imagined in the show. The first "The Real Allison Dubois" gives us a portrait of the lady that inspired the show. Ms. Dubois is a natural on camera and it's clear why Caron used this lady as inspiration for his show. She's also a consultant on the show as well. "Interpreting Allison Dubois" features Arquette and she discusses the challenges of playing a real person in a fictional setting, the qualities she tries to capture of the real Dubois as well as her take on the character vs. the real person.

We also get a humorous gag reel and some of the TV advertising for the show. It's clear that NBC knew they had a winner on their hands and they gave the show their all in promotional activity (which this spooky winner deserved). We also get deleted scenes for 7 episodes some of which have multiple scenes that were cut for time constraints. Since this is a short TV season (only 17 episodes) I would also like to have seen some previews for the second season (which I haven't watched) and the forthcoming third as long as they are without spoilers. I also would have liked to see commentary tracks from Arquette, Weber and some of the main cast. Perhaps we'll see that on the second season set which is already scheduled for later this year on DVD.



We also get four audio commentaries on four episodes two with creator/writer/director/producer Glenn Gordon Caron one done in collaboration with producer Moira Kirkland and the other with executive producer Rene Echevarria ("The 4400", "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). The best of the audio commentaries are the two with Glen Gordon Caron although guest star Chad Lowe deserves a special mention for making the most of his commentary track. It's a fun listen.

I predict you'll buy this great package and show. But then I didn't need an special abilities to see that. You're visiting this page after all aren't you? Enjoy the show! I'd give "Medium" a 9 out of 10 and highly recommend this great show. By the way the second season (due in October on DVD) is even better.