Reviews Are In For Glenn Gordon Caron’s MEDIUM!!
The first TV series created by Glenn Gordon Caron was ABC’s Moonlighting (1986-89), a pioneering and popular marvel. Caron’s second, lesser-known series was Now and Again (1999-2000), an equally wonderful comedy adventure about a frustrated government-made superman. It lasted 22 episodes on CBS. Medium, NBC’s new hourlong about a thirtysomething pre-law student (Patricia Arquette) who decides to use her bizarre abilities to solve crimes, is Caron’s third series to see air.
Caron’s pilot script for Medium – or at least the one I read last summer – didn’t suck at all. Maybe someone at the network decided it wasn’t enough like CSI: Miami? If the Medium pilot itself sucks at least a little (as at least some of the reviews below suggest) I suspect I’ll still be sticking with it at least a little while, just because Caron has repeatedly proven himself such an accomplished comic storyteller.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
"… works hard to dramatize Dubois' realization of her psychic abilities and their power to solve crimes. Too hard, actually. It comes off more like a truncated docudrama than an introduction to a series that will offer satisfying dramatic entertainment. … a subsequent episode sent for review is more promising. …"
Variety says:
"… a ho-hum addition to TV's burgeoning crime blotter … even in a second episode, the combo of psychic crime-solver by day, wife and mom by night doesn't prove particularly riveting. … Allison is such a passive heroine that it's hard to get too involved with her, and Arquette doesn't bring much life to the role. Moreover, the episodes made available are virtually devoid of supporting players or any workplace tension to augment her relatively staid (by TV standards, anyway) home life. … "
USA Today gives it two stars (out of four) and says:
"… throws in so many potentially fatal flaws of its own, you'd think the network had a death wish. … Medium seems to actually support the claims of the real-life Allison, thereby alienating a large swath of the population who think mediums are either lying or cracked. … doesn't get much help from Arquette, who gives one of the season's stranger and more off-putting performances. … "
The Los Angeles Times says:
"… a so-so parapsychological police procedural … Arquette's spiky, sparring scenes with [the skeptical sheriff character] are the show's best, not surprising given that the pride of creator Glenn Gordon Caron's résumé is spiky, sparring Moonlighting. These scenes suggest a better series than "Medium." It is, to be fair, watchable enough, if watched uncritically, and not without flashes of high craft; art and inspiration are a little beyond its grasp. … "
The Portland Oregonian says:
"… it's not half bad … So why did it leave such a sour taste in my mouth? Maybe it was all the dead kids. … Arquette does a fine job of keeping her character's feet on the ground, even as her luminous eyes peer off into the ether. … the first two episodes make clever use of the tension between the mortal and spirit worlds. Strung between the magical and the horrific, the show is haunted with possibility. Keep your eyes on the crystal ball to see if it amounts to anything. "