Whisperer Isn't Medium 2.0
Jennifer Love Hewitt, who stars as a newlywed psychic in CBS' upcoming supernatural series Ghost Whisperer, told SCI FI Wire that she's not worried about inevitable comparisons with NBC's similarly themed Medium because she feels the two shows stand apart. "I'm not very concerned with them, because all we have is a pilot," Hewitt (Party of Five) said in an interview at CBS' fall press preview in Beverly Hills, Calif., on July 19. "And I think that when you really start to see the shape of this series, it is very different. I think it's different for lots of reasons. Here are the comparisons: We're both female. We're both married. And we both happen to be able to ... deal with the dead and the afterlife."
In the series, which is "inspired" by the work of avowed mediums James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski, Hewitt plays Melinda Gordon, a young wife who finds herself communing with the spirits of the departed. Though it superficially resembles Medium—which stars the Emmy-nominated Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois, based on the real-life psychic of the same name—Hewitt said that the shows have distinct differences.
"The difference is, she sees them only them in dreams," Hewitt said. "I deal with them up close and personal. They're in my living room. I cry over their stories. I'm their last, best friend on Earth. And I have a new marriage, not an established marriage, and I don't solve crimes for them. I solve crimes of their heart, which is completely different. And I think that that will show itself."
Hewitt admitted that she's a fan of Medium, which returns for a second season on NBC in the fall. "But you know what? It's an honor to be talked about in the same sentence when you're a new show with a hit show," Hewitt said. "She's great on that show. I love that show. I watch that show. ... I'm glad we're not on the same night, because it would be very tough for me to decide which one to watch. ... I think this show will kind of speak for itself once people get to know better what it's about. It's hard after only one episode, I really think that." Medium airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Ghost Whisperer will air Fridays at 8 p.m.
Arquette OK With Ghost Comparison
Patricia Arquette, who recently received an Emmy nomination for her role in the supernatural series Medium, told SCI FI Wire that she doesn't mind her show being compared to the new Jennifer Love Hewitt series Ghost Whisperer, which has a similar premise. "I don't think we'll necessarily have the same audience," she said in an interview at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. "So I don't think it's necessarily a problem anyway. I don't want to ever wish anyone bad. It's like bad karma. It's not a good way to live your life. Whatever's supposed to be is supposed to be."
On Medium, Arquette plays Allison Dubois, a character based on a real-life psychic who uses her abilities to help solve crimes. On Ghost Whisperer, Hewitt plays Melinda Gordon, a psychic who helps ghosts resolve unfinished business so they can pass into the next world.
Arquette said that she wasn't surprised to hear that there was another show coming with a similar theme. "I do think it is a complement," she said. "And I did think when I read this script [for Medium], I thought, 'Damn, that's a good idea.' And it's sort of way late in coming. Like, why haven't we already done this?"
Arquette added that she has no hard feelings against Hewitt, whom she's never met. "She's supposed to be a really sweet lady," she said. "So I wish her well and everything." Medium airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Ghost Whisperer will air Fridays at 8 p.m.
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