August 5, 2005

CBS Introduces the Ghost Whisperer

By Jeff Belanger

This Fall, CBS is adding a new paranormal drama to their lineup of television shows and Ghostvillage.com got a sneak peek at the pilot episode. Ghost Whisperer is based on the work of mediums James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski. Van Praagh is an executive producer of the show that stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Aisha Tyler, and David Conrad. 

Here’s a snippet from the CBS press release on the show:

Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as Melinda Gordon, a newlywed who communicates with earthbound spirits – ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business which prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence we call life. Jim (Conrad), her husband, worries about the emotional toll this work is taking on his wife as they embark on a new life together. Andrea (Tyler), her friend and business partner in the antique store, is fascinated by Melinda’s talent. For her part, Melinda accepts her unique “abilities” as a blessing and sometimes curse, but always helps her clients – alive or dead – find emotional closure. By “releasing” the spirits from the shackles that bind them to this world, Melinda frees the living from ghostly residue that has for them become an otherworldly ball and chain.

I’m a fan of anything that promotes discussion of ghosts and the hereafter. Those who have been disappointed by other paranormal production’s that always take ghosts into the realm of horror will be delighted that Ghost Whisperer is more focused on the human experience and the emotions involved with the ghost contact. 

“Places aren’t haunted,” Hewitt’s character explains in the pilot. “People are haunted.” In Ghost Whisperer, Melinda Gordon explains how she perceives the spirit world works. The show follows the often quirky and emotionally charged contacts Gordon encounters in her daily life and her attempts to help these spirits finish the tasks they need to complete before they can move on.

Ghost Whisperer premieres this September on CBS and will air Friday nights from 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT. Definitely check it out.

Jeff Belanger is founder of Ghostvillage.com and is a regular contributor (obviously).