They're baaaaaaaccccccck!!!!!.....

by Dani M. Sanders
BellaOnline's Prime Time TV Editor

Like most shows, Ghost Whisperer got interrupted in the middle of its fall season by the 2007-2008 WGA strike. Well, there is good news for the loyal fans of this show. Ghost Whisperer will be returning to CBS on April 4, 2008 with six new episodes. The show stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and has aired on Friday nights at 8p since its debut in 2005.

Ghost Whisperer, like NBC's hit Medium, could be described as "main character sees dead people". However, unlike Medium, this show doesn't focus as much on the grisly deaths of the people. Ghost Whisperer is closer to a former CBS hit, Touched By an Angel. The main character, Melinda Gordon, comes from a long line of women who help the spirits of people who died but can't cross over into The Light because they have some unfinished business here on Earth. Although each episode in the first season began with some spooky occurrences such as furniture moving on its own, by the end it was usually revealed that the ghost was only trying to get Melinda's attention so she could give a living relative a message. I must admit that I kept a tissue handy for the inevitably tear-inducing final scene. This show was my guilty pleasure and stress reliever each week.

The season one finale brought changes to the show, making it darker and steering it away from the melodramatic aspects. Melinda's best friend and employee, Andrea, is killed in an airplane crash. This event introduces Melinda and the viewers to The Dark Side and the entities that want to keep spirits from moving into The Light. A new character is added who happens to be a skeptic when it comes to spirits and such. These two elements brought more conflict to the show. It is no longer a guaranteed weeper for me, but I welcome the depth that the added tension has added to the episodes.

As far as family friendliness is concerned, I would say anyone 13 and up could watch Ghost Whisperer. The only reason I wouldn't recommend anyone younger is because they might not understand the plot, not because of any objectionable content. There is rarely any foul language on the show. Most of the violence is usually in relation to how a person died and it is spoken about, not shown on screen. There is no sexual content, unless you count the amount of time Melinda spends in a negligee. Even that is in context; Melinda and her husband both work long hours and usually discuss her cases at night while preparing for bed.

I would say that Ghost Whisperer is the type of show that comes to mind when I think of CBS shows. It probably wouldn't appeal to kids, but you wouldn't have to turn the channel if your little ones came in the room. You wouldn't be embarrassed to watch it with your grandmother, either. That's my definition of perfect prime time programming.