Ghost Whisperer
Series Premiere

For one young bride, it's just another day at the office when she has to deal with the dead's unfinished business

	Ghost Whisperer Series Premiere
	Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad and Aisha Tyler
	Written and directed by John Gray
	CBS
	Premieres Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT

By Kathie Huddleston

ll her life, Melinda Gordon (Hewitt) has been asked by the dead to give messages to the living. It's a gift she inherited from her grandmother. Now, as a newlywed, despite her wish to let the dead rest for a while, spirits continue to reach out to her.

At her wedding reception, a ghostly apparition looks on as Melinda dances with her new husband. Later, forgoing a honeymoon while her paramedic husband, Jim (Conrad), works on their house, Melinda goes in to her antique shop. While her friend and co-worker Andrea (Tyler) pesters her about working during her honeymoon, Melinda goes through some incoming items. She finds an old military compass that mysteriously appeared in the shop.

When she goes home, Jim surprises her with some of the work he's done on their unfinished house. Later that night, Melinda sees a terrifying apparition, the ghost of a man that's asking for help. Somehow, she knows the ghost and the compass are related.

The next day, at a coffee shop, Melinda admits to Andrea that she didn't tell Jim about the ghost in their house. That's something that never happened to her before, because places aren't haunted, people are. Melinda believes this ghost is lost.

During another encounter with the ghost, Melinda discovers he is Sgt. Paul Adams (Wentworth Miller) and he's looking for his wife, who is pregnant with their child. As Melinda begins to investigate Paul's death and his life, she discovers he fought in Vietnam and was listed as missing in action. Despite her reservations about telling Paul's family what really happened to him, Melinda knows Paul has unfinished business with those he left behind.

Touched by a ghost

CBS's Ghost Whisperer delves into Medium territory, if in a more sentimental way. Unlike the NBC offering, Ghost doesn't involve a crime to kick off the action. Overall, it works on many of the same levels on which Touched by an Angel worked. It's a well-produced drama with good actors that goes right for the tear ducts, exploring the emotion of life and death.

Creator John Gray has a smooth touch with the material, and Jennifer Love Hewitt makes an appealing heroine. The few spooky moments don't last, and it doesn't take long to realize where this first episode is going. There are a few funny moments, such as when Melinda has to tell the guy at the VFW post that his dead wife wants him to know where she put the key to the safe-deposit box. It's a humorous scene, and it gives us a hint of what Melinda's life must be like on a daily basis.

While the story most certainly belongs to Melinda, the other members of the cast, David Conrad and Aisha Tyler, add to the story nicely, and the chemistry among the three works well. Several other character actors pop up in small bit roles, and they are faces you'll recognize.

The pilot, while not as heavy-handed as most episodes of Touched by an Angel, certainly does give us the touching moments that pull the heartstrings. At the end, it all gets wrapped up with a nice little bow. Now, that is decidedly un-Medium-like.

While some might blame Ghost Whisperer for the loss of Joan of Aracadia, it's not this show's fault for existing. Ghost is a little more sentimental than I like my television shows, but it deserves a shot. There's a reason why Touched by an Angel ran for nine years, also on CBS. Sometimes we just like our television shows wrapped with that nice little bow on top. —Kathie

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Also in this issue: 2005 Fall SF TV Preview: Part II, Just Like Heaven, Venom and Invasion Series Premiere

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Ghost Whisperer
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