As the fourth season of Ghost Whisperer begins, Melinda and Jim (Conrad) are discussing the possibility of having a baby. When Jim gets a call that there's a fire at Rockland University, they both rush to the location. Melinda is worried Payne might have been caught in the fire, since he's not answering his calls.

Melinda discovers Payne is fine, but paramedic Jim has to leap into action to resuscitate psychology professor Eli James (Kennedy), who has a near-death experience. Unfortunately, Fiona, a patient of Eli's, dies.

At the hospital, Melinda meets Eli and realizes he can hear ghosts but not see them. The ghostly Fiona seems to be trying to tell him something. But Eli doesn't believe in ghosts, and he doesn't want to have anything to do with a "nut job" like Melinda.

At Payne's office, the professor is packing up. He's headed off on a sabbatical, and Melinda isn't happy about it. Payne gives her some books on near-death experience and tells her it's entirely possible that's what caused Eli's ability.

Eli ends up in a bar, but the voices won't leave him alone. Inundated with ghosts who want his help, Eli begins freaking out and he asks the bartender to call Melinda. Unable to deny his ability any longer, Melinda gives him a crash course in the fine art of ghost whispering.

Meanwhile, Melinda has a ghostly watcher who seems to be keeping an eye on her, and Fiona has some unfinished business with Eli.

Bye Jay, hello Jamie

When Ghost Whisperer first appeared on the schedule, it seemed an unlikely candidate for success on Friday nights. But as the series enters its fourth season, Friday nights wouldn't be the same without Jennifer Love Hewitt sweetly trying to save the dead, one ghost at a time. It's a series that hasn't been afraid to kill off a main character and add new cast members to keep things lively, which has given it a depth it didn't start with.

Jay Mohr's Professor Payne has been a delightful addition to the series, and he'll be missed now that he's doing a CBS series of his own called Gary Unmarried. While Jamie Kennedy's Eli isn't as much fun as Payne, at least in the season premiere, "Firestarter," he has potential to be Ghost Whisperer's new resident smart aleck.

Overall, the premiere is standard Ghost Whisperer, with Melinda running around in a low-cut outfit trying to get people to walk into the light while trying to help the living come to terms with their loved one's passing.

But the big elephant in the room is last season's cliffhanger, where Payne and Melinda saw five shadows instead of six. The obvious thought was that Payne must be dead since, he noticed the missing shadow and no one else did, except Melinda. But Payne isn't dead, and there was no explanation.

Other elements are added that promise to weave some story arc possibilities, such as Melinda and Jim trying to get pregnant and a ghostly watcher who offers Melinda a warning. Those teases seem a bit weak for a premiere. The mythology from previous seasons doesn't seem to be in play, and there's no clear-cut direction on where the series will head. The producers have promised that Melinda will suffer her most difficult challenge ever. Now all we need is a mythology to hang that on.