TV Week: 'Medium'

Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of NBC's current hit Medium is also the man behind the celebrated comedy "Moonlighting." Caron also wrote for the detective series "Remington Steele," and his bantering dialogue style is a signature. Patricia Arquette, star of "Medium," says that Caron's give-and-take style sometimes even crops up in lighter scenes of the series, which centers on a psychic who sees clues to crimes in her dreams.

Caron, who describes his current show as "a sneaky romance, a solid relationship between a woman who dreams the future and her husband who's so down to earth," was online Monday, March 3, at 1 p.m. ET to answer questions about "Medium" (TV Week cover story) and his past programs as well.

A transcript follows.

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Glenn Gordon Caron: Hi. This is Glenn. I will try to answer as many questions as possible. I am flattered that you all showed up, so let's start!

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Washington, D.C.: As a deaf TV viewer, Medium is one of my favorite TV shows. I was pleased to see a deaf character on last week's show; makes me wonder if Allison Dubois has actually aided a deaf client in real life experience and learned sign language? Thanks for your time.

Glenn Gordon Caron: A great question. Wish I knew the answer. Allison has shared many experiences with me, but I do not actually recall an encounter with a deaf person.

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Washington "Medium" Lovers: My wife and I watch "Medium" together every episode, every Monday, all winter long. It's our only "appointment TV." (We also both loved "Moonlighting," but my wife tells me she used to watch it religously with her FIRST husband -- and we're married 19 years!) We love the kids, the husband, Patricia Arquette, the guests and the story lines (most importantly). We marvel at here beauty and the love of her husband and the awkwardness of her kids. Thanks.

Glenn Gordon Caron: No. Thank you!

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Chicago, Ill.: Hi Glenn,

Medium distinguishes itself for me from other mystery shows not just through its compelling and realistic family relationships, but also because it has really good puzzles that are difficult to figure out but always play fair. I've been wondering lately if the show's structure, which usually involves Alison figuring out the mystery by receiving a psychic vision, makes it easier for the writers to create a compelling mystery than the same story would on other shows -- you can control exactly what information the viewer gets to provide misdirection. Is this a concern for you in writing the show?

Glenn Gordon Caron: I actually believe it makes it harder, but obviously I'm biased. The key is the phrase you use..."play fair". Other shows can hop around to different characters perspectives, but our show uses a more "Hitchcockian" model which relies heavily on seeing things uniquely through Allison's "eyes" (or dreams).

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Omaha, Neb.: What really turned me on to "Medium" is the perfectly depicted banality of domestic life. The house is always messy, dinner is haphazardly thrown together, and there are missed piano recitals and last minute homework projects coupled with the more dramatic murder and intrigue plot lines. My favorite scenes are the teeth brushing scenes -- husband and wife finally getting their first five minutes of alone time and it's in the bathroom, brushing their teeth, talking about their day. Many shows, especially dramas, strive to create that essence of normalcy "oh and in addition to an exciting job our gorgeous heroine has a messy living room -- isn't this believable." "Medium" has a beautiful realism that I have yet to see duplicated in any other television show. No question here, I'm just glad I can get a "well done" message to a member of the show. (P.S. I would like to nominate the middle daughter, the one with the amazing cheeks, as one of the cutest kids in television).

Glenn Gordon Caron: Thanks for the kind words.

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Indianapolis, Ind.: Two comments:

One, I love, love 'Medium.'

And two, the silent movie opening to last week's episode was perfect.

Thanks for a great show!

Glenn Gordon Caron: Thanks. That was great fun to do. It was Moira Kirland's idea. She is one of our best writers and she knew she hit it out of the park when she came up with that. The cast and crew loved doing it so it pleases me that you liked it.

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Storylines: I've watched the show from the beginning and enjoy the writing and acting. I can accept the premise from season 1 that a violent death creates a disturbance in the "psychic energy field" that manifests itself as visions for Alison DuBois. However, I cannot reconcile that premise with her visions of alive-but-missing persons that predominate the scripts this season. Have the writers run out of visions-of-the-dead plots or is this change mainly to accommodate Angelica Houston's role?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Wow. Great question. Early on I was very much a stickler with regard to who the "author" of Allison's visions and dreams were. If she was getting a message from the beyond, who was it coming from, what was their agenda, what was their vantage point. I must admit that I have probably gotten less dogmatic about this over time. Thanks for the wake up call. I'll try to do better.

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Olney, Md.: While we watched the show from the first episode, last year's season was so violent, my wife couldn't take it anymore. Was there pressure from NBC to make it more explicitly violent (or maybe the right word is "morbid")? This year it appears to have gone back to being less morbid and we are watching it again.

Glenn Gordon Caron: The fault is mine...all mine. I believe a certain amount of darkness and I suppose violence is part and parcel of the world we depict. The real Allison is someone who is very much in touch with the darkest aspects of the human experience and I feel a certain obligation to honor that in the stories we tell. If I have offended you, I apologize. But I believe strongly that we make a show for adults, and that most of what we depict makes sense given the violent world in which we live.

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McLean, Va: Congratulations. Medium is a terrific show!

I like the mystery/supernatual element well enough, but what really draws me is that it has one of the most realistic depictions of a marriage and a family that I've seen anywhere on TV. This is a family that has problems most people can relate to. They struggle to deal with things in the best way they can and, amazingly, usually get it right. Through it all, it's a family that loves and respect the members. (And I have to say that "Joe" is the best husband on TV!)

Was this the vision for the show from the outset -- that there be such a strong focus on the personal/family element?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Yes. From the very beginning. If you go back to the pilot, the balance of family life versus crime story was already there...so much so that it made the network and the studio nervous. The good news is, we were ultimately allowed to make the show we wanted and people seem to have embraced it.

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Burtonsville, Md.: Hi Glenn --

I always loved Moonlighting and am a new fan of Medium. Can you tell me why it seems so many shows have a fascination with death -- Medium, Ghost Whisperer, Pushing Daisies and, of course, all the CSI shows?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Nope. Just mine. The show is fascinated with death because it is based on a real person who maintains that she is constantly in touch with the dead.

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Alexandria, Va.:"Medium" rocks, I really love the show. Two questions: do you think next year will be the last season and have you all -- thought about/already written/decided how to conclude -- the last show? I hope next year is not the last season, but I'd like the show to conclude your way vs. having NBC just not air a final show. Thanks.

Glenn Gordon Caron: I have not even pondered the possibility. I kind of hope we have lots of years left.

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Joe and Alison: Seriously -- this is one of the best shows on TV. Love it!

I also wanted to applaud you (and your writers) on the great depiction of a 'normal' married couple. Joe and Alison are so realistic and are seriously, probably, two of my favorite people on TV.

My Question:

Why did the show decide to 'out' Alison last year?

Glenn Gordon Caron: She was "out" in real life, and there was a sense that it would shake things up in a healthy way and give us a new way to tell stories. So far, I feel quite good about it. Wait til you see where the Anjelica Huston arc goes...and none of that would have been possible if Allison were still a secret.

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Indianapolis, Ind.: It's been shown that no proof of real paranormal activity exists, how can you keep doing a series that says it's based on a 'real medium' and not have a disclaimer of the paranormal? Don't you think it's unhealthy to promote beliefs in an unprovable world of spirits and ghosts?

Glenn Gordon Caron: The series is true to Allison's perception of the world. I too have questions about psychic phenomenon...but I also think it's arrogant to assume we know everything about how different people perceive the world and how individual sensitivities might allow certain people to intuit things that some of us can't understand.

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Arlington, Va.: My wife and I love the series, particularly because of the relationships of all the characters and the great writing/plots. Trouble is, the show has been moved around so much we have trouble catching it. Are episodes available online for viewing?

BTW, we would love to have more episodes with Kelsey Grammar. The episode he was featured in (and produced, I think) was outstanding!

Glenn Gordon Caron: The first three season are out on DVD. Episodes are also available briefly on NBC.com if you miss them. We love Kelsey too and would love to have him back but he's a busy guy!

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Alison duBois is a real person. I understand television has to take significant liberties on real life cases as your main goal is to keep a show interesting to viewers. Yet, myself and I am sure many other viewers are asking the same question: to what degree are the psychic powers that the real life Alison duBois similar or different from what is presented on TV?

Glenn Gordon Caron: The show is inspired by Allison's life and circumstances. Each individual episode though is largely an invention of myself and the other writers.

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Fairfax, Va.: One of the things I like about this show is the way it shows domestic life fairly honestly. The house sometimes looks messy, and Ms. Arquette doesn't wake up in full make-up. I applaud this, but wonder if you ever receive any static over such realism?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Quite the contrary. People seem to really appreciate it.

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Fairfax, Va.: HI there,

I've been watching the series and I have been intrigued about how the show weaves in common every day topics like sexuality and marriage, working mothers, supporting your spouse, hard talks about finances, the war in Iraq, broken families and such. Where do you derive such rich source material for the scripts? Do you have a muse (besides the woman PA's character is based on)?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Many muses. Mostly, though, I live in the same world you do. And the same things that weigh on you, weigh on me and whenever I can make them heard in the show, I do.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: To what degree does Alison duBois's real life mimic what we see in the series? For instance, did she really work for the District Attorney's office and, if so, did they use her psychic abilities on cases and, if so, did they really find her insights useful? If this similarities did exist, did the real Alison duBois then lose her job in the DA office or is that creative fiction?

Glenn Gordon Caron: Allison did work for the D.A. She did use her gifts to help prosecute criminals. At a point, when it became public knowledge that she was a psychic, it no longer made sense for Allison to continue in the D.A.'s office in an ongoing way.

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Guest Stars: Medium is awesome! The scariest episode ever, in my opinion, was the one in which Molly Ringwald guest-starred a couple of seasons back. My question: Do guest start audition for already created roles or do you lure a guest star on the show by writing something they're interested in. Oh, and I've also enjoyed Angelica Huston's guest appearances this season.

Glenn Gordon Caron: A little of both. Usually, the script isn't written yet when we first approach them. I make a lot of promises...dangle the chance to work with Patricia Arquette in front of them (the real incentive to work here)...plus offer them free lunches. We get more yes's than no's.

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The cast is great, esp. Arquette and Weber: but that little actress who plays the middle daughter is something of a magical, special, amazing find. What a find your entire cast huh? How'd you decide this chemistry would work so well?I hearted Now and Again too -- thought it was one of the best series ever.

Thanks for some great stuff -- both entertaining and provocative, and often, pure art.

Glenn Gordon Caron: Thanks for your kind words. I love casting and have been very fortunate in my career to find and develop a lot of interesting people. Having fought so tenaciously for Bruce Willis on Moonlighting taught me to trust my instincts. I am like a Lion when it comes to my casting choices. It's nice to hear they work for you.

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We love Joe: I heard that Jake Weber was unhappy over his role and asked for more or else. True? He does have meatier situations this season. We want to keep devoted Joe!

Glenn Gordon Caron: Jake Weber is a great actor, a good friend and a very happy fellow. Beware of statements on the Internet (including mine!) or quotes taken out of context.

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Washington, D.C.: One thing I've always found puzzling is why Allison has to keep proving herself on every show. Despite the fact that she's solved every case she's worked, the police department continues to be skeptical when she comes up with a lead. It's like the previous episodes never happened.

Glenn Gordon Caron: The simple truth is that most people...and almost all institutions of government are understandably skeptical of things they cannot see. Allison's dreams, while they are vivid to her and to us are not seen by anyone else and always involve a leap of faith. That accounts for the continued skepticism (at least that's what I tell myself).

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Glenn Gordon Caron: Thanks so much for all your questions. Believe it or not, we are still working on the show for next Monday, so I have to sign off. Be sure and watch tonight. One of our best episodes...and it was directed by Miguel Sandoval who plays D.A. Devlos!!!!

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