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Medium

She Sees What Others Can't.

2005–2011Ended7 seasons130 episodes~60 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

Allison Dubois works in the District Attorney’s office using her natural intuition about people and her ability to communicate with the dead to help to solve crimes. Her dreams often give her clues to the whereabouts of missing people.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Medium?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Medium streaming on Paramount+ and The Roku Channel (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Free

Rent / Buy

Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Medium?

Medium earns 3 badges, led by Award-winning performance and Crowd Pleaser.

  • Reception
  • Cast

Reception

Is Medium worth watching?

Medium's Midcredits score is the 61st percentile of all shows, from 34K ratings across 2 sources. 74% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

61st percentile

Better received than 61% of shows

55th percentile among Crime53rd percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)62nd
Approval (how many liked it)58th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

73 /100

62nd percentile of all shows

64th percentile among Crime54th percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.4 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

74% liked it

58th percentile of all shows

48th percentile among Crime51st percentile among 2000s
74% rated it 7–1026% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

96th percentile

34K ratings across platforms

93rd percentile among Crime93rd percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 5889% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Fans praised

  • Strong family dynamics between Allison, Joe, and their daughters as the show's emotional anchor
  • Creative dream sequences and symbolic visions that drive the crime-solving plots
  • Grounding the paranormal premise in relatable, everyday suburban family life

Detractors panned

  • Allison portrayed as selfish, whiny, and emotionally abusive toward her supportive husband
  • Repetitive formula of her waking from nightmares and coworkers constantly doubting her visions

What stands out

ActingDivisive75

Patricia Arquette polarizing—fans find her believable and Emmy-worthy; detractors cite monotone delivery, fake crying, and poor enunciation

AtmosphereDivisive75

Effective blend of supernatural dread and warm domesticity; some find violent content jarring next to cozy family scenes

Plot and storyDivisive70

Case-of-the-week format praised as intriguing and well-constructed; detractors call it formulaic and repetitive after several seasons

Emotional impactDivisive70

Many viewers deeply invested in family's joys and struggles; ending widely criticized as heart-wrenching

CharactersDivisive60

Family and supporting cast widely praised as realistic, but Allison's self-centeredness and Joe's martyrdom sharply divide opinion

OriginalityDivisive55

Premise not wholly new but praised for restrained treatment of psychic abilities and focus on family over spectacle

DialogueDivisive45

Repeated phrases like 'I don't know what to tell you' and stilted husband-wife exchanges noted as weak points

EndingDivisive35

Series finale widely panned for killing off Joe and abrupt, unsatisfying resolution

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Women

Women scored it 23 points higher than men.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users 7 points apart
  • US vs non-US 9 points apart

Episodes

7 seasons

Season 7 · 2010 · 13 episodes

  • S7E1

    Bring Your Daughter To Work Day

    Sep 24, 201044 min
  • S7E2

    The Match Game

    Oct 1, 201044 min
  • S7E3

    Means and Ends

    Oct 8, 201044 min
  • S7E4

    How to Kill a Good Guy

    Oct 15, 201045 min
  • S7E5

    Talk to the Hand

    Oct 22, 201044 min
  • S7E6

    Where Were You When...?

    Oct 29, 201043 min

Watch experience

What is Medium like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you feeling good.

Themes

  • Family bonds
  • Purpose
  • Justice

Feelings

  • Tense
  • Hopeful

Style

  • Warm
  • Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.

What it asks of you

  • Even-paced
  • Engaged
  • Affecting
  • Open-ended

Setting

  • Contemporary
  • Realistic
  • Suburban
  • Institutional
  • Domestic

Story

  • Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.

How it leaves you

  • Feel-good
  • Hopeful
exact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: middle
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Case of the week plus an arcNew arc each season
ToneThe show plays its supernatural premise straight, treating Allison's visions as a genuine gift, while maintaining a warm family atmosphere and solemn crime procedural tone.
The rideThe series maintains a consistent blend of crime-procedural tension and family warmth, with the middle stretch of the run often deepening the emotional and serialized arcs.
StructureEpisodes follow a conventional three-act structure where a crime is introduced, investigated, and resolved through Allison's visions.
Episode formatEach episode presents a self-contained case from the deceased, but ongoing arcs about Allison's abilities, her family, and recurring adversaries provide continuity.
Season formatWhile the core cast and premise remain constant, each season typically revolves around a major arc or seasonal mystery that is resolved by the finale, with episodic cases in between.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayThe show's balance of family warmth and crime resolution leaves a comforting and optimistic aftertaste.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% (this title) · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Predator: A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).

18% of shows fit this archetype

Why this archetypeEach episode features Allison DuBois using her psychic visions to help law enforcement track and stop a violent criminal, typically a murder suspect or predator.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% (this title) · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% (this title) · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11% (this title): Justice 14% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsPurposeJustice · 14% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe show balances Allison's crime-solving with her role as a mother and wife, exploring how her gift shapes her family life while she seeks justice for the dead.
StanceThe series observes the challenges of balancing a supernatural gift with ordinary life, rarely moralizing but presenting the psychological and familial strains realistically.

The world

Orchestral modernAmbientSupportive music · original score · Mark Snow
SettingSuburban Phoenix, Arizona, where Allison balances home life with her work as a police consultant.
MusicThe score features a recurring piano motif that underscores emotional family scenes and suspenseful revelations.

Content guide

Is Medium okay for kids?

TV-14

Medium is rated TV-14. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (58/100), sexual content at moderate (38/100), language at mild (22/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (22/100) and frightening material at moderate (52/100). Its sexual content, language and drug and alcohol content have too few votes to rank.

Ratings in 11 other countries
  • UK15
  • CanadaG
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • France16
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil16
  • MexicoAA
  • Netherlands12
  • PortugalNR
  • Spain13
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a TV-14 show
heavier than 59%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
too few votes to rank (8 votes)
Profanity
Mild
too few votes to rank (3 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
too few votes to rank (3 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-14 show
heavier than 53%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (37 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Medium have?

MovieCove's classifier found no depicted content warnings in Medium. 1 is mentioned only, in dialogue or backstory (behind the spoiler gate). Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes or plot synopsis; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

Screened from limited information, so some warnings may be missing.

Mentioned: referenced in dialogue or backstory, not shown in the story’s present.

Cast and crew

Who is in Medium?

Cast

1 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Patricia Arquette won the Emmy for this show.

Patricia Arquette
as Allison Dubois
Emmy win: Primetime Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Miguel Sandoval
as D.A. Manuel Devalos
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Sofia Vassilieva
as Ariel Dubois
Jake Weber
as Joe Dubois
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Feodor Lark
as Bridgette Dubois
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
David Cubitt
as Detective Lee Scanlon
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.
Miranda Carabello
as Marie Dubois
Madison Carabello
as Marie Dubois
Tina DiJoseph
as Lynn DiNovi
Bruce Gray
as Joe's Dad

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