Ghost Whispereris an Americansupernaturaltelevision series, which ran onCBSfrom September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.[1]
Ghost Whisperer | |
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Genre | |
Created by | John Gray |
Starring | |
Composers |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No.of seasons | 5 |
No.of episodes | 107(list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Jennifer Love Hewitt |
Running time | 42–44 minutes |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | September 23, 2005 May 21, 2010 | –
The series follows the life ofMelinda Gordon(Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate withghosts.While trying to live as normal a life as possible—she is married and owns an antique store—Melinda helps earthbound spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the light, or the spirit world. Her tasks are difficult and at times she struggles with people who push her away and do not believe in her gift. In addition, the ghosts are mysterious and sometimes menacing at first, and Melinda must use the clues available to her to understand the spirits' needs and help them.[2]The show was created byJohn Grayand was produced by Sander/Moses Productions, executive producer, and Jennifer Love Hewitt in association withABC StudiosandCBS Television Studios.[3]
On May 18, 2010, CBS canceled the series after five seasons.[4]
Premise
editMelinda Gordon(Jennifer Love Hewitt) is a young woman from the town ofGrandview, New York,who has the ability to see and communicate with the dead. Melinda lives with her husband,Jim Clancy(David Conrad), and later their sonAiden(Connor Gibbs). She owns a shop called "Same as It Never Was Antiques".
Each ghost seeks Melinda's help in relaying a message or completing a task that will put their spirit to rest, and allow them to cross over into the light. Those who died with unfinished business become earthbound and cannot cross over, and Melinda, as their earthly representative, helps them to find peace. The show does not present the ghosts as having sinned; rather it is the spirits' own guilt that condemns them, and their own fear of judgment that keeps them from "crossing over" into an afterlife.
The series also starredAisha TylerasAndrea Marino,Melinda's best friend, who runs the antique shop with her. Andrea is killed in the finale of season 1 when she was driving to her brother's apartment located in the city. During the premiere of season 2, Melinda meets Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a struggling real estate agent who forms a friendship with Melinda and who eventually agrees to run the antique shop with her. Delia is a widow. Her husband died prior to the show. Delia is shocked to find out about Melinda's abilities; in fact, at first she claims Melinda needspsychological help.Delia eventually accepts Melinda's gift, though she remains skeptical at times. Delia has a son named Ned Banks (Tyler Patrick JonesandChristoph Sanders) who finds out about Melinda's gift long before his mother does.
Melinda also forms a friendship with Rick Payne (Jay Mohr), a professor at Rockland University. He helps Melinda solve the conflicts of ghosts throughout theGhost Whispererseason 2 and season 3. He departs in the fourth season premiere for an expedition in theHimalayas.The same episode introduced Eli James (Jamie Kennedy), another professor at the university, who goes through a near-death experience which unlocks an ability to hear ghosts. Unlike Melinda, he cannot see them. He becomes a close friend to Melinda and helps her investigate the hauntings.
Episodes
editCast
edit- Jennifer Love HewittasMelinda Gordon
- Aisha TylerasAndrea Marino(seasons 1–2)
- David ConradasJim Clancy / Sam Lucas
- Camryn ManheimasDelia Banks(seasons 2–5)
- Jay MohrasProfessor Rick Payne(season 3; recurring, season 2; special guest, season 4)
- Christoph SandersasNed Banks(seasons 4–5; recurring, season 3)[c]
- Jamie KennedyasProfessor Eli James(seasons 4–5)
Notes
edit- ^Known asParamount Network Televisionfor season 1 andCBS Paramount Network Televisionfor seasons 2–4
- ^Known asTouchstone Televisionfor seasons 1–2
- ^Tyler Patrick Jonesplayed the character in season 2.
Production
editDevelopment
editGhost Whispereris based in part on the work ofMary Ann Winkowski.[5]Development of the show dates back to at least two years before its premiere.[6]James Van Praaghwas a co-executive producer and consultant on the show.[7]
The show was produced by Sander/Moses Productions in association withCBS Television Studios(originallyParamount Network Television) in season one andABC Studios(originally Touchstone Television in the first two seasons) andCBS Paramount Network Televisionin seasons two to four.
The show was filmed on theUniversal Studiosback lot in Los Angeles.[8]Cast and crew members said they believed that the set got visits from real spirits.[9]After the show's cancellation and shortly before the sets were torn down, Jennifer Love Hewitt filmed a tour demonstrating the ways in which the areas were different from those shown in the TV broadcast.[10]
Sound effects were completed at Smart Post Sound.[11]Visual effects for the pilot and some season one episodes were completed at Flash Film Works.[12]Visual effects for nearly the entire series were created at Eden FX.[13]Roy Forge Smith,who frequently collaborated with John Gary, was theproduction designeron 44 episodes of the show, spanning two seasons, from 2005 to 2007.[14]
Release
editBroadcast
editSeason one premiered on September 23, 2005, and ended on May 5, 2006. It received an average of 10.20million viewers. Season two ofGhost Whispererpremiered on September 22, 2006, and ended on May 11, 2007, again airing Friday nights on CBS during the same timeslot.[citation needed]CBS officially renewed the show for a third season placing it in its regular Friday 8 p.m. ET time slot. The third season premiered September 28, 2007. Twelve episodes were completed before theWriters Guild of America strike,and once the strike ended, CBS had announced that the show would return April 4, 2008, with six episodes.[15]On February 15, 2008,CBSrenewedGhost Whispererfor a fourth season.[16]For the fourth season,Jamie Kennedyjoined the cast as Psychology professor Eli James.Jay Mohrleft after the first episode as the plot had his character, Professor Rick Payne, going onsabbatical(Mohr took a role inGary Unmarried).[17]Recurring cast member Christoph Sanders joined as a regular cast member. The fourth season ofGhost Whispererpremiered on Friday, October 3, 2008, and concluded on May 15, 2009, and consisted of 23 episodes.[18]In an interview by P.K. Simonds with E! Online, it was announced thatGhost Whispererwould return for a fifth season.[19]CBS renewedGhost Whispererfor the fifth season on May 20, 2009, which began airing on Friday, September 25, 2009, at 8 p.m. ET and ran for 22 episodes.[20][21]
Syndication
editOn May 5, 2008, it was announced that the first three seasons ofGhost Whispererwere purchased for $169.8million ($700,000 per episode, per network) for syndication bySYFY,Ion Television,andWeTV.Episodes began airing in mid-2009 on ION, and in the third quarter of 2009 on SYFY and We.[22]The first four seasons began airing in syndication onCBC Televisionin Canada on August 31, 2009.[23]
Home media
editThe Region 1 DVD releases are distributed byParamount Home Entertainment/CBS DVD,while releases in all other regions are distributed byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment(formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment).
On March 17, 2015, CBS DVD releasedGhost Whisperer- The Complete serieson DVD in Region 1.[24]
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Streaming
editThe series is available to stream onThe CW's free digital-only network,CW Seed.[25]
The show's first 4 seasons are available onHuluin the US and all 5 seasons are available on its sister streaming serviceDisney+internationally.[26]
Reception
editU.S. ratings
editSeason | Episodes | Originally aired | U.S Seasonal rankings
(based on average total viewers per episode) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | Rank | Rating/share
(18–49 demo) |
Viewers
(in millions) | |||
1 | 22 | September 23, 2005 | May 5, 2006 | #47 | 2.9/10 | 10.20 | |
2 | 22 | September 22, 2006 | May 11, 2007 | #44 | 3.0/10 | 9.90 | |
3 | 18 | September 28, 2007 | May 16, 2008 | #64 | 2.4/8 | 8.67 | |
4 | 23 | October 3, 2008 | May 15, 2009 | #34 | 3.7/11 | 10.62[27] | |
5 | 22 | September 25, 2009 | May 21, 2010 | #54 | 1.9/6 | 7.78[28] |
Episodes in the first half of the fourth season won their time slot every week in viewers, and across all age demographics, including the 18–49 age bracket, and also usually won the night for CBS as the most-watched show on Friday nights.[29]Furthermore, fourteen episodes from Season 4 surpassed 10million viewers, of which seven surpassed 11million viewers.[30]
Cancellation
editOn May 18, 2010, citing rising costs and a decline in viewership, CBS announced thatGhost Whispererwould not be renewed for another season.[4]ABCexpressed interest in picking upGhost Whispererfor the 2010–11 U.S. television season;[31][32]however, on May 27, 2010, Michael Ausiello reported that ABC had passed on renewingGhost Whispererfor a sixth season.[33]
In 2010,Zap2itdeclaredGhost Whispererthe second "most missed axed show" after a poll determined 19.4 percent of voters would miss it.[34]
In October 2010, Jennifer Love Hewitt thanked the fans of the show for their support in a goodbye video (filmed in June 2010), saying "Your love and support has meant everything to the cast and crew ofGhost Whispererand we will all miss you guys very, very much. Go get our DVDs, think about us, miss us and know how much we all will miss you. Much love. "[10]
In January 2011, Hewitt told the press of her opinion about the cancellation, saying "When you've taken people on a journey for so long, the least you can do is give them a goodbye. For a show that was about unfinished business, we didn't get to finish."[35]
In January 2018, Hewitt was really adamant about a potential reboot or revival: "If they're going to redo it, then I have to go back and be the ghost whisperer because I am not giving up my" Ghost Whisperer "throne. That part just meant too much to me, and it was so much of who I was, I worked really hard to make Melinda who she is. So if they wanted to do a 10-episode revival on Netflix, like finishing the series or something, I'm happy to do that. But giving it over to somebody would crush me."[36]
Awards and nominations
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2018) |
Year | Group | Award | Recipient | Result | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | |
Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title Design | Ghost Whisperer | Nominated | ||
Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Television Actress | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | ||
Teen Choice Awards | TV—Choice Breakout Show | Ghost Whisperer | Nominated | ||
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Television Series (Comedy or Drama) – Guest Starring Young Actor | Joseph Castanon | Won | ||
2007 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress in a Television Program | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Won | [37] |
Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Episode: "Love Never Dies" | Nominated | ||
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | ||
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress | Jenna Boyd | Nominated | ||
2008 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Won | |
TV Land Awards | Favorite Character from the "Other Side" | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | ||
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actress | Isabelle Fuhrman | Nominated | ||
2009 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character) | Episode: "Slam" | Nominated | |
Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series | Episode: "Ghost In The Machine" | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (original Dramatic Score) | Episode: "Leap Of Faith" | Nominated | |||
Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | ||
Visual Effects Society Award | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series | Episode: "Ghost in the Machine" —Armen Kevorkian,Arthur J. Codron, Matt Scharf, & Stefan Bredereck | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial | Episode: "Save Our Souls" – Claridon Ship Shots, Eric Hance | Nominated | |||
2010 | Saturn Award | Best Series on Television | Ghost Whisperer | Nominated | |
Best Actress on Television | Jennifer Love Hewitt | Nominated | |||
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress | Madison Leisle | Nominated | ||
Guest Starring Young Actor 14 and Over | Hunter Gomez | Nominated | |||
2011 | Young Artist Awards | Guest Starring Young Actress Ten and Under | Joey King | Nominated | |
Guest Starring Young Actor 14–17 | Billy Unger | Nominated | |||
Guest Starring Young Actor 14–17 | Joey Luthman | Nominated | |||
Guest Starring Young Actress Ten and Under | Samantha Bailey | Won | |||
Recurring Young Actor Ten and Under | Connor Gibbs | Won |
In other media
editWebisodes
editGhost Whisperer: The Other Sideis a series ofwebisodesreleased on theGhost Whispererwebsite.[38]Starting in Season 2, a total of eight webisodes were produced for every season.
The first two seasons follow Zach (played byMark Hapka), a young delivery boy who dies while delivering a package. He soon learns how to do things in the spirit world, and gets revenge on his best friend Danny, who he thinks killed him. Season 3 of the webisodes deals with a ghost named Marc (played byJustin Loyal) trying to help his high school crush Olivia (played byJaimi Paige) find true love as her fiancé George does not love her. The fourth and final season of the webisodes deals with the ghost of a man named Bo (played byMatt Knudsen) who haunts James Tyler (played byMark Lutz) and his family after they move into their new home.
Melinda from the television series doesn't appear in the internet series as it takes place entirely in the spirit world. However, characters from the webisodes have appeared in the television series. In the second-season finale ofGhost Whisperer,Zach made an appearance while trying to get help from Melinda before being taken into the Dark Side, leaving the internet series in its own cliffhanger. Zach later made another appearance and crossed over in season three episode 16 ofGhost Whisperer.Marc and Olivia make brief and uncredited appearances in episode 21 of season 4 ofGhost Whisperer.
Internet promotion
editandshamethedevil.net[39]is a site linked toGhost Whisperer.The site is mentioned in the Season 3 premiere. By clicking on the star in the upper right hand corner, the site appears to crack into pieces. Those pieces can be moved by dragging, revealing this message: "Meet Me In The Underworld". Small type at the bottom of the page read the repeated words: "bloody mary. bloody mary. bloody mary." Also clicking on the word 'bloody', it leads to another site rubloodymary. There is a hidden message under the graphic. By holding down the mouse key and dragging it around, a new image will appear along with the message. andshamethedevil.net is no longer used as promotion for the show and has since been turned into an unrelated advertisingblog,although rubloodymary can still be accessed by typing the address into an address box in aweb browser.
In the series,penthius.infois often used by Melinda to look up information about the families and ghosts that she is investigating in Grandview. A real world version of this site was created in February 2008. The site description read: "Penthius.Info is a free search engine and video super site based on the search engine in the television series TheGhost WhispererwithJennifer Love Hewitt."It was first mentioned in a post on TV by misscalais,[40]a fan who created the site to promote the show.
Ghost Whisperer was also heavily promoted on the website,House of Ghost Whispererbuilt and maintained by Scott L. Spencer. As of today it is still active.
Video game
editIn July 2009, Legacy Interactive announced a licensing agreement with CBS Consumer Products to developa video game based on theGhost Whisperertelevision series.In January 2010, it was announced that the game was set to debut on thePCandMacand include characters and themes from the show.[41]On November 1, 2010, a developer diary was posted on the game's website, detailing areas in the game and confirming that Melinda, Jim, Delia and Eli will feature. The release date, which was initially early 2010, was changed to 2011 and the subtitle announced in the original press release,Shadowlands,was dropped from the game. The game was written by Emmy award-winning television writer Lance Gentile.[42]It was released on August 7, 2012, exclusively atWal-Mart.
See also
edit- List of ghost films
- El don de Alba(remake)
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