Why does GW work when other similar shows failed?
We caught an old episode of Tru Calling recently on the SciFi channel and it got us to wondering why so many shows with a premise like Ghost Whisperer fail? The Bears liked Tru Calling and it’s star Eliza Dushku is appealing in many of the same ways Jennifer is. But our interested in the show declined in the second season when they brought in a dark force in the form of her father and a “friend” who worked against Tru.
The other big failure in this area was Joan of Arcadia, the show that held the GW time slot and was canceled after two seasons just before Melinda and company came on the scene. Again, the show went down in ratings the second season when some dark forces were added to the mix.
Ghost Whisperer, in contrast, picked up viewers in its second season even though it also added dark elements. So what was the difference?
Our guess is that the other two shows faltered because of the isolation of the main character and the difficulty of understanding what was going on to create the supernatural events. That is, we didn’t know why Tru was being sent back to relive a day or why God was talking to Joan. With Melinda, it is clear that this is a trait that has run in her family for at least three generations and maybe more. And it is also clear that she has a calling to help these spirits cross over to the next level.
Mel is not isolated in the way the others were because several people know about her gift. In season one these included her mother, grandmother, husband, and partner. Season two added her new partner, her partner’s son, and the professor. So Mel is not alone. This gives her a lot of chances to discuss what she is trying to do and thus clear up plot points.
Also, the creators of GW have seemed to have studied these other shows that failed and made sure Melinda’s special power does not lock her into doing the same show again and again. Because the show is firmly anchored in the idea she is doing grief counseling with the departed, there is a whole range of possible plots -- all the ways people can die with unfinished business.
So we want to compliment the creators and writers of GW for avoiding the pitfalls of other shows that tried to explore similar topics and failed.
The other big failure in this area was Joan of Arcadia, the show that held the GW time slot and was canceled after two seasons just before Melinda and company came on the scene. Again, the show went down in ratings the second season when some dark forces were added to the mix.
Ghost Whisperer, in contrast, picked up viewers in its second season even though it also added dark elements. So what was the difference?
Our guess is that the other two shows faltered because of the isolation of the main character and the difficulty of understanding what was going on to create the supernatural events. That is, we didn’t know why Tru was being sent back to relive a day or why God was talking to Joan. With Melinda, it is clear that this is a trait that has run in her family for at least three generations and maybe more. And it is also clear that she has a calling to help these spirits cross over to the next level.
Mel is not isolated in the way the others were because several people know about her gift. In season one these included her mother, grandmother, husband, and partner. Season two added her new partner, her partner’s son, and the professor. So Mel is not alone. This gives her a lot of chances to discuss what she is trying to do and thus clear up plot points.
Also, the creators of GW have seemed to have studied these other shows that failed and made sure Melinda’s special power does not lock her into doing the same show again and again. Because the show is firmly anchored in the idea she is doing grief counseling with the departed, there is a whole range of possible plots -- all the ways people can die with unfinished business.
So we want to compliment the creators and writers of GW for avoiding the pitfalls of other shows that tried to explore similar topics and failed.
I think you have it, Bears! I have believed from the start, that a major attraction of "Ghost - Whisperer," is that the earthbound spirits, though they might initially be presented in a scary way,ultimately become people with unfinished issues, I and (I suspect),many others have an actual fear about this...to be removed or to have a loved one be removed from this life before I have the chance to say that I love them or to resolve or provide the means for others to resolve unfinished business, that I can't.
This premise was very apparent in the early episodes. Remember Kenny at the railway tracks? No Scary things there; just a little boy not understanding why his Mommy didnt come for him - of course not realizing he was dead.
The scary loook came along about the time of the "dead comic episode."
Introduction of "The Dark Force" (gasp!) is a device that is a direct attempt to scare the audience. Interestingly, all those old figures of "dread" are now the object of mirth. Dracula became Count Chockula on a cereal box; or "the Count" on Sesame Street;Frankenstein became the star of "The Munsters" -----and so on, through "The Mummy," and others.
I think avoiding the temtation to rely on those tired old icons of "scariness" is exactly right for "Ghost - Whisperer."
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