TV Psychics
» Parabnormal
Variety ponders the popularity of television psychics:
Syracuse U.’s Bob Thompson says you don’t have to be a fervent believer in otherworldly powers to enjoy these shows.
“Because it’s spooky and mysterious, anything dealing with the afterlife and paranormal events has appeal,” says Nancy Dubuc, senior VP of nonfiction programs for A&E, which has commissioned a pilot called “Dead Time,” about a department of paranormal studies at Penn State U.
Fordham U.’s Paul Levinson has a different take.
“I see psychics as the equivalent of a wave of the magic wand to make your problems go away,” he says. “In a post-9/11 age of anxiety, with the Iraq war and rising gas prices, psychics can have the healing powers of the shamans and witch doctors of primitive tribes.”
Otherworldly powers influence nonfiction, scripted shows