ABC Family has tried several reality series over the years without any bonafide successes. The network’s current lineup includes Job or No Job, Next Step Realty: NYC, Startup-U and Becoming Us. And on August 25th, a fifth reality series gets added to their current programming schedule, Monica the Medium.
If this were a scripted series, it would sound like a successor to That’s So Raven. Monica is your average girly girl going to college and loving life. She’s relatable, likable and it’s easy to feel like you know her. But when shopping with Monica, you may be taken aback when she approaches a stranger and starts to pass on messages from the other side. Because Monica has a special gift: she can speak to the dead.
The series instantly draws comparisons to Long Island Medium on TLC, which has been going strong since 2011. The big difference here is that Monica is fairly new to this, she only recently discovered that she has this power. And while TLC’s series uses Theresa Caputo’s thick accent and bold personality as a gimmick, Monica is much more toned down by comparison. It’s also admirable that while Monica has a talent that she could profiteer from immediately, she values a college education and offers up her services to strangers free of charge (although she is making money off the reality series, so there’s that).
One of the things I really enjoyed about the first episode, “Blind Date Surprise,” is that Monica’s really not out to prove her talents to you. In her circle of friends and family, she has skeptics. Her mother, who is devoutly religious, discourages her daughter from doing this. And one friend even asks “How do you know it’s a spirit and not just a random thought in your head?” The episode certainly has some moments that feel staged, such as a scene where Monica and her friends talk about their excitement for the new semester and provide a heck-of-a-lot of exposition. But the moments where she passes on messages from spirits seem genuine. And if it is a hoax, these people at least seem to feel comforted by her words and that is touching to witness.
Reality shows typically disinterest me. There’s been the occasional guilty pleasure, such as Jersey Shore and The Osbornes, but its rare that I get sucked in long term. But Monica the Medium really captivated me and my DVR was surprised when I asked it to setup a recurring recording pattern. It made a face like Raven receiving a psychic premonition. We’ll see how long it takes for me to lose interest, but for now I’m a fan.