In modern TV series, unfortunately, it’s rare to find a central character whose marriage is not only present but also healthy and remains intact throughout the entire story.
Usually, if a modern series features a protagonist with a unique profession or extraordinary abilities, they are often a loner who may or may not suffer from it. After completing their important work and high mission—which takes up most of their day—they return to their separate (somehow always tidy) apartment and spend time alone. Or with a pet, which somehow manages to preserve its mental health despite such a lifestyle.
Perhaps it’s a challenging task for screenwriters to integrate a protagonist’s personal life—including relationships with loved ones and everyday household “details”—into their story, as that’s what life is truly made of.
The creators of the series Medium have succeeded in tackling this complex challenge. Medium follows the life of Allison DuBois, the main character, who can see events through the eyes of others and experience crimes in her dreams. She has a family, children, and a job where she uses her abilities.
In her family, there’s no adultery, abuse, or sexual perversions. None of her three daughters are drug addicts, suffer from anorexia, or are teenage mothers.
The couple loves each other and cherishes their children. The family situations depicted lack the clichés typical of sitcoms.
Yet the series has seven seasons and is widely recognized by audiences. The protagonist’s life and her family are portrayed with great appeal. Like in real family life, conflicts here arise as clashes of interests rather than petty arguments—and they occur every day. Between the couple—who will drop off or pick up the kids from school since both work. In the protagonist’s life—can she balance completing her education as an adult, motherhood, work, and maintaining a good relationship with her husband? Among the children—who gets ready quickly for school in the morning, who takes too long, and who might even borrow their older sister’s things or spend ages in the bathroom. How can both adults perform their jobs well without revealing the protagonist’s special abilities? How can the husband prepare a surprise for his wife’s birthday when she’s a medium? And how can he pass a lie detector test when asked if any family member could learn confidential information about his work?
If you set aside the series’ fantastical elements, what remains is a life full of conflicts—yet filled with love and mutual respect, where conflicts are resolved without escalating into arguments. And if an argument does break out, a solution is always found.
