Medium

CHICAGO – Did you miss the DVD Round-Up? Well, it’s back with as diverse a selection as we’ve seen in some time. The purpose of the DVD Round-Up is to catch the titles that might otherwise fall through the cracks. With everything going on this crazy summer, we may not have time to devote full-length reviews to these five possible gems but we wanted to make sure you knew they were out there, waiting for your hard-earned dollar.

CHICAGO – FOX’s new supernatural drama “Past Life” is a laughable waste of time, a show that feels like an inferior version of a dozen other programs, coming off as a weak variation on “Medium,” “The Ghost Whisperer,” and countless other procedurals.

CHICAGO – Over the course of dozens of editions of HollywoodChicago.com’s DVD Round-Up column, we have brought our readers more than a few collections that possessed a remarkable variety of genres in one piece, but few match this week’s column, a quartet of titles that include supernatural drama, reality television, foreign animation, and classic fantasy.

CHICAGO – When NBC committed five hours a week to “The Jay Leno Show,” we knew a few corners would have to be cut when it came to scripted programming at the peacock network but no one really expected that the consistent (both creatively and in the ratings) “Medium” would get the axe.

CHICAGO – In a relatively shocking announcement as a part of fall schedule upfronts this week, CBS actually pulled the trigger on “Without a Trace,” a show that had reportedly gotten too expensive for the network. There were rumors that they may do the same with “Cold Case,” but that show will return with on-the-bubble shows “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Rules of Engagement” also being miraculously renewed and “Medium” being saved.

CHICAGO – We told you a few weeks ago that “Heroes,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Southland” had been renewed by NBC but the peacock network made it official today and made the call on the bubble shows, renewing “Chuck” and “Law & Order” and pulling the trigger on “Medium” and “My Name is Earl” although there are rumors of both shows being eyed by other networks.

CHICAGO – NBC held a special “in-front” announcement yesterday, two weeks in front of the standard upfront presentations and revealed six news series for the fall while leaving some beloved programs up in the air. On the bubble shows “Southland” and “Heroes” were renewed, but the jury is still out on “Chuck,” “Medium,” “Law & Order,” and “My Name is Earl”.

Television Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Medium” is like TV comfort food. NBC’s paranormal mystery will never break new ground but is almost always entertaining. Each episode and overall season has a way of blending into each other, but there’s something comforting about a Monday night staple that is, at the very least, consistently satisfactory and sometimes better.