10 Best Psychic And Medium Paranormal Reality TV Shows
Many people could not have predicted that shows like Seatbelt Psychic and Hollywood Medium would be the best psychic and medium reality shows.
With the Halloween season quickly approaching, reality TV junkies are looking for a spooky good time to chill their bones. Psychics and mediums have been occult staples for centuries, and their encounters with the other side can be creepy and uplifting in equal measure.
From talk shows like Crossing Over with John Edward to personality-based reality shows like Long Island Medium, psychics have made the jump to TV quite successfully. Though there has been an abundance of shows on TV about them, only the best psychic and medium programs are worth conjuring up.
Crossing Over With John Edward (2000-2004)
Self-proclaimed medium John Edward was all the rage in the early-2000s and his program Crossing Over broadcasted his services right into the world's living rooms. Edward makes connections with the other side that pertain to personal stories from the studio audience's lives.
On top of the random readings, the series would also frequently invite on celebrity guests who would receive readings from Edward. Naturally, the show's wide exposure resulted in questions of its veracity, but whether the viewer is a believer or not, Edward always delivered an entertaining experience.
Rescue Mediums (2006-2011)
As the name implied, Rescue Mediums took the services of the spiritual conduits and applied them to real-world problems. Traveling all across the country, two quirky mediums help various people who are tormented by ghastly spirits.
Over-the-top and always a spectacle, the personalities of Jackie Dennison and Alison Wynne-Rider were at the forefront of each episode. While the formula was a bit redundant at times, it was interesting to see just how many people called on mediums for help to resolve their matters.
Long Island Medium (2010-2019)
While it is usually counted among some of the fakest reality shows on TV, Long Island Medium still had a healthy audience over its 10-year run. Theresa Caputo is the titular clairvoyant who, for a fee, allows people to communicate with their lost loved ones.
Caputo was the show's star, and it was the inside look at her personal life that really carried the program. Whether viewers believed in her or not, she often showed herself to be very intuitive with people's emotions. The people featured on the show were very authentic with their feelings, even if Caputo was not.
Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry (2016-Present)
Celebrity-fueled paranormal TV shows have been on the rise in recent years, and Hollywood Medium is one of the true A-listers of the genre. Consulting with all sorts of famous folks, medium Tyler Henry imparts messages to the stars from their deceased loved ones.
Significantly less cheesy than a lot of its predecessors, the stories featured on the show are not as cynical as the usual psychic and medium programs. Henry often shows himself to be a caring individual, and the star power that the show has been able to pull is quite impressive.
Psychic Kids: Children Of The Paranormal (2008-2010, 2019)
Like something ripped from the pages of an X-Men comic book, Psychic Kids is a truly unusual entry in the history of the paranormal reality TV show. Chip Coffey is a medium/psychic who travels the world helping out children who exhibit psychic abilities and connection to the spirit world.
Coffey has made the rounds in plenty of paranormal shows, and his personality is verbose enough to carry a reality series of his own. The kids steal the show though, and what Coffey often interprets as mystical abilities actually seem more like the usual trials and tribulations of being a kid.
America's Psychic Challenge (2007)
Existing as one of the strangest game shows of all time, America's Psychic Challenge was unfortunately canceled after only a single season. The competition pitted supposed psychics against one another in a test to see who truly possessed clairvoyant abilities.
More of an exposé than anything else, no contestant ever really wowed with their purported abilities. Its format meant it wasn't a show built to last, but it was exciting enough to watch on a weekly basis. Seeing the contestants fail was just as rewarding as seeing them succeed, and skeptics as well as believers could get something out of it.
Life After Death With Tyler Henry (2022-Present)
Tyler Henry has quickly positioned himself as the TV psychic for the 2020s, and Life After Death is his second series currently running. After years of serving the Hollywood elite with his special powers, Henry sets out on a cross-country journey to give readings to regular folks who need him most.
Shining as one of Netflix's best new reality shows of 2022, Henry is his usual outgoing self with his regular Joe clients. Though it lacks the star power of his other series, Life After Death has more emotional weight as his clients recount tragic tales of lost loved ones. As always, veracity is a question, but Henry quells those fears by being open and human with his guests.
Kindred Spirits (2016-Present)
With the rise of shows like Ghost Hunters, a wealth of copycat programs have sprung up in its wake, but a few have been as compelling as Kindred Spirits. A pair of ghost hunters venture out into the world to help families who are haunted by malevolent spirits.
Using their unique abilities to try to communicate with the ghosts, the show has a more therapeutic tone than the usual ghost programs. Even if it isn't as scary as others, there is still a bit of chilling terror to the show as families recount their personal experiences with not-so-friendly apparitions from the other side.
Seatbelt Psychic (2018)
With mysticism on the go, Seatbelt Psychic is the perfect paranormal reality show for the hustling and bustling internet age. Thomas John is a medium who operates a ride-share service in which he gives his customers a reading while he drives them to their destinations.
The format of the show was wholly original, and the on-the-fly nature seemed to lend a bit more truth to the entire experience. Though it only lasted one short season, each episode was fast-paced and diverse with the types of readings John would give. Cash Cab gave contestants a chance to win money, and Seatbelt Psychic gave them a chance to be enlightened.
Psychic Investigators (2006-2009)
The word "true" usually doesn't go anywhere near a show about psychics and mediums, but Psychic Investigators blended the worlds of true crime and the paranormal together. Using dramatic reenactments and interviews, the show recounts real-life tales of crimes that were solved thanks to the work of psychics and mediums.
Scratching two itches at once, Psychic Investigators was the perfect show for the true crime junkie and the occult fan simultaneously. The blending of police work into the stories lends it an air of believability, and some claims on the show are truly extraordinary.