...When All is Said and Dunn

Most weekday daytime television is by nature a vast wasteland of shows that you can live without. Some shows, with the exception of the news, don’t even deserve to be viewed or aired, no less produced. Working out of my home office I usually have on the TV, tuned to the news and muted most of the time.

During lulls in the work action I will change channels and I am always appalled at the absolutely mindless tripe that makes up the fare that is shown. I mean how many court TV shows does the American public need? Judge Mathis, The Peoples Court, Texas Justice, and the incredibly irritating Judge Judy. I’m sorry, but if any of these judges were worth their weight in legal briefs wouldn’t they be presiding over a legitimate courtroom? Lights, Cameras, Litigate!

Then there are the shows that are like cockroaches, the dreaded daytime “talk shows” and I use the term very, very loosely. Jerry Springer, Ricky Lake, Montel Williams, and Maury Povich exploit every human frailty, real and imagined, all for the sake of ratings. But I’ve been on this soapbox in the past and I can only take solace in the fact that one of the roaches has vanished from the landscape. Rest in peace Sally Jesse, before you left we learned more than we ever wanted to.

Lately there have been a couple of bright spots on this otherwise bleak terrain. But in order to appreciate it you have to come with an open mind. To be honest, even if you don’t, if you watch either of them more than once the chances are your mind will be opened for you. The shows are called “Crossing Over” and “Beyond.” They both feature nationally known mediums and deal with communicating with the deceased.

Most of the time when somebody mentions the terms “psychic” or “medium” people will roll their eyes and get that expression on their faces that says “you must be kidding.” Generally, most people who are uneducated on this subject, and without an open mind, equate a medium or psychic’s abilities with the same amount of respect as they do the existence of little green men.

Trust me, I understand. The assessment of mediums or psychics is not without a history considering how many fakes are out there and have been for decades. The great magician Harry Houdini, during the final 13 years of his life, made it his mission to expose fake spiritualists as they were called then. After his mother had passed he sought out mediums to help him contact her on the other side. While doing so he found so many phonies that he went after them exposing their tricks and shams. In 1926 he went so far as to offer $10,000.00 to any medium that he couldn’t expose as a fake.

So it is no wonder that after years of skepticism, and the fantasy of psychics portrayed in the movies, that most people react the way they do when hearing the term medium. That is until now. I kid you not. Buried in the middle of daytime TV hell are two shows that should be in prime time and should be proof to all that there are legitimate mediums, people who have the ability to communicate with the other side.

Both shows are identical in what they offer. Each has a well-known medium, John Edward is the host of Crossing Over and James Van Praagh is the host of Beyond. Both men are absolutely astounding in their ability to channel friends and family members to members of a studio audience. They challenge everything that you thought you knew about death and the hereafter with every person we see them talk to

What is amazing is how they validate each reading with the people they are talking to, not just after the reading but during as well. There are things that they bring up that there is no way they could know unless they were either (a) around these people 24 hours a day for the past decade or longer or (b) doing what they are claiming to be able to do - talking to someone who has passed over.

What makes these shows more important than anything that is currently on television is not just its paranormal entertainment value. It is the thought provoking questions that are asked and answered in the show and the ones you develop on your own while watching.

The most important service these shows offer is the closure they give to the living after the death of someone close to them. So many times death is so sudden that there is no time to say good-bye. Sometimes those in the living world feel guilty about one aspect or another after a death and these mediums allow those people to find peace. They help the living deal with their grief and get on with their lives.

There is one slight difference between Edward and Van Praagh. Even though both are good at what they do, Van Praagh also acts as a liaison to the police in unsolved crimes, which is always fascinating to watch. Edward may do this as well but I have yet to see him share this on his show.

I believe, and would love to see, both shows in prime time because both of these men transcend talent. They have that rarest of commodities, a true gift. It is a pathetic statement on the state of mind of television programmers that shows like Fear Factor and Dog Eat Dog have spots in prime time and these shows do not. I guess they figure that the majority of viewers would rather watch somebody eat raw bull testicles than possibly learn about what lies ahead of us after we leave this life.

I know a lot of you right now have got that look on your face and in your eyes, like I described at the beginning of this article. I am also willing to bet you haven’t seen either of these shows. I strongly suggest you watch either or both a few times. I mean really watch, before you pass judgment.

The one lesson that they both share on almost every episode is a very important reminder to all of us. To appreciate and love those closest to us while they are still in the physical world and don’t wait to express that love after they have passed to the spiritual one.

Crossing Over with John Edward airs Monday through Friday on KCAL channel 9 at 11:00 and 11:30 a.m.
Beyond with James Van Praagh airs Monday through Friday on KTLA channel 5 at 1:00 and 1:30 p.m.