Review: Mom’s a Medium

So, what does one do if one hears voices in one’s head that can’t be shut off? Get a reality show, of course.

     CMT’s Mom’s a Medium follows Carmel, the titular mom/medium, who hears voices of spirits from nearly everyone she comes across. The problem is there’s no way to get away from them. It’s a pain as everywhere she goes—even the grocery store—the voices are there. So when the spirits of someone won’t shut up, she asks the person if they’re okay with mediums and tells them what she hears.

 

     All mediums likely face some skepticism and Carmel is no exception. For example, a woman who shows up to a group reading in the debut episode says she is skeptical of mediums, appearing indifferent to it. However, when Carmel tells her that her dead husband says she is beautiful, she’s in tears and “lost it.” In terms of skepticism, that’s pretty much as far as it goes.

     No one seems to give Carmel a hard time about the voices, which I find surprising as many of the things she says aren’t all that meaningful or could be said by anyone. Think about it, anyone could say they’re a medium, ask someone if they lost a relative and then tell that person that their loved one says they’re beautiful or they’re sending their love. I suppose you just have to have blind faith that what Carmel’s saying is true and she’s simply not pulling the wool over your eyes.

     Carmel is quite possibly one of the nicest, most genuine personalities on TV, so it’s easy to believe what she’s saying. Personality helps make or break reality shows and hers easily saves this show from being forgettable. In fact, it makes the show enjoyable and her family is great as well.

     Aside from Carmel’s readings, a good part of the debut episode is focused on the anxiety that she has with her critical mother coming for a visit. When Carmel’s mother is introduced and three of Carmel’s daughters are in the house with children of their own, you start to get a Mom vibe, which is funny because I thought Mom was a bit unrealistic as it had three generations of mothers under one roof and now we have that right here. The only difference on this show is that Carmel’s daughters just tend to stop by and don’t really live with her.

     Although this is a CMT show, it has virtually nothing to do with country music. Her son Keghan’s guitar strum, which lasts for about a second, is pretty much the closest the show comes to it. I suppose the show’s appeal to the country music market is that Carmel and her family live on a farm. The show plays off that and near the end of the debut episode the family and Carmel’s friends chase loose chickens across the yard.

     The camera guy was there to not only film that the chicken coop was left open, but also to film the chickens escaping. Why didn’t he just close the thing and go back to filming Carmel and co.? Well that would mean there wouldn’t be an ending to the episode you goof.

       Carmel’s family is like any other family and they have their squabbles, but they really love each other and it shows. It’s something that’s seems to be thrown into the show to make it relatable and it works. The rural family aspect seems to be a big part of Mom’s a Medium. The debut episode even has a nod to The Waltons where everyone says good night to each other and you see the lights go out. Thankfully, they’re not as dull as The Waltons…but arguably not by much.