Ghost Whisperer is an American television drama-fantasy-thriller created by John Gray about the main character, Melinda Gordon, who lives in the fictional town of Grandview with her husband Jim and has the ability to see and communicate with the dead.
The series originally aired in the USA on CBS from 23 September, 2005 to 21 May, 2010. There are 107 hour-long episodes in five seasons. It was cancelled by CBS on 18 May, 2010.
Ghost Whisperer originally premiered in South Africa on DStv's GO channel on Wednesday 21 June 2006, at 20h00. It was moved to DStv's M-Net Action channel from Season 4, after GO was restructured to become Vuzu. It later aired on SABC2.
See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 5 premiered on SABC2 on Saturday 8 March 2014, at 18h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 22 episodes in the fifth and final season.
Synopsis
Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) has a gift - she can communicate with earthbound spirits or ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business in our world preventing them from "crossing over" or going into the light.
Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and of Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with earth bound spirits, Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death.
Melinda navigates between the dead and the living with her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending and sometimes amusing actions as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt.
Although she is very good at being an intermediary she never publicizes this gift instead is known around town as a newlywed and the owner of the successful antiques store, Same As it Never Was.
Firefighter Jim Clancy (David Conrad), Melinda's husband, knows that being an intermediary between the living and dead can take an emotional toll on his wife and worries that he might not be able to protect her as well as he would like.
Melinda has also recently revealed her gift to new friend and employee, Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a single mom of teenager Ned Banks (Christoph Sanders).
Melinda fears what the consequences might be of drawing Delia into this unconventional world, as Delia, unlike her son Ned, is a bit skeptical of Melinda's gift - although she loves Melinda unconditionally as a friend.
Melinda has also shared her secret with Eli James (Jamie Kennedy), a psychology professor at Rockland University, who is a unique individual - he has the gift of hearing ghosts, but not seeing them.
For her part, Melinda accepts her unique abilities as a blessing and sometime curse, but always helps her clients, alive or dead, find emotional closure.
Melinda's opening narration is the best way to summarise the show:
"I just got married. I just moved to a small town. I just opened an antique shop. I might be just like you. Except from the time I was a little girl I knew I could talk to the dead. Earthbound spirits my grandmother called them. The ones who have not crossed over because they have unfinished business with the living and they come to me for help. To tell you my story, I have to tell you theirs."
Seasons
Season 1 (22 episodes)
Channel: GO | Premiere: 21 Jun 2006 | Finale: 15 Nov 2006 | Wednesdays, 20h00
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 3 Apr 2010 | Finale: 28 Aug 2010 | Saturdays, 18h30
Season 2 (22 episodes)
Channel: GO | Premiere: 18 Jun 2007 | Finale: 12 Nov 2007 | Mondays, 18h30
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 3 Dec 2011 | Finale: 28 Apr 2012 | Saturdays, 18h30
Season 3 (18 episodes)
Channel: GO | Premiere: 28 Apr 2008 | Finale: 1 Sep 2008 | Mondays, 18h30
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 13 Oct 2012 | Finale: 9 Feb 2013 | Saturdays, 18h30
Season 4 (23 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 11 Aug 2009 | Finale: 12 Jan 2010 | Tuesdays, 19h00
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 18 May 2013 | Finale: 30 Nov 2013 | Saturdays, 18h30
Season 5 (22 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 22 Jun 2010 | Finale: 16 Nov 2010 | Tuesdays, 19h00
Channel: SABC2 | Premiere: 8 Mar 2014 | Finale: 2 Aug 2014 | Saturdays, 18h30