6.8 /10 1 Votes
8.5/10 TV Country of origin United States No. of seasons 9 Running time 22 to 42 minutes Production company Magilla Entertainment LLC Language English | 5/10 IMDb Starring Theresa Caputo Original language(s) English No. of episodes 117 First episode date 25 September 2011 Genre Reality television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Similar Monica the Medium, Hollywood Medium with Tyler, Princesses: Long Island, Sextuplets Take New York, Extreme Cheapskates Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Island Medium is a TLC reality television series starring Theresa Caputo, a purported medium who can communicate with the deceased. Much of the program, which premiered on September 25, 2011, takes place in Hicksville, New York, though it often follows Caputo as she meets with clients in other areas. The special "On the Road" episodes show surprise or impromptu readings with clients in other U.S. states or cities.
Contents
Caputo's claims have been deemed fictitious by some critics, ranging from experts such as magician James Randi, print publications including Wired, and television news programs like Inside Edition. Both Caputo and TLC have been criticized for profiting from what some consider a "charlatan" whose claims are "not true".
Synopsis
Each episode focuses on Theresa Caputo as she conducts private and group readings with both believers and skeptics. Her husband Larry and two children, Victoria and Larry Jr., have learned to live with her mediumship. In a 2011 interview, Caputo lied and claimed she had the ability to communicate with dead people: "Things are just there. When I was younger I used to actually see images and hear things. As I got older and shut down, it had changed. Because it was frightening to see people standing there who actually weren’t there."
Reception
The show has been a commercial success, running into 8 seasons, and the popularity has led to the star producing several books and a jewelry line. Fans describe it as entertaining and fun or amazing. The overall series is described in media review as pretty mild, but it may be disturbing to viewers who are uncomfortable with the topics of death and psychic ability.
Observers have expressed doubts as to the veracity of Caputo's abilities and suggest that the show's seemingly paranormal performances could simply be the result of age-old exploits like the Forer effect, cold reading, selective editing, and her subjects' eagerness to believe.
In 2012, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) awarded Caputo its Pigasus Award for being, in its view, the "psychic" performer who fooled the greatest number of people with the least effort in the preceding year. A Pigasus award was also given to TLC for continuing to air the show. In an article published by Wired Magazine the organization's founder James Randi explained why he believed shows like Long Island Medium were deceptive and potentially harmful to its participants:
Why do these pseudo-psychic spectacles bother those of us at the James Randi Educational Foundation? First, and foremost: They are not true. [...] But much more importantly to us, such performances seem to prey on people at their most vulnerable moments — those who have suffered the loss of loved ones — and these mediums use such grief to make a buck. Psychologists tell us this keeps the grieving stuck in their grief, rather than going through the natural stages of acceptance that are healthy.
In June of that year, Caputo appeared in a commercial for Priceline.com in which she portrayed herself "connecting" with the late Priceline Negotiator character previously played by William Shatner. However, this commercial has sparked controversy, since the commercial appears to make light of the Native American belief of smudging. JREF President DJ Grothe issued a statement decrying Priceline.com: "It is difficult to watch the show and not feel heartbroken for those who are desperate to hear from the departed... and even more so if they are being manipulated by a charlatan." Grothe urged the organization to have their new spokeswoman take the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge and prove her paranormal claims.
Inside Edition examined Caputo's claims of being able to talk to the dead and found them lacking. Inside Edition watched Caputo performing live and "watched her strike out time and again." Mark Edward, who used to portray himself as a medium much like Caputo's current occupation, gave his opinion that Caputo does not have supernatural powers and explained several common techniques she could be using to pretend to have such abilities. She responded in a statement: "I respect and understand skeptics. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, that's not why I do what I do. I feel, and have been told by my clients, that my gift has really helped them, and that's all that matters to me."
In 2014, investigator Ron Tebo publicly accused Caputo of fraud for pretending to be a psychic. According to Tebo's complaint, Caputo engages in several forms of deception, including sending staff members to interview audience members in advance in order to be able to pretend that she acquires knowledge from communicating with the deceased.
Not all the feedback from the show has been entirely negative. While noting that Caputo's claim of special powers "has been questioned", Variety's Gregg Goldstein described her in generally positive terms in a 2012 article, writing, "In an era of hit reality shows about families and denizens of New Jersey, the series' equally big selling point is the dynamic with her husband and two wisecracking teenagers, making it play like a combination of Real Housewives of New Jersey and Bewitched – particularly when their frustrations surface over her random communications with what she calls 'Spirit.'"