Long Island Medium
| Long Island Medium | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Starring |
Theresa Caputo Larry Caputo Larry Caputo Jr. Victoria Caputo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 117 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 to 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Magilla Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | TLC |
| Picture format | |
| Original release | September 25, 2011 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
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.
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".
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."
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:
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Wikipedia