Allison Learns the Art of Distraction! Plus, How Deep will 'Surface' Go?

Usually on Medium, Allison's visions are clues to solving some sort of crime -- whether it has been committed already or not -- but last night's episode deviated a bit from this norm. Instead of providing clues, these visions about Ariel were actually in place to distract Allison from the dreams that she was having at night. A familiar evil spirit from last season made another appearance, but instead of "whispering" into the ears of doctors to kill their young female patients, this spirit had now evolved to using a butcher at a local grocery store. As he told Allison, too many women go to female doctors now and the female doctors don't listen to his whispers. The opening dream of the episode clued Allison in to the butcher plot, but she was soon distracted by a new vision that involved Ariel. The spirit led Allison to believe that he was whispering into the ear of Ariel's crush's father, who just happened to be a doctor. Believing that Ariel was in danger, Allison assaulted the doctor and wound up in a jail cell overnight because there weren't any judges available on Sundays. She commented that the next time she decided to commit a crime, she'd be sure not to do it on a Sunday. In the end, the whole misunderstanding was revealed as such, the real victim was saved with not a moment too soon, and Ariel crush's moved on to a seventh grader. It was creepy, though, that the spirit was able to communicate and influence Ariel as he did, proving once again that this show is the master at looking at both the positives and the negatives of Allison's ability.

If you were watching last week's Surface, then you probably noticed that the promo at the end of the episode advertised that there were only four more episodes left for the season. This left many viewers wondering what was going on with the show since NBC supposedly picked it up for a full season. A lot of NBC programs have been shuffled a bit because the network is airing the Olympics next month, but Surface will not return when the network's coverage ceases, leaving the show with only 15 episodes instead of the usual full season 22. Along with the four (now three) more episodes, the promo also promises that all of our questions will be answered by the end of the season (which seems a lot more plausible now given last night's shocking revelation). So, what gives? Is Surface's future survival endangered? The show does decently well in its Monday night slot, usually finishing third. That doesn't sound too impressive, but in the context of the current NBC, it's not too bad. Had the show been on CBS or Fox, you can almost guarantee that it would not have made it as far as it has because those networks are both flourishing in the ratings. NBC is down, but certainly not out, which means that bubble shows like Surface, which get a decent but not earth-shattering audience, are most likely on the endangered list when it comes to a second season. Furthermore, NBC's decision to hold the show to 15 episodes coupled with its decision to end its first season before the Olympics, and not bring it back after, does not bode well for its continued success. Digging the knife in a little further is this from TV Guide columnist Matt Roush in his column Ask Matt:

My understanding is that this reduced order has to do with budget-cutting at NBC in a year of steep ratings and economic decline, and also because the Olympics and mid-season inventory have reduced the need for new episodes. But it's also just as likely a sign that the network is cutting its losses with this show. (The Book of Daniel is another show caught in the crunch. It went from an initial order of 13 episodes to the pilot plus seven.) It's too early to know if Surface will be renewed. I wouldn't count on it, but we won't know for sure until we see how NBC fares during the post-Olympics mid-season and with its development crop for next fall.

So, it looks like it's a waiting game for this show. My only hope is that we do learn all that's going on at the end of this season in case the show is left off NBC's Fall 2006 schedule. Either way, we'll see how things pan out on the show in three episodes and how they pan out for the show sometime this Spring when the networks announce their new schedules. Stay tuned!

About Last Night... CBS captured the first hour of the night with its comedies King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother, followed by ABC's Wife Swap and NBC's Surface. At 9, CBS stayed on top with comedies Two and a Half Men and Out of Practice, followed by NBC's Las Vegas and Fox's House. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by Medium on NBC and the premiere of ABC's The Bachelor: Paris. For more on last night's ratings, click on over to Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sherilyn Fenn guest stars as Luke's old flame and mother of his newly discovered daughter on WB's Gilmore Girls. Over on CBS, the team rushes to save two of their own on NCIS.

@9 p.m. - Jessica Simpson kicks off the 32nd Annual People's Choice Awards live on CBS. Over on NBC, it's back-to-back episodes of Scrubs. First up, J.D. struggles with turning 30 years old. In the second episode, he's asked to introduce Dr. Kelso at an awards dinner, but finds it difficult to think of something nice to say about him.

@10 p.m. - M.E. Warner gets caught in a kidnapper's deadly game on NBC's Law & Order: SVU. Over on ABC, the firm defends a wealthy man (guest star Michael J. Fox) with cancer who uses his influence to his advantage in a promising anti-cancer drug test.



QUICK CUTS

*NBC's upcoming coverage of the Winter Olympics will be the most extensive ever. The network, along with its partners (USA, MSNBC and CNBC), will air 416 hours of programming from Torino, Italy next month. The coverage will also be simulcast in HDTV on either NBC HD or Universal HD, a change from the 2004 Summer Olympic coverage which found the HD broadcasts delayed behind the initial broadcast. Opening ceremonies begin Friday, February 10th.

*And finally, it's T minus 7 weeks until the premiere of the next edition of CBS's The Amazing Race! The network announced yesterday that the glob-trotting reality series will return to the small screen on Tuesday, February 28th with its usual two-hour premiere. Gone will be the teams of four families and in their place will be the usual twelve teams of two. And yes Race fans, the competition will return to its normal around-the-world-in-thirty-days roots (no more extended tours of the 50 United States).

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the premiere of the weekly Scrubs feature (how can I not discuss one of television's funniest comedies) and thoughts on Law & Order: SVU. Plus, all the latest television news!