Get ready to share nightmares with everyone's favorite psychic because "Medium" is back for its fourth season, and the entire cast has returned along with a few new faces.

"Medium" is about Allison Dubois (Emmy award winning Patricia Arquette), a mother and wife who has struggled her entire life with her psychic abilities. She can talk to dead people, see the future, and occasionally read thoughts as well as get psychic feedback from those she touches. She is often visited in the dead of night by spirits who need her help, and she is able to do so thanks to her position as a consultant to the district attorney, Devalos (Miguel Sandoval). With his support and that of Detective Lee Scanion (David Cubitt), Allison helps them find missing persons, and solve crimes.

The cases are not the only main focus of the show, however, for a great deal of it is about Allison's personal life with her extremely supportive husband Joe (Jake Weber) and their three daughters, who also have psychic abilities. The audience is often anxiously awaiting the piecing together of Allison's mysterious dreams, and the show can be terrifying, moving, and even comedic on rare occasions.

The third season finale was a shocking one and changed the fate of Allison and her family forever. Neve Campbell guest starred as a reporter who revealed Allison's secret to the world and the truth of her real job with the district attorney. This caused Devalos to be replaced and Allison to lose her job as well as her credibility. Joe also lost his job due to a moral conflict, and season four began with the repercussions for all of the characters.

Episode one of season four includes the kidnapping of a young boy, Ben, from a toy store. Allison sees it happen in her dream but is unable to help since no one will take her calls. Detective Scanion is forced to go to schools for talks rather than investigate real cases. Allison and Joe have no jobs and struggle to keep their family afloat by borrowing money and applying for unemployment.

Angelica Huston joins the cast as Cynthia Keener, an investigator for missing person's who Allison contacts to try and help when the police will not listen to her. The case is pieced together only by luck and the stubbornness of Detective Scanion, but a resolution of sorts is found by the end of the episode, and its a new beginning for Allison.

This was a very strong premiere episode, and "Medium" continues to be excellently written and exceptionally well acted. It showed viewers that it can completely shake up the world inside and come out as compelling as ever. There was only real flaw: the side story with Allison's eldest daughter Ariel causing us to sit through an annoyingly cute montage/song from the "Sound of Music." It was meant to establish that everyone in the Dubois family is suffering from Allison's secret being revealed, since the girl loses the part to Ariel because she believes Allison saw her psychically lose it. But the actual performance of the song seemed overdone and overall unnecessary to the episode.

Joe was given several of his own problems in the last season, and it was interesting to see her husband serve as more than just a supporting character. I hope that they continue to give him his own role in the upcoming season. Angelica Huston was superb and believable, managing to keep firm and subtle in her performance as a tough but open minded investigator. She can only add to this show and is signed on for several more episodes. Devalos will hopefully be returning full-time next week.

In the next episode, Allison appears to give her services as a psychic in return for money, but she is put in a dangerous position by getting paid only if she agrees that a murderer is innocent. I am very interested to see where this show is going now that the family is in the public eye and if they can maintain their surprising cases and impeccable writing.

"Medium" is on NBC Monday nights at 10 PM. Viewer discretion is advised due to possible violence, death, and adult horror.

Review by Chelsea 'Dee' Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer