| Ghost Whisperer season 5 | |||
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| Country of origin | United States | ||
| No. of episodes | 22 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | CBS | ||
| Original run | September 25, 2009 – May 21, 2010 | ||
| Home video release | |||
| DVD release date | Region 1: October 12, 2010 Region 2: TBA Region 4: TBA |
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| Season chronology | |||
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| List of Ghost Whisperer episodes | |||
The fifth season of Ghost Whisperer, an American television series created by John Gray, commenced airing in the United States on September 25, 2009, concluded May 21, 2010, and consisted of 22 episodes. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live as normal a life as possible—she is married and owns an antique store—Melinda helps earthbound spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the Light, or the spirit world. Her tasks are difficult and at times she struggles with people who push her away and disbelieve her ability. In addition, the ghosts are mysterious and sometimes menacing in the beginning and Melinda must use the clues available to her to understand the spirit's needs and help them. [1]
Ghost Whisperer's fifth season aired in the United States (U.S.) on Fridays at 8:00 pm ET on CBS, a terrestrial television network, followed by the sixth season of Medium, where it received an average of 7.78 million viewers per episode, becoming the least watched season of the series.[2] It receives around 200,000 viewers per episode in New Zealand, and is constantly rated in the top 5 for TV2 every Monday.
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In the fifth season, five years have elapsed since the events of the previous season, and we are introduced to Jim and Melinda's son, Aiden Lucas. We learn that he can see the "Shinies and the Shadows", two opposing groups of ghosts that Melinda is unable to see. The Shadows are revealed to be the negative part of spirits that get left behind when they cross over, and their motives involve acquiring the Book of Changes. Melinda, Ned, and Eli, with the frequent help of Delia, work to keep the book safe from the Shadows. Throughout the season, Melinda struggles to keep Aiden safe and help him with his gift. He has frequent run-ins with the Shinies, who are presumed to be the kind group of spirits and are attracted to shiny objects. The Shadows show tremendous power throughout the season, forcing President Bedford, the president of Rockland University to blow up Delia's real estate office.
At the end of the series, Melinda and Jim try to protect Aiden by convincing him that ghosts don't exist (at the advice of Carl the Watcher, later revealed to be under the influence of the Shadows). The Shadows gradually begin to take possession of Melinda's body. Aiden is told by Carl that he must go to Melinda's store. Jim, Ned, Eli and Delia follow with him. Melinda is inside, being engulfed by the Shadows. Aiden, who has forged a friendship with one of the Shinies (previously revealed to be the ghosts of children), enlists their help. In the town square, dozens of Shinies gather, and emit a bright light. The Shinies and their light become visible to passersby in the square. Inside the store, the Shadows are trying to battle the light and fully possess Melinda, but fail on both accounts. Melinda drops to the ground and the group run in. Later that night, Aiden is in his room and Melinda and Jim enter. Melinda tells him that they should both be proud of their gift and that he was her hero that night. Aiden replies that Melinda is a hero every day, and the series closes with a shot of Melinda smiling and tearing up.
Ghost Whisperer is based on the work of "Spirit Communicator" James Van Praagh,[3] who is co-executive producer[4] and regularly updates a blog about the show through LivingTV.[5] The stories are also said to be based in part on the work of "Spirit Communicator" Mary Ann Winkowski.[6] Development of the show dates back to at least two years before its premiere.[7]
The show was produced by Sander/Moses Productions in association with CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Network Television in season one and ABC Studios (originally Touchstone Television in the first two seasons) and CBS Paramount Network Television in seasons two and three).
The show was filmed on the Universal Studios back lot in Los Angeles.[8] One area on the lot is Courthouse Square from the Back to the Future trilogy, though it has been drastically modified to depict Grandview. For example, the clock tower in Back to the Future has been completely covered up. Cast and crew members believe that the set gets visits from real spirits.[9]
Sound effects were completed at Smart Post Sound.[10] Visual effects for the pilot and some season one episodes were completed at Flash Film Works.[11] Visual effects for nearly the entire series were created at Eden FX.[12]
Creator John Gray grew up in Brooklyn, New York, which is not far from Grandview-On-Hudson, west of the Hudson River. Piermont is often referenced in episodes as the neighboring town, which is accurate to real life as Grandview-On-Hudson is actually located just north of Piermont. Professor Rick Payne worked in the fictional "Rockland University", and perhaps not coincidentally, the actual Grandview, New York is a village located in Rockland County, New York.
On May 5, 2008 it was announced that the first three seasons of Ghost Whisperer were purchased for $169.8 million ($700,000 per episode, per network) for syndication by SyFy, ION Television, and WE TV. Episodes began airing in Summer 2009 on ION, and in Fall 2009 on SyFy and WE.[13] The first four seasons began airing in syndication on CBC Television in Canada on August 31, 2009.[14]
On May 18, 2010, citing rising costs and a decline in viewership, CBS announced that Ghost Whisperer would not be renewed for another season.[15] On May 18, 2010, CBS cancelled the show after five seasons.[16] ABC expressed interest in picking up Ghost Whisperer for Fall 2010.[17][18] It was revealed on May 19, that writers of the show were informed to not look for other jobs as of yet, and the producers were very optimistic that there was a good chance of Ghost Whisperer being renewed by ABC.[19] On May 27, 2010, Michael Ausiello reported that ABC had passed on renewing Ghost Whisperer for its sixth season.[20]
Zap2it declared Ghost Whisperer is the second "most missed axed show" after a poll determined 17.1 percent of voters would miss it.[21]
In October 2010, Jennifer Love Hewitt thanked the fans of the show for their support in a goodbye video (filmed in June, 2010), saying "Your love and support has meant everything to the cast and crew of Ghost Whisperer and we will all miss you guys very, very much. Go get our DVDs, think about us, miss us and know how much we all will miss you. Much love."[22]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Love Hewitt | Melinda Gordon |
| David Conrad | Jim Clancy / Sam Lucas |
| Camryn Manheim | Delia Banks |
| Christoph Sanders | Ned Banks |
| Jamie Kennedy | Eli James |
| Connor Gibbs | Aiden Lucas |
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 1 | "Birthday Presence" | Jennifer Love Hewitt | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | September 25, 2009 | 8.76[23] |
| Melinda undergoes immediate C-Section and then gives birth to a baby boy whom they name Aiden, after Jim's father. Then five years later, Aiden also has the gift of seeing spirits, but with one important difference which will have far-reaching consequences. A woman who died during childbirth is determined to be reunited with her son, whom she thinks jumped into Aiden's body after she gave birth to her son that she thought died. | ||||||
| 87 | 2 | "See No Evil" | Eric Laneuville | Jeannine Renshaw | October 2, 2009 | 7.62[24] |
| When a college student is killed in a freak car accident, she is convinced that a chain email she failed to forward killed her while putting her mother in a coma. She begins to haunt anyone who does not forward the email. Melinda finds out that the mother was dying due to a brain tumor about which the daughter, at the time of her death, had not known. The mother does not make it out of the coma and the daughter learns the truth. Melinda manages to cross over both the mother and the daughter. A ghost named Scarlett is introduced at the end of the episode who manipulates a resident patient at the hospital into creating the "cursed" email. | ||||||
| 88 | 3 | "Till Death Do Us Start" | Gloria Muzio | Mark B. Perry | October 9, 2009 | 8.78[25] |
| Eli's father, Ray, dies from a heart attack. Eli's mother, Evelyn, has stayed around seven years after her death and has not crossed over - despite pretending to have crossed over to hide from Eli. When Melinda sees Evelyn's ghost, she asks Melinda not to say anything to Eli and Ray about her. She mentiones it to Eli and he uncovers what seems to be an affair between his mother and his father's friend, making Eli worry that he may be the biological half brother of a childhood sweetheart. Luckily for Eli it seems his mother was a closet lesbian and the affair was actually with his father's friend's wife, thus insuring that Eli is Ray's biological son, so he can rekindle the relationship with his sweetheart without worrying they share a father. | ||||||
| 89 | 4 | "Do Over" | John Gray | John Gray | October 16, 2009 | 8.05[26] |
| When Jim brings home an antique surgical suction tip from the hospital, he brings home more than he bargained for. Melinda and Aiden are both visited by a ghost surgeon who is reliving a failed surgery, and tormenting everyone around him with his guilt. Its up to Melinda to investigate a haunting at the hospital morgue and connect the links to the surgeons death. Meanwhile, Delia contends with a mysterious secret admirer. Another ghost is introduced, an assumed 1950's patient, he hasn't crossed over. | ||||||
| 90 | 5 | "Cause for Alarm" | Ian Sander | Melissa Blake & Joy Blake | October 23, 2009 | 8.59[28] |
| As Eli begins treating a wealthy high-profile client for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and severe paranoia, he discovers the patient has good reason to feel like hes being watched. He is by a ghost. When Aiden's empathic connections sync up with Eli's client, Melinda has personal reasons to track down this ghost, and Aiden's true powers are slowly being revealed. (With song So High by Quinn Marston.)[27] | ||||||
| 91 | 6 | "Head Over Heels" | Steven Robman | Laurie McCarthy & Stephanie SenGupta | October 30, 2009 | 8.29[29] |
| The Headless Horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is haunting Melinda and when the legendary book mysteriously shows up at Aiden's school Melinda becomes worried for Aiden's safety. | ||||||
| 92 | 7 | "Devil's Bargain" | James Chressanthis | P.K. Simonds & Mark B. Perry | November 6, 2009 | 7.99[30] |
| Jim and Eli find themselves connected in an unsolved mystery when both of their bosses are haunted by ghostly spirits. Jim's mentor, the Chief of Rockland Memorial Teaching Hospital, and Eli's boss, the Rockland University President, share secrets involving a missing young woman who's come back into their lives with unfinished business. And that unfinished business is vital enough to command the attention of the Shadows - those mysterious spirit beings Aiden's been warning Melinda about... | ||||||
| 93 | 8 | "Dead Listing" | Peter Werner | Laurie McCarthy & Mark B. Perry | November 13, 2009 | 8.06[31] |
| When a ghost leads Melinda to his body in the crawlspace of a building, Melinda is pulled into an ever-deepening murder mystery featuring a very competitive real estate dealing power couple. The couple's picture perfect marriage turns out to be much more complicated than it appeared, and Melinda finds herself in the middle of a pitched battle between ghosts and the living. Meanwhile, Aiden plays a risky game when he uses his gift to impress friends with magic tricks. | ||||||
| 94 | 9 | "Lost in the Shadows" | Kim Moses | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | November 20, 2009 | 8.42[32] |
| Melinda and Jim grapple with the classic parenting dilemma of the bad seed playmate - but in their case their son's playmate is a ghost. The dilemma turns into a crisis when Aiden disappears, led away by the young ghost of the girl in the hospital, who was talking to Scarlett. Melinda, Jim and half the town go into overdrive searching for the lost boy, few understanding that behind the story lurks the malevolent hand of the Shadows... | ||||||
| 95 | 10 | "Excessive Forces" | Kenny Leon | Stephanie SenGupta | December 4, 2009 | 8.18[33] |
| Melinda finds herself in a tough spot when a ghost claims he was killed by a Grandview cop. A cop who happened to be on leave after an officer involved shooting. The plot thickens when it's revealed the victim had ties to the cop's rebellious daughter. Someone is lying, and maybe covering up a murder. | ||||||
| 96 | 11 | "Dead Air" | Gloria Muzio | Laurie McCarthy & Marc B. Perry | January 8, 2010 | 9.00[34] |
| Humiliating secrets are broadcast across Grandview radio airwaves when a ghost haunts the station where Ned and some college friends work. The punishment is spread widely as the unseen ghost exacts revenge for a death that resulted from one of the station's more popular shows. | ||||||
| 97 | 12 | "Blessings in Disguise" | Jan Eliasberg | Jeannine Renshaw & Ben Chaney | January 15, 2010 | 8.61[35] |
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Melinda must discover the truth hidden within a new family before it threatens to not only tear apart the family, but also a young couple just falling in love. Guest star: Candace Bailey |
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| 98 | 13 | "Living Nightmare" | Ian Sander | P.K. Simonds | January 29, 2010 | 8.61[36] |
| When Melinda discovers a family secret, madness grips the hospital and the town when a ghost who is making no sense haunts a patient who's making even less. Melinda must unravel the mystery behind a madness that grips Jim's hospital - and the rest of Grandview. | ||||||
| 99 | 14 | "Dead to Me" | Ralph Hemecker | Pam Norris | February 5, 2010 | 8.73[37] |
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When Ned's Occult Anthropology professor is stalked by the ghost of a secret admirer, a Ouija board is used to try and solve the mystery but instead creates a new one that threatens a life. a little girl is trying to set her dad up with one of Ned's professors from beyond the grave. Special guest star: Margaret Cho as Professor Avery Grant |
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| 100 | 15 | "Implosion" | Jennifer Love Hewitt | John Gray | March 5, 2010 | 7.35[38] |
| A ghost who knows of a hidden munitions dump with unexploded bombs confides in Melinda that one of those bombs is missing and in the wrong hands, warning that someone important will lose their life. President Bedford's mother dies in the hospital after the shadows have been with her. | ||||||
| 101 | 16 | "Old Sins Cast Long Shadows" | Jefery Levy | Mark B. Perry | March 12, 2010 | 7.22[39] |
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A routine estate sale lands Melinda in the center of dark forces battling for the soul of a little girl ("Cassidy") who's been trapped in a violently haunted house for years. Donna has sold an antiques-filled old house to Melinda. She has a deep sorrow in her recent past, an unsettled spirit that desperately requires Melinda's assistance to move on. Melinda learns Cassidy is an 8 year old spirit trapped in the earthly plane, and desperately requires her assistance in order to escape the malevolent entity that holds her hostage, Madame Greta who still haunts the spooky old house she once lived in during the 1930's. Guest Starring - Joey King as Cassidy |
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| 102 | 17 | "On Thin Ice" | Ian Sander | Melissa Blake & Joy Blake | April 2, 2010 | 5.96[40] |
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When comic book artist Damon Weaver begins drawing his own run-ins with ghosts before they happen, it is up to Melinda and Avery to discover the secrets behind his art. Guest star: Margaret Cho as Avery Grant |
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| 103 | 18 | "Dead Eye" | John Behring | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | April 9, 2010 | 6.55[41] |
| When a confused ghost dressed as a clown begins haunting Melinda's house, it's up to her and Eli to look for answers in the ghost's final case as a private investigator - a love story involving greed and suspicion. | ||||||
| 104 | 19 | "Lethal Combination" | Kim Moses | Stephanie SenGupta & Steve Gottfried | April 30, 2010 | 6.57[42] |
| In a bid to have a romantic date by themselves, Jim hires a nanny who has a menacing ghost attached to it. When Aiden is locked in a crawl space, Melinda sets out to find out why the ghost is putting kids in danger. Her investigation leads her into the realm of polygamy and drug abuse. | ||||||
| 105 | 20 | "Blood Money" | Eric Laneuville | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | May 7, 2010 | 6.46[43] |
| When three young college kids stumble onto a bag of buried cash, they unearth more than a windfall. Turns out they've literally stirred the bones of a long dead kidnap victim - and angered not only a vengeful ghost, but a dangerous criminal who still wants the money. | ||||||
| 106 | 21 | "Dead Ringer" | Ian Sander | Mark B. Perry & Stephanie SenGupta | May 14, 2010 | 6.48[44] |
| A routine haunting turns very strange when a man whose ghost Melinda is trying to help suddenly turns up alive. Melinda finds herself caught in a bizarre and dangerous revenge plot, battling enemies she didn't know she had. Meanwhile Melinda's visions start becoming more realistic and she can't tell the difference, which leads to problems in her relationship with Jim. | ||||||
| 107 | 22 | "The Children's Parade" | John Gray | John Gray | May 21, 2010 | 6.83[45] |
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Melinda's investigation of a poltergeist in the hospital where Jim works leads to a showdown with supernatural forces terrorizing her and her son. Also, Melinda slowly becomes possessed by the darkness. Guest star: Joey King as Cassidy the Shiny |
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