Psychic Detectives
GenreCrime, reality television
Narrated byLes Marshak
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
Original release
NetworkCourt TV
Release2003 (2003) –
2006 (2006)

Psychic Detectives or Psychic Investigators is a television program produced by StoryHouse Productions for Court TV. The program documents real-life cases of situations in which police departments have enlisted the aid of psychics in solving difficult cases. The series production does not investigate the claims of the psychics showcased or confirm their claims. For entertainment it instead recreates some of the atmosphere surrounding psychic claims using a selection of well recognized intuitives, crime psychics, psychic detectives and supporters of paranormal beliefs. A cross section of paranormal psychics are profiled though most are women who typically are engaged as self-described psychic mediums communicating with the dead. Robyn Hutt was executive producer.[1]

The show premiered as a one-time one-hour episode on February 27, 2003, with Andrea Thompson as host and produced by Superfine Films.[2] It was directed by Lisa F. Jackson who also co-produced with Stephen Miller.[3]

Court TV launched the series Psychic Detectives in February 2004 and due to its success, the channel ordered fifteen more episodes for the 2005 season.[4] One of the first episodes examined the 1983 murder of Anna Marie Turetzky. "Psychic detective" Noreen Reiner from Florida was brought in.[1] NBC made a deal to show 8 episodes of the half-hour show, Psychic Detectives, combined into 4 hour-long shows for the 2005 summer.[5] The series showed increasing ratings and high engagement going into the Fall 2005 season.[6]

Robert Thompson, founding director of Syracuse University's Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture said "This is 'The X Files' meets 'Law and Order,'" adding "This takes the natural interest in something science has not been able to explain and packages it in an entertainment kind of way. It's pretty seductive." "It's a procedural crime show but here instead of forensic evidence, it's this psychic stuff," Thompson said. "It's been given a sense of legitimacy, not the same kind as DNA is given but pretty much the same as a lie detector is."[7] Some were disappointed that Court TV had a show on "psychic detectives" and called it "pseudoscience". Randall Skelton, who teaches forensics at University of Montana,[8] wrote "that this runs on Court TV network is disturbing, because it gives the impression that this pursuit is authentic and approved by the court system. Nothing could be farther from the truth."[9] The Center for Inquiry's Independent Investigations Group awarded Psychic Detectives its 1st Annual IIG Award for Truly Terrible Television in 2007.[10] And Gary P. Posner, founder of Tampa Bay Skeptics, has critiqued several episodes of the program in which fellow Floridian Noreen Renier is featured.[11]

Cast

  • Les Marshak (Narrator)
  • Phil Jordan (Himself)
  • Noreen Renier (Herself)
  • Rosemarie Kerr (Herself)
  • Carole Pate (Herself)

Broadcasters

CountryTV channel(s) Series premiereWeekly schedule
Italy ItalyMediaset TOPcrimeJune 1, 2013 at 6:40am
Australia AustraliaChannel SevenMondays 12.10am
Canada CanadaCourt TV CanadaThursdays 9:55
Japan JapanFox 8Japan
United States United StatesBio
Discovery en Español
Justice Network
United Kingdom United KingdomBio
TruTV

Further reading

  • "CNN LARRY KING LIVE - Psychic Detectives - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.

References

  1. 1 2 Milkovich, Mike (2004-03-27). "Murder case to be featured on Court TV". The News Herald. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  2. ↑ O'Steen, Kathleen (2003-10-27). "Court TV's 'Psychic' Hunch is Paying Off". TelevisionWeek: 28.
  3. ↑ Dempsey, John (2003-01-06). "More 'Files,' specs on Court TV docket". Variety. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  4. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (2005-02-04). "Despite Popularity, Psychic Detectives Fail to Perform". livescience.com. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  5. ↑ Arango, Tim (2005-05-26). "COURT TV SHOWS TO AIR ON NBC". New York Post. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  6. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (2005-10-03). "Court's 'Psychic' Aims to Engage". TelevisionWeek: 5, 41.
  7. ↑ Donaldson-Evans, Catherine (2015-03-25). "'Psychic Detectives' Help Crack Cases". Fox News. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  8. ↑ "Anthropology". hs.umt.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  9. ↑ Skelton, Randall (2011). A Survey of the Forensic Sciences. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4357-6762-1.
  10. ↑ kreidler, Marc (2014-06-22). "1st Annual IIG Awards | CFI Investigations Group". Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. ↑ Posner, Gary P. "Skeptical Items on 'Psychic Detective' Noreen Renier".
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