If you’ve ever gotten a psychic reading — or even considered it — you’ve probably seen the disconnect:
On scripted TV, psychics and mediums are almost always the villains. We’re painted as frauds, freaks, or punchlines.
Either we’re scammers preying on grief, delusional eccentrics making vague claims, or creepy weirdos with spooky monologues. Rarely are we shown as thoughtful, grounded, or even remotely ethical.
What Real Intuitive Work Actually Looks Like
The vast majority of intuitive practitioners and mediums I know — and I’ve taught development of these abilities for years — are service-oriented, emotionally attuned, and deeply ethical.
We’re not here to manipulate. We’re here to help people find clarity through grief, big transitions, and those moments when logic just isn’t enough.
- We don’t speak in riddles — we speak with care.
- We genuinely perceive things: symbols, emotions, flashes of memory or insight that surface without prompting — and we share them with the utmost respect, never as performance or spectacle.
- Mediums often connect with loved ones who have passed, and when they do, it’s not because they guessed or made it up — it’s because something real was received and relayed with integrity.
- We’re honest about what comes through, and we admit when impressions are unclear.
- We prioritize helping others above all else.
Healthy Skepticism Doesn’t Require Mockery
Skepticism has its place — it keeps us discerning and grounded. But misunderstanding shouldn’t lead to ridicule.
Just because something falls outside our usual frameworks doesn’t make it dangerous or laughable.
Writers don’t need to lean on tired tropes or caricatures to keep audiences engaged. There’s room for mystery, nuance, and respect — even when a concept challenges conventional logic.
Two Recent Examples — Same Old Tropes
Even prestige dramas fall into the trap (SPOILER alerts for recent shows ahead):
- In The Gilded Age, Madame Dashkova (Andrea Martin) a fake medium who cons Ada by reading about her dead husband in the paper.
- In Elsbeth, Marilyn Gladwell (Tracey Ullman) is a fraudulent psychic who commits murder.
Sadly, these portrayals aren’t rare, or outdated. These are just two examples I happened to encounter from shows I watched this month alone. And they reinforce a harmful, tired idea:
If you tap into something beyond the five senses, you must be lying. Or dangerous.
It hits even harder when these clichés show up in shows created by storytellers I’ve trusted and performers I’ve genuinely admired – as I have those above.
The Emotional Toll of Misrepresentation
There’s a steady frustration in watching your work repeatedly misunderstood. Few professions face this level of distortion — and even fewer get so little pushback.
It’s one thing to be portrayed as quirky or mysterious. It’s another to be cast as fundamentally dishonest, delusional, or manipulative. That’s where real harm is done — not just to practitioners, but to public understanding of intuitive work.
This stereotype isn’t rare. It’s everywhere. I stopped counting after fifty recent examples — and that was from a single online search.
The truth? Most of us aren’t chasing mystique, attention, or anyone’s wallet. We’re here because we care. We’re trained to listen closely, notice emotional patterns, follow subtle impressions, and support people through moments that are tender and complex.
That deserves curiosity and nuance — not ridicule.
5 Psychic Medium Tropes We’re Ready to Retire
- 🔮 “I’m seeing… something.” — The absurdly vague mystic
- 💸 Greedy Grievers — The medium who exploits loss for cash
- ☠️ Murder Mediums — Please stop.
- 🤡 Comic Relief Clairvoyant — Never accurate, always ridiculous
- 🕯️ Terror Tarot Teller — Always the Death card. And a gasp.
What Would Make for Better TV
Psychic characters don’t need to be perfect. In fact, nuance makes them more relatable.
Imagine a psychic who’s:
- A little awkward
- Uncertain what a vision means
- Transparent about impressions
- Trying to help — without freaking people out
That’s not just more accurate. It’s much better storytelling.
✨ If you’re a TV writer or content creator curious about what psychic mediumship is really like—beyond the fog machines and ominous tarot flips—I’d love to talk. Whether you’re developing a character, a storyline, or simply trying to bring more authenticity to the screen, I’m here to help illuminate the human side of intuitive work.
And if you’re someone seeking clarity, connection, or a deeper sense of direction through a personal reading, you can book with me directly at mediumtimthomas.com/readings.
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