cover story
Crossing over
Medium drama ‘The InBetween’ premieres on NBC
By Sarah Passingham
TV Media
T
he formula of the police pro-
cedural gets a spiritual new
twist when “The InBetween”
premieres on NBC on Wednes-
day, May 29. The drama series
follows Cassie Bedford, por-
trayed by Australian actress
and comedian Harriet Dyer
(“Love Child”), who experienc-
es uncontrollable visions of the
future and the past and visits
from spirits desperately seek-
ing her help. To make use of her
unique talents, she assists her
father, Det. Tom Hackett, and
his former FBI partner as they
tackle the most complicated
crimes in their city. Together
they follow her visions and
seek justice for those who have
contacted Bedford through the
“inbetween.”
The reason behind Bed-
ford’s involvement in criminal
investigations is her father’s
belief that her psychic gift can
be used for good. Det. Hackett
is portrayed by British actor
Paul Blackthorne, best known
for his role of Quentin Lance
in “Arrow.” Of the cast, Black-
thorne is the most experienced
with TV clairvoyants as he
guested in an episode of psy-
chic drama “Medium” in 2005.
As for Dyer, she may be a
new face to North American
audiences, but she has a long
list of acting credits, including
dramatic and comedic roles
in her home country of Aus-
tralia. She is best known for
portraying Patricia Saunders
in the hospital drama “Love
Child” and April in the cop
comedy series “No Activity,”
which was adapted for North
American audiences by CBS All
Access in 2017. Dyer’s comedic
experience has served her
well, particularly in series that
strongly rely on the authentic-
ity of its characters to work,
such as “The Other Guy,” on
Australian streaming service
Stan. This same authenticity
will no doubt help ground a
performance as abstract as a
medium for “The InBetween,”
2 | Screentime
Paul Blackthorne in “The InBetween”
like “Medium” and “Ghost
which could certainly become
Whisperer,” that ended soon
over-the-top in less capable
after we entered the 2010s.
hands.
Though that was the end of
The lone American in the
mediums on scripted network
main cast is Justin Cornwell,
television for that decade, the
who recently starred in TNT’s
craze was kept alive with real-
“I Am the Night.” As Hackett’s
ity TV. “Long Island Medium”
partner, former FBI agent
almost immediately filled the
Damien Asante in “The InBe-
gap for avid fans of the genre
tween,” Cornwell portrays
when it premiered in 2011 and,
an outsider who’s new to the
perhaps as a signal that medi-
father-daughter supernatural
ums are back yet again, “Hol-
crime-fighting team of Hackett
lywood Medium” began on E!
and Bedford. This isn’t Corn-
in 2016. Since we live in an era
well’s first time channelling
of reboots, it’s notable that a
a cop character; he starred as
fan favourite on the spookier
Det. Kyle Craig in the “Train-
side of the supernatural was
ing Day” series inspired by the
brought back from the dead
2001 film of the same name.
earlier this year on CW with the
Everything old really is new
reincarnation of “Charmed.”
again. There was a heyday
Three makes it a trend, so the
for psychic, clairvoyant and
CBS All Access reboot of the su-
medium-centred television in
pernatural classic “The Twilight
the mid-2000s, with shows
May 29, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
Zone” must also be counted
here.
Judging from the trailer for
“The InBetween” released
by NBC, the series seems to
be leaning into the horror
genre to set itself apart from
other procedurals and to give
a fresh twist to the psychic
drama. In the trailer, Bedford
is visited by spirits that ap-
pear not only as they lived,
but also as grotesque versions
of themselves, presumably
as they died. With a string
of recent horror hits, such as
“It Follows,” “Get Out” and
“Hereditary,” performing in-
credibly well at the box office,
there is undoubtedly an audi-
ence for supernatural horror
on the small screen.
The series brings many
popular genres together, from
the police procedural to the
supernatural drama to some
hints of horror influence. “The
InBetween” brings a new
perspective to the evergreen
procedural, but it’s not just a
gimmick. The twist of the su-
pernatural makes the realistic
plots of investigating crimes
feel even more real by show-
ing what a detective would
be imagining, psychic or not,
while working a case. Bedford
is directly visited by desperate
spirits, but any detective can be
haunted by what they experi-
ence during investigations. De-
spite its supernatural elements,
“The InBetween” seems to be
a reaction to the recent popu-
larity of true crime content,
both on screen in shows like
the HBO drama “True Detec-
tive” and the Netflix documen-
tary series “Conversations with
a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,”
and more widely in podcasts
such as “Serial.”
Veteran executive producer
Moira Kirkland created “The
InBetween,” wrote its pilot epi-
sode and serves as executive
producer for the series. She is
known not only for producing
network television hits such as
“Madam Secretary” and “Ar-
row,” but she also produced
the series “Medium” and three
episodes of the 2003 reboot
of “The Twilight Zone.” From
behind the scenes to those on
the screen, the people involved
in bringing “The InBetween” to
life couldn’t be more suited to
the task.
Don’t miss the series pre-
miere of “The InBetween” on
Wednesday, May 29, on NBC.