| QUOTE |
John Gray, creator and executive producer of CBS' upcoming supernatural series Ghost Whisperer, told SCI FI Wire that the show is based on real events. Honest. "To a large extent, yes," Gray said in an interview at a CBS premiere party in Hollywood last week. He said the show takes its inspiration in part from the purported experiences of self-described psychic James Van Praagh, who gets a co-executive producer credit. "There are people who James knows who claim to be able to do this kind of thing, communicate with what they call earthbound spirits," Gray said. "People who are stuck here because they have unfinished business with the living. And there are people who help them get that closure, help the living who need closure, and then they're able to cross over. That's sort of our premise." Ghost Whisperer stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as newlywed Melinda Gordon, who discovers an ability to commune with troubled spirits still walking around after they die. She helps them achieve emotional closure and move on. Gray added that he feels the show speaks to widespread anxieties in a post-9/11, post-Katrina time. "I really believe that's true," he said. "I think particularly in a post-9/11 world, people seem to be more interested in the idea that there's something else out there, that there's hope. That there's more ... than meets the eye. So, yeah, I definitely think that there is this appetite for it. And you can see it in all the supernatural shows that are coming on the air and all the supernatural movies that are big hits in their opening weekends." Ghost Whisperer premieres Sept. 23 and will air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. |