The Dead Files

The discussion about this show seems to turn on whether it's "real" or not. I propose that it doesn't really matter. If you think it's fake, pretend that the legal disclaimer at the beginning says that the show is fictional, and enjoy a reality-TV-style drama about a medium and a cop who work together. Personally I think it's (mostly) real, but that's unimportant.

I find this show absolutely titillating because of the excellent storytelling. Most reality TV is carefully edited to make conversations flow just a little better (without necessarily changing their meanings), and they do it quite deftly here, interweaving the two story lines (that is, Steve and Amy) in a way that delights my brain when I want instant gratification. The (writers? producers?) throw down all the pieces of the puzzle in perfect order without quite connecting them; they let your imagination fill in the final, tiny gaps with the kind of lurid details that everyone's thinking but no one can say for sure. Steve gets what essentially amounts to the town gossip on the subject, and Amy embroiders them with colourful, often illuminating, and just a little bit graphic details.

Don't worry about reality. Take the homeowner's story at face value and enjoy the mystery's shocking solution!