Fans of NBC's Medium will be happy to know that the network has finally set a premiere date for the midseason drama's fourth season.

The supernatural drama starring Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette is returning to the screen on Monday, January 10, at its original 10pm timeslot, three years after it proved to be breakout hit for NBC.  The network is applying the same scheduling strategy to its popular reality series, The Apprentice, which will be returning to its original Thursday timeslot, where it was a frequent ratings winner.

For those who are unfamiliar with Medium, the drama revolves around a woman (Arquette) who uses her psychic ability to do research for the district attorney's office in Phoenix, Arizona.  The show is based on the experiences of real-life psychic Allison Dubois, who has worked with law enforcement agencies across the country.

While the first two seasons of Medium aired on Mondays, the network decided to move the show to Wednesdays for its junior-year run.  The scheduling change is partly responsible for its reduced viewership and ratings drop.

Medium's new season, which will have Anjelica Huston guest-starring in six episodes, is part of a midseason lineup heavily laden with reality series, thanks to the ongoing WGA strike.  When the new year kicks off, the shows American Gladiators and Deal or No Deal will fill in the void left by scripted series Chuck and Heroes.

Currently filling in NBC's 10pm Monday timeslot is Journeyman, a time-traveling drama that has yet to be renewed for another season.

Other shows that are set to air in the first quarter of 2008 include the new dramedy Lipstick Jungle, the recycled Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and the reality series 1 vs. 100 and The Baby Borrowers, an adaptation of a British program that places five teenagers on a "fast track to adulthood" by having them set up a home, get a job and become parents over the course of three weeks.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC
(Image Courtesy of NBC)