New "Paranormal Cops" TV Series

There have been a lot of paranormal or psychic type shows aired on TV, including NBC's Medium, W Network's Most Haunted, A&E's Paranormal State, the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, and Scifi's Ghost Hunters and T.A.P.S International.

While the third season of Paranormal State premiered on 19 January, 2009, there still does not seem to be any signs of the genre easing up on TV or cable networks. In fact, Scifi's Ghost Hunters is already on its fifth season, Most Haunted has reached its twelfth series, and the second series of Ghost Adventures is scheduled for June 2009, with a further 26 episodes planned (presumably for season 3).

And, of course, let us not forget Psychic Kids, co-hosted by Chip Coffey (the psychic/medium who also appears on Paranormal State), or the TV series Supernatural and Medium.

According to Reuters, A&E is tentatively premiering a new paranormal series, Paranormal Cops, which aims to give more credibility to investigations. Investigators include a group of Chicago police officers (who moonlight as "ghost chasers" at night), as well as two technicians and a medium.

A network spokesman said that the "ghost-chasing group existed before the show's producers came along" and the "officers' respective departments have approved the venture", which should provide some solid background resources for eliminating natural phenomena rather than supernatural. The first episode is scheduled sometime this year (no set date yet), but let us hope that the conclusions are objective and that they do not become so analytical that they actually debunk anything paranormal.

This might be something to watch when it does air, so stay tuned and see what happens from here.

Celebrity Paranormal Project

I remember vaguely seeing an episode or two of the Celebrity Paranormal Project, where well-known celebrities investigate haunted locations. This particular episode, celebrities are actor David "Kung Fu" Carradine, pro boxer Mia "The Knockout" St. John, Andrew "The Bachelor" Firestone, playboy model Bridget Marquardt and rapper/actor Coolio.

What's interesting to me is that David Carradine is passive and fearless, unphased by the apparent ghostly goings-on and Coolio, who "ain't afraid of nothin'", eventually freaks out. This is quite entertaining considering that it's meant to be a bona fide investigation conducted by people with celebrity status.

An Unknown Encounter

This is a documentary, hosted by Felix Mayne, about a Californian family haunted by the apparition of an old man. Investigators also log their findings. If this is true, then this is potentially one nasty spirit. Watch it and decide for yourself.

Paranormal State

One of my favorite shows right now is Paranormal State, hosted by Ryan Buell and his team. Now in Season 3, it's gained a lot of popularity since its first episode on A&E. What I like about this show is the fact that they investigate rather more objectively than some of the others, gaining insight from experts rather than people who think they know things, then put the pieces together in a logical sense. There is also an underlying sense of a genuine desire to help people experiencing paranormal activity.

For quick updates, they can be found on Twitter. There are some very interesting "extras" worth watching, including video articles about Ouija Boards and updates after the shows. The "official" website is at A&E Television, which includes full episodes.

I will be giving this (and other) TV shows more detailed entries in the future, perhaps including full episodes if I can.

In the mean time, this is one of the most edge-of-the-seat episodes I've seen in a long time. The full episode (in 5 parts) can be watched on the A&E site: The Possession - Return of The Six.