NBC'S HIT DRAMA 'MEDIUM' RETURNS TO LINEUP WITH SPECIAL TWO-HOUR SEASON PREMIERE ON NOVEMBER 15

Actor Thomas Jane Joins His Emmy-winning Wife Patricia Arquette in Guest-starring Role as Old Flame

Premiere Episode Features Animation By 'Johnny Bravo' Creator, Van Partible

BURBANK, Calif. -- October 25, 2006 -- NBC will return the hit supernatural drama "Medium" - starring Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette -- to its primetime schedule on Wednesday, November 15 (9-11 p.m. ET) with a special two-hour episode before resuming the following week in its regular day and time (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET). In addition, "The Biggest Loser" will move to 8-9 p.m. ET on that night.

In their first collaboration together, actor Thomas Jane will join his wife, Arquette, in the two-hour premiere, as the series kicks off its third season. Jane stars as Clay Bicks, an old lover of Allison's (Arquette) -- a danger-loving photographer, who, in the moment after his own death, is delivered to Allison's door -- unaware that he has died.

Once Clay makes peace with the fact that he has left the world of the living and will never have a chance to be with the woman he loved, he decides to take up residence in the Dubois house -- to stay close to her. Obviously, this does not sit well with Allison's husband Joe (Jake Weber), who is made aware of Clay's presence.

Additionally, the premiere episode features animation by Van Partible ("Johnny Bravo"). Allison (Arquette) discovers that her and her daughter Bridgette (Maria Lark) are both having a very similar odd series of dreams, with the primary difference being that Bridgette's dreams keep coming to her in the form of cartoons. When her daughter's dreams become dark and ugly Allison begins to realize the connection.

The episode, titled "Four Dreams," is written by creator and executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron and co-executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach ("Lost").

"I believe this special two-hour episode, 'Four Dreams,' is the perfect way for 'Medium' to begin its third season," said Caron. "It is in many ways, it's our most ambitious and emotional episode to date. The story spans from Indonesia to Phoenix and the larger canvas gave us an opportunity to play with techniques we've never used before, such as animation, which is used to depict middle child's Bridgette's dreams. It also allowed us to explore in greater depth some of the other characters in Allison's world that we know very little about. But perhaps most exciting of all, it gave us the chance to invite Thomas Jane -- an actor I've long admired -- to play someone who ends up having an enormous emotional impact on Allison and her family. He is simply electric in the role, and the chemistry between Thomas and Patricia is palpable."

From executive producer, creator and director Caron ("Moonlighting"), "Medium" is a gripping drama series inspired by the real-life story of research medium Allison Dubois. Arquette ("Stigmata," "Flirting with Disaster") stars as a young wife and mother who, since childhood, has been struggling to make sense of her dreams and visions of dead people. Arquette received the Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for her performance as Allison after the telecast of the initial 16 episodes of the critically acclaimed series.

As a part-time consultant to the district attorney's office, Allison uses her psychic abilities, which consist of talking to dead people as well as seeing the future in her dreams to solve violent and horrifying crimes that have remained mysteries to her boss D.A. Devalos (Miguel Sandoval, "The Division") and others within the criminal justice system. Weber ("Meet Joe Black") stars as Allison's supportive husband Joe, and Sofia Vassilieva ("Eloise at the Plaza") and Maria Lark ("10.5") star as Ariel and Bridget, the two eldest Dubois children. David Cubitt also stars as Detective Lee Scanlon and Madison Carabello plays the youngest daughter, Marie Dubois.

Caron continued, "I believe if you've never seen our show before, that this is the perfect introduction to it. And that if you are a diehard Medium fan you are in for a unique and thrilling experience."

Caron is creator and executive producer. Kelsey Grammer ("Girlfriends"), Steve Stark, Rene Echevarria and Oscar winner Ronald L. Schwary ("Ordinary People") are executive producers. "Medium" is produced by Picturemaker Productions, Inc. in association with CBS Paramount Network Television and Grammnet Productions.