NBC and CBS' hourlong mysterious crime drama Medium remained on the airwaves from 2005 to 2011, running seven seasons and 130 episodes during that timespan. Based on the work of real-life medium Allison DuBois (who served as a consultant on the series), the show stars Patricia Arquette as a woman cursed/gifted with the supernatural ability to communicate with dead people in her dreams.
As Allison solves crimes with help from the deceased, she attempts to maintain a happy suburban life with her husband Joe (Jake Weber) and three daughters in Phoenix, Arizona. As season 1 celebrates its 15th anniversary, check out these pre-famous actors that guest-starred on the show prior to becoming a household name.
Joe Manganiello
Before gaining notoriety for his role as Alcide Herveaux in HBO's hit horror series True Blood, not to mention as a male stripper in Magic Mike, Joe Manganiello showed up in the eighth episode of Medium season 6, Once in a Lifetime.
Ironically, the episode is directed by Patricia Arquette's brother, David, who also plays her fictional brother in the series. The episode aired in November 2009 and concerns a teenage boy Allison's daughter Ariel (Sofia Vassilieva) dates, who may be linked to local homicide. Manganiello plays a character called Angelo Filipelli in the episode.
Rumer Willis
While the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore was certainly born into fame, her acting skills didn't become recognized until she was cast as Gia Mannetti in the reboot of 90201 in 2010 and Empire in 2017.
Four months prior to the release of Rumer Willis' horror movie Sorority Row, she appeared in the 17th episode of Medium season 5. Entitled The First Bite is the Deepest, Willis plays Bethany Simmons, a young kidnap victim who survives being buried alive only to be stalked again by her kidnapper years later.
Morena Baccarin
Before she became a household name as Leslie Thompkins in Gotham or as Ryan Reynolds' love interest in the Deadpool movies, Morena Baccarin guest-starred on a slew of TV shows throughout the aughts.
In 2009, the same year Baccarin was cast as Anna in V, she appeared as Brooke Hoyt in Medium season 5, episode 9. Titled All in the Family, the episode concerns two mysterious Hoyt siblings as they seek Allison's help finding their missing mother. When Allison's dreams reveal the siblings' duplicitous plot, she realizes they are involved with their mother's disappearance.
Joey King
Before earning Emmy and Golden Globe nods for her turn in The Act, child actress Joey King appeared on Medium when she was eight years old. King plays Kelly Mackenzie, the child-version of Kelly Winters (also played by a pre-famous Mireille Enos).
The season four finale concerns Allison investigating a haunted house where a baby mysteriously drowned years prior. When the wife of the household suddenly takes her own life, Allison links the two deaths through an eerie common denominator.
Octavia Spencer
Although she's been a working actress since 1996, Octavia Spencer did not become a household name until earning her first Oscar nomination for her role in The Help. With two more nods for Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water, not to mention a starring role in Ma, Spencer is now recognized as one of Hollywood's finest actresses.
In the seventh episode of season 2, Spencer plays a Jurist who joins Joe in deliberating over the murder of a rich woman at the accused hands of her husband. Allison becomes involved in the case when the murdered man begins dreaming about his death.
Zoe Kazan
Before she broke out as Ruby Sparks in the 2012 movie she also wrote, Zoe Kazan earned just the third acting credit of career by appearing in The Boy Next Door, the 15th episode of Medium season 3.
The back to the future episode finds Allison exploring her past as a teenager, where she begins to notice her supernatural ability to see the future in her dreams. Kazan plays Izzy, Allison's childhood friend who fends off a rape attempt perpetrated by a sex offender and murder suspect named Stephen (played by equally pre-famous Kyle Gallner).
Rami Malek
Now synonymous with Mr. Robot and winning Best Actor for Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek marked just the fourth acting credit of his resume when appearing in season 2 of Medium.
Titled Time Out of Mind, the episode finds Allison stuck in a recurring dream in which she relives the same day over and over as a mental patient treated with torture methods. As she tries to make sense of the dream, she must tie it to murders committed by Timothy Kircher (Malek), a violently unhinged schizophrenic.
Elisabeth Moss
Elisabeth Moss is currently one of the most famous and in-demand Hollywood actresses. After garnering acclaim for on Mad Men and for her leading role on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, for which she won a Golden Globe in 2018, Moss starred in such acclaimed movies as Us, The Invisible Man, Shirley, and more.
In the 19th episode of Medium season 3 (2007), Moss played dual roles as Jennie and Haley Heffernan. When Alison discovers the frozen corpse of Haley in her dreams, she solicits answers from Haley's sister Jennie in waking life.
Emma Stone
Having won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in La La Land, Emma Stone is currently one of the most famous people alive.
Even before audiences saw Stone in Superbad in 2007, she earned just the second acting credit of her career by appearing in a vital guest role in Sweet Dreams, the fifth episode of Medium season 2. Stone plays Cynthia McAllister, a missing teenager Allison has visions of her dreams.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence impressed Medium producers so much that she played two different characters in two different seasons of the show before ascending to one of the most famous actresses on the planet.
The Oscar-winning actress and Hunger Games superstar first appeared in Medium in season 3 episode 7, in which she plays Claire Chase, the daughter of a murdered haberdashery owner. In season 4 episode 2, Lawrence replaced Jessy Schram as the young version of Allison DuBois.