The Wayward Teaching of Tyler Henry
Guess who's back with a new show on Netflix? Tyler Henry!! (Did my title give it away?) Since we can't all huddle onto the couch, eat popcorn, and offer our commentary Mystery Science Theater 3000 style, I thought that revisiting my remarks on his last show, Life After Death with Tyler Henry, would have to do.
But wait. Why a new show? What happened to season two of Life After Death with Tyler Henry? Is the only hook for Tyler the celebrity aspect of his readings? Were the "average people" simply too boring to snag the ratings that Netflix desired? I don't want to jump to conclusions, but since Hollywood Medium ran for five seasons, one might wonder. According to a 2023 Vanity Fair article —
Henry is making time for the less fortunate, traveling across the country to offer his services when he’s not filming. Getting back to his roots has been rewarding and restorative—and often untelevised, though the new show has taken him to “salt-of-the-earth rural places that I would’ve never found myself in, where I can really help people who need it most. And that, for me, is why I started this work.”
— "Hollywood Medium Tyler Henry Has a Waiting List 300,000 People Long," Vanity Fair | December 2023
Phew, for a second there I worried that Tyler was only concerned with the celebrity of it all. You'll be pleased to know that in his new show, Live from the Other Side, he's getting back to his high profile guests. The now 600,000+ person waiting list will have to simmer a bit longer.
So what can we expect from the weekly live streaming of Live from the Other Side? Here's what Tyler Henry had to say in his press release —
I am super humbled and grateful for the opportunity… I know the skepticism that comes with mediums — and this project will let me lean into that in an honest and unedited way, demonstrating high-stakes readings in real time. My goal is for this live format to open some minds and change some lives. This project is my biggest, most interactive yet, and I can’t wait for you all to join me on Sept. 17.
I remain hopeful that "high stakes" refers to walking on tightropes while chatting with ghost or swimming with pirañas as he does these readings. Don't tell me that Mark Burnett wouldn't produce that!
You'll be glad to know that Tyler is returning to his roots as the Hollywood Medium and will have a star studded list of celebrities in the lineup for the upcoming show. If you're able to put your hands on the guest list, please send it my way! I wasn't able to find one.
Now to rewind time for what I believe to be my first official entry into the hallowed halls of The Great Dismantling by way of a series of stories on Instagram. (There are no actual halls, but if there were, each of these celebrity mediums would receive a plaque.) In updating my notes, I looked to see when the original document was created — December 25, 2022. Apparently my dad and I felt like torturing ourselves on Christmas after our annual viewing of Airplane! — somewhat fitting considering that we were skipping the holiday altogether with my mom absent from the scene.
photo credit: Life After Death with Tyler Henry (2022) via Netflix
