Growing up in a house where paranormal activity was the norm, I have always had an interest in the paranormal. Thanks to the many channels available to me, I can now indulge that interest by watching shows that focus on the paranormal. Paranormal investigations and ghost hunting are hot topics, and there are several shows that I watch.

My top pick for a paranormal investigative program is SciFi’s “Ghost Hunters”, featuring The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) team founded by Rhode Island residents Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes. This team investigates the paranormal, but unlike most groups, they actively seek to debunk or find rational explanations for what seems to be paranormal. Although both Jason and Grant (as well as other team members) have had personal experiences, their approach provides more credibility. If these guys say a place is haunted, then it most likely IS haunted. They also investigate from a scientific perspective, using EMF (electromagnetic frequency) detectors, night vision cameras, and other state-of-the-art equipment. “Ghost Hunters” airs on the SciFi channel each Wednesday evening.

On the Arts and Entertainment Channel each Monday night, a new program called “Paranormal State” focuses on the investigations of a group of college students. Although the suspense is hyped up more than it is on “Ghost Hunters”, this program is worth watching but it does rank second to “Ghost Hunters”.

Having covered the best, here are the worst.  Discovery Channel has many great programs but their take on paranormal reality is a program called ” A Haunting”.  In this program, stories of hauntings that are purported to be true are dramatized. The actual participants comment on their experiences throughout the program, but the credibility levels are much lower than on either “Ghost Hunters” or “Paranormal State”. Some of the stories stretch the possibilities very thin and the alleged paranormal events are so overly dramatized that they often seem like poor B horror movies. “A Haunting” airs weekday afternoons on Discovery.

And, almost as cheesy, is a program I have seen on the WE (Women’s Entertainment) channel called “Rescue Mediums”. Although I have not seen it in the television listings for a few weeks, “Rescue Mediums” follows the stories of two psychic mediums who travel to the locations of hauntings. These two ladies seem to be good friends, but they are about as interested in a good, stiff drink at the end of each investigation as they are in communing with the spirits of the dead.

Although there are a few other shows that focus on investigations of paranormal activities, these four shows represent the best and the worst of reality paranormal television.