What happened to Providence?
When Providence made its debut in early 1999, it was dismissed by television critics as the most phony, shamelessly manipulative show to appear in years. I mean, how can you defend a show about an idealistic doctor in a small town who talks to her dead mother? Nevertheless, and despite critics, Providence, now in its third season, has become one of the surprise hits of recent years, and on Friday nights, no less. The appeal of Providence is fantasy. Every show opens with a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale skit, usually involving Dr. Syd Hansen (Melina Kanakaredes) and her recently deceased mother Lynda (Concetta Tomei). Syd talks to her mother in her dreams, and Lynda offers Syd motherly advice, usually about Syd’s troubled love life. Beyond this relationship, the show offers a fantasmatic version of the city of Providence itself. With exteriors shot on location, the city looks like paradise: it’s charming and warm, without a hint of menace. As Chantal Kreviazuk sings a cover of The Beatles’
