“Monica the Medium” is a different kind of ABC Family show. It focuses on a young woman with a dramatic life, which seems pretty normal for the network. The main star, Monica Ten-Kate, is a medium who talks to spirits. With sci-fi shows like “Stitchers” and the upcoming “Shadowhunters,” the new drama seems average for the network, with one key difference: it’s allegedly real. “Monica the Medium” is indeed a reality show. The titular star says that she talks to dead all the time. Of course, communicating with spirits makes her life a little complicated. Check out a few facts about the medium:

1. She Kept Her Talent Secret – Monica discovered her talents in high school, but she wasn’t about to reveal that to her classmates or even her parents. “You’re in high school already trying to deal with everything else and trying to fit in and be normal,” she explained to People. “So I really did not share it or open up with everybody about it out of fear of people thinking I was crazy. It wasn't until the beginning of college that I kind of came out of the medium closet.”

2. The Spirits Make The Schedule – Although she schedules readings for people, Monica states that spirits often just come her. “I told Spirit ‘I'm off the clock for the rest of the day, you got that?!’ lol ...well, Spirit didn't listen, but looking back now, I'm glad they didn't,” she wrote on Facebook. She ended up in contact with her Uber driver’s dead mother and passed along some much-needed advice.

3. Family Struggles – The 21-year-old medium notes that her abilities can put a strain on relationships. Even her mother has a hard time accepting the idea that she talks to the dead. “She comes from Costa Rica with the hardcore Catholics,” Monica explained to OK! Magazine. “She never doubted that I had this ability or this gift and her struggles come from a good place. I’ve seen her come a long way and you’ll see on the show how she’s evolved.”

4. Not Everyone Believes – Monica comes across plenty of skeptics, even at her school. Onward State, a blog run by Penn State students, issued a retraction of an article about the new TV star. “After we published the article, Ten-Kate and her publicists requested that we ‘correct’ several parts, claiming there were errors,” Onward State reported. “She was absolutely right. There were significant mistakes in our piece. Instead of reporting critically, we presented her implausible assertions at face value, and implied that Ten-Kate can actually speak to the dead.” Monica won't have to worry about classmates for too much longer. She just started her senior year at Penn State.

“Monica the Medium” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC Family.

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