I expected to see something along the lines of “Crossing Over with John Edward,” but that’s not what I got from psychic medium Lisa Williams.

Somewhat a skeptic, I didn’t expect to be impressed by her ability to communicate with the dead in her new show, “Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead.” I was wrong.

Williams, with her distinctive British accent, claims to have unique abilities to see and speak to the dead, and in some cases, she truly does transform the lives of the people she meets. Whether it’s a stranger on the street who she feels a connection with, or someone who comes from hundreds of miles away specifically to meet with Williams, the outcome is the same.

In her new show on Lifetime, which premieres at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, cameras follow Williams on a typical day in Los Angeles.

When Williams takes off her baseball cap to reveal her short spiky hair, you know she’s ready for work – it’s her signal to the spirit world that she’s looking for someone to talk to.

Williams said she knew from the time she was a little girl that she had a gift, but it wasn’t until a chat as a teenager with her grandmother that she decided it was what she was meant to do.

Her grandmother, Frances Glazebrook, allegedly was a revered psychic medium to the British royal family and other notable people. Glazebrook’s plan was for her granddaughter to continue her work after she died, and William has done just that.

In addition to the show, Lifetime is adding a link to its Web site, www.lifetimetv.com where viewers can log on and see video coverage of Williams giving readings to strangers on the street and footage from the show. Fans and skeptics alike also can e-mail Williams directly on the site, where she will answer questions from viewers.

Just a warning: It looks like MTV is signing up for a third season of “Yo Momma,” which features contestants using mother jokes as a weapon, according to The New York Daily News. The second season hasn’t even debuted, but producers apparently are confident in their comedy. I wouldn’t be so sure.