Picture this: an idyllic, young, married couple inherit a beautiful house in the New York countryside and plan to open a bed and breakfast. We follow the trials and tribulations the two of them face in establishing their business, such as nosy neighbors, home renovations and establishing themselves as a reputable establishment. There is one more problem for them, though: their house is haunted. After a near-death experience, new homeowner Samantha (Rose McIver) finds herself face to face with spirits of the mansion’s past, ranging from an ancient viking to a business executive from the 1990’s.
“Ghosts,” based on a British comedy of the same name, debuted in Oct. 2021 on CBS, where it has continued to run for two seasons. Alongside McIver, the show features her character’s loving husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), who, unlike his wife, cannot see ghosts, leading to many comedic misunderstandings. The show’s strength lies in its stellar ensemble cast of the titular Ghosts. Personally, my favorites are Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long), a Nordic Viking and the first ghost to haunt the property, Flower (Sheila Carrasco), a hippie and cult member from the 1960’s who is perpetually high and Captain Isaac Higgintoot (Brandon Scott Jones), a closeted revolutionary war soldier who died of dysentery. With the show’s focus being the dearly (not-quite) departed, the humor can become morbid at times, but the show maintains a charm and sweetness throughout that keeps it from getting too dark while keeping its slight edge.
Season one of the show was preoccupied with establishing the show’s groundwork: the first few episodes each focused on a specific ghost, how they died and the legacy they left behind, and the episodes that followed established the show’s supporting cast, featuring both living and deceased relatives of the characters. Now that audiences are familiar with the characters more intimately, the show has taken opportunities to establish new dynamics and return to plot lines from the first season. Characters introduced in the show’s first year return for the sophomore season, such as Jay’s sister Bela, who dated the deceased business executive Trevor online, or Samantha’s ancestor Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh), the husband of fellow ghost Henrietta.
The show’s cast easily carries the show, not just with likable characters, but rather with the connections formed between characters as the show progresses, elevating the already amusing writing to a higher level. My favorite relationship on the show is the friendship that forms between Jay and the deceased Pete, a Scouts Troop Leader from 1985, with Samantha as their intermediary. The show also features romantic arcs, with a notable one being between the ghosts Captain Isaac and Nigel Chessum, two were revolutionary war soldiers who were on opposing sides of the conflict in their lifetimes. Isaac (albeit accidentally) killed Nigel, and the two formed a romantic relationship in their afterlife, moving beyond their differences. A classic sitcom trope is the “odd couple” pairing, which forms between the ultra-relaxed Flower and the overly-aggressive Thorfinn, with their romantic courtship being a focus of multiple episodes in the second season.
Through a combination of witty writing and stellar performances, “Ghosts” is one of the most enjoyable network comedies in years, and I believe will usher in a new era of network comedies alongside other shows such as ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and NBC’s “Grand Crew.” Streaming services and cable channels have had a deadlock on comedies lately, with “White Lotus,” “Ted Lasso” and “Girls5Eva,” just to name a few. “Ghosts,” however, gives me hope that the classic network sitcom isn’t dead yet.
Show: “Ghosts” (U.S. version)
Starring: Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Brandon Scott Jones
Favorite episodes so far: “The Perfect Assistant,” “The Christmas Spirit, Part One,” “The Christmas Spirit, Part Two”
If you like: “The Good Place,” “Ghosts” (U.K. version), “Miracle Workers”
Where to watch: CBS, Paramount+
Shamrocks: 5 out of 5
‘Ghosts’: Dead and loving it
Maria Gorecki | The Observer
