GHOSTS alive with spirited characters, feel-good fun on CBS

GHOSTS is scaring up laughs as TV’s #1 new comedy on CBS Thursday nights. The bold and unique show returns on January 6th, 2022 with the spirited fun that has been its brand of humor since the premier on October 7, 2021 through its winter finale. Fans can catch up by streaming Ghosts on Paramount+ before the all-new episodes launch.

The feel-good sitcom has bubbly writer Samantha (Rose McIver) and her chef husband Jay (Urkarsh Ambudkar) as a couple who inherit an old estate in New York’s Hudson Valley. They want to turn it into a B&B, but after a near-death experience, she develops the power to see dead people and their Victorian home is full of them.

Based on a British hit, there is a freshness to the comedy that explores relationships and the history of the ghosts from different eras spanning hundreds of years.

What storylines will materialize on Ghosts during the second half of Season1? Zooming with the producers and stars during CBS’ winter press tour, announcements were made. We’ll finally learn what happened to Trevor’s pants, noted executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman.

The most recently deceased ghost played by Asher Grodman, Trevor was a financier 1990s party-boy. Like all the ghosts, he wears the clothes he died in, so he walks around in his pricey suit, sans his pants. What was he doing when he died? Port said his past will be revealed, along with clever flashbacks for the other dead housemates.

On hand for the interview session were Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Asher Grodman, plus the other “ghosts” Brandon Scott Jones, as Revolutionary soldier “Isaac”; Richie Moriarty, 1980s scout troop leader “Pete”; Danielle Pinnock, Prohibition jazz singer “Alberta”; Román Zaragoza, 1500s Native American “Sasappis”; Sheila Carrasco, ‘60s Hippie “Flower”; Devan Chandler Long, Viking “Thorfinn,” and Rebecca Wisocky, as the proper 1800s Victorian wife “Hetty,” who is Samantha’s ancestor.

Each of the ghosts will have a chance to shine in future episodes. Producer Wiseman said, “Upcoming Thor has decided that he needs therapy for longstanding issues. It’s called ‘Thorapy’.”

Rose McIver, of iZombie fame, loves being the lively character who gets to interact with the entire cast. McIver said, “A lot of people ask me which is my favorite ghost.  And I’m always like ‘I can’t do that.’ That’s like choosing which is your favorite child.”

Around the holidays the show asked its Ghost fans to pick their favorite episodes for a “Ghostmas” catch-up campaign that aired. CBS was overwhelmed by the response for the mini-marathon on the network.

A fan fav was Danielle Pinnock as Prohibition jazz singer Alberta, and her costar Sheila Carrasco (Hippie Flower) said she loved “Alberta’s Fan” even though she wasn’t in the episode. “To watch Danielle do her thing with Rebecca and Devan and our fellow cast members is just so amazing. It was such a beautifully written well-done story line. It was so cool to be able to watch it as just a fan of all of these amazing actors.”

Brandon Scott Jones, as Revolutionary soldier Isaac, confessed, “At the end of ‘Alberta’s Fan’ where she goes, ‘Because I’m famous,’ lives in my head rent free, and will long after I’m dead.  I will be buried with that on a loop in my coffin.”

Rebecca Wisocky (Victorian Hetty) said, “The flashback that we’re all dying to see is Alberta singing in that club back in the day. That’s our secret cast wish.”

What does Danielle Pinnock love about her character Alberta? Pinnock said, “This role is a dream of a lifetime. As all of us were, I was in the middle of a global pandemic, in my PJs watching a ton of Selling Sunset, and this audition/screen test happened over Zoom. When I got cast it was the greatest moment of my life. I’ve been in this industry for a very long time, getting paid in pizza, doing a ton of theater. So, to be back in the network with my CBS family, I’ve been doing Young Sheldon for four years. So I just felt like it was very kismet.”

Pinnock added, “Alberta is such a bad ass. Possibly a criminal.  A very delicious diva, from a time period that was extremely fabulous. But also, you know, there was racism, as she says so lightly in her episode. I’m not a natural born singer, so the thing I wanted to get right about this character is that I had to take singing lessons for this role. I wanted to learn the dances of the time period to really dig into the character. I wanted to do justice for her. Because I think especially in the ‘Alberta’s Fan’ episode, there are so many artists that we just don’t know about. You know, they truly are hidden figures, a lot of the Black artists from those time periods. And I think that episode is so important, because it shines a light on these people, and Alberta is one of those people.”

She sees a kaleidoscope of art now with the Bessie Smiths and the Ma Raineys being discovered. “We’re just now seeing movies about them, that people had no idea about. I’m very, very, very grateful to be playing her (Alberta), I think she’s so fabulous. I’m very grateful to be in this ensemble. And that episode was just so important to me.  It just blew my mind.”

Port said, “There’s a lot of fun in store for Ghosts.” Tune in.