Commentary: ‘Ghosts’ Propels Its Premise Towards Characterization
by Frank Martin
Classic premises are very helpful in terms of building structure for a story. For instance, there are certain scenarios and situations that have become tropes within a genre. A great example of this is the haunted house. Typically, a family moves into a house that’s haunted or has some sort of historical baggage to it and the new residents have to cope with that conflict. It’s notoriously been a gateway into a horror story. But it’s increasingly being used to depict a comedic story. The CBS sitcom Ghosts takes the premise even further and uses it as a jumping off point for powerful character storytelling.
Starring Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar, the series is about a couple who moves into an upstate mansion after Samantha (McIver) inherits it unexpectedly. They try to make it a bed and breakfast, but after she accidentally falls down the stairs and hits her head, Samantha is able to see ghosts that call the mansion home. The afterlife group of is an eclectic bunch who had occupied the land throughout history. There is a Native American, a viking, a Prohibition jazz singer, and more.
The show can certainly use the ghosts for situational comedy — and it does. There are plenty of episodes that feature supernatural antics. But the show is actually much more than that. Each ghost is more than just a fantastical spirit. They are fully fleshed out characters, each representing a different type of person who is accustomed to living in a different era. Other stories have explored characterization through the afterlife before, but what makes Ghosts so special is the fact that there are so many of them in this ensemble and the show exists as a status quo sitcom. There’s not a whole lot of growth through the plot, but the characters themselves — many of whom are dead — do grow. They rectify past mistakes, experience troubled relationships, and even learn something about themselves, which is ironic given it’s in death. It just goes to show that Ghosts is able to expand beyond its traditional trope to create a well written character drama.
Ghosts is now streaming on Paramount+.