One of 2021’s biggest TV success stories, Ghosts quickly became a breakout hit on CBS and Paramount+. A remake of the UK series of the same name, the supernatural comedy centers on married couple Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), who move into a large old house Sam has inherited only for Sam to have a near death experience that leaves her with a very notable gift – the ability to see, hear, and speak to ghosts, many of which exist both inside the house or on the large grounds it sits upon.
At San Diego Comic-Con, we spoke to the entire cast of Ghosts to get an idea of where Season 2 is going and the fun of slowly learning more and more about the history of each of these characters, their lives, and their eventual deaths.
WILL JAY SEE GHOSTS?
A clip shown from Season 2 during the Ghosts Comic-Con panel made it clear that Jay, in the wake of he and Sam falling through the floor into the basement at the end of Season 1, may now have the same ability as Sam… or, at the least, he really, really hopes that is the case, as we see him excitedly wonder if he’ll now be able to see the ghosts.
We’ll have to wait and see if that actually occurs, either in the premiere or down the line, but pondering the possibility of Jay ever seeing the ghosts from her character’s perspective, Rose McIver said, “I feel like it’s a mixed bag for Sam. I think that it would be obviously wonderful to have her husband on the same page as her finally. But she’s very lucky at the moment.. There’s a lot of power in being the conduit between them and she’s definitely used that to her advantage several times. So I think it might rule out a few of the advantageous situations Sam finds herself in.”
Of course, behind the scenes there are other considerations, with Brandon Scott Jones (Captain Isaac Higgintoot) noting, “I can speak for all of us here as actors, we just want to do more direct scenes with Utkarsh! That would be the most selfish reason to have it [happen]. So I’m hoping that it gets to happen one day.”
As for their characters, the cast agreed that the ghost who’d most want to directly interact with Jay is Pete (Richie Moriarty), with Moriarty noting, of the endearing bond the two have formed thanks to Sam’s communication, “ “Pete and Jay have a friendship, as much as they can,” Plus, echoing Jones, Moriarity said, “Utkarsh is just such a hilarious actor. And I think we all kind of crave for moments to play with him. So yeah, of course, it would be like a delight for Jay to be able to see the ghosts.” Teased Ambudkar, “And the cool thing is… it might happen!”
In the meantime, McIver was impressed by how Ghosts Executive Producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman have used the situation, remarking, “The Joes have found these brilliant ways that Jay can actually communicate with [the ghosts]. All sorts of surprising things… You know, the writing in the steam on the shower, or there have been lots of moments like that that develop more and more. And he’s very intuitive. They’ve written him as a very intuitive character and it becomes a bit of a game for him, kind of working out who Sam is talking to. And that gives Utkarsh a lot to play with.”
THE B&B
Season 1 saw Jay and Sam working to convert their large house into a B&B, opening their doors for their first customer in the finale – albeit with less than stellar results thanks to that aforementioned floor collapse. Still, the B&B will now be a factor on the series, allowing for new guest stars, though during the SDCC panel, Ghosts EPs Port and Wiseman stressed that this wouldn’t be something that occurred every episode, as they didn’t want to completely change up the dynamic of the series.
However, McIver did tell Fandom that in Season 2, when it comes to the B&B, “Right out the gate we dive into that a little.” The fact is, Sam has a group of friends who no one else can see or hear and that might be helpful if you were suspicious (or just plain curious) about people staying under your roof… but also highly questionable.
As McIver put it, “The first episode of Season 2, it becomes kind of a bit of a moral quandary of how much you should enjoy the fact you have a lot of people that can be around and can see all sorts of things… “
Among the ghosts, Trevor (Asher Grodman) is not exactly known for his tact or for always saying or doing the most noble thing, and Grodman observed that for the ghosts, “You kind of have access to people. Everything we’re doing is spying on people. Just by our sheer presence in a room, we’re spying on people. It’s all voyeurism, so there’s a fine line you kind of have to walk and anticipate how an audience is going to respond.”
MORE TO LEARN
Slowly but surely, we’ve learned more and more about the ghosts – from the specifics of their lives (and, of course, their deaths) to the special abilities each of them have.
One particulatly notable ghost, when it comes to a backstory, is Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) who always believed she was murdered, despite being mocked by the other ghosts for thinking that – and, as it turns out, was correct. Season 2 will begin to give more clues and suspects in regards to the circumstances of her death, flashbacks to the 1920s included, and Pinnock said, “I feel like the ghosts have been gaslighting Alberta since the 1920s, which I love. And as an actor, it just feels really good to be able to spread my wings and figure out the murder mystery along with the rest of the cast. So I’m excited for what’s to come. She added she’s also “excited for what’s to come with Alberta and Pete. They’re very much an odd couple.”
The more we learn about the life that Flower (Sheila Carrasco) lived as a 1960s hippie, the more amusingly convoluted it gets, complete with multiple times as part of a throuple and a stint committing robberies – all before getting mauled to death by a bear. Carrasco laughed about all of the different aspects to Flower, saying, “I feel kind of like Flower is this wildcard where really anything is possible. If she said, ‘Oh, I lived on a boat for five years and was a fisherwoman’ or something, you’d believe it, you know? It’s really cool to get to find out all these things as the episodes go along. And there will be a little bit more fun surprises in Season 2…”
One of the more mysterious characters remains Sasappis (Román Zaragoza). We learned in Season 1 about his love of storytelling during his life (and death) but still know nothing about how he died, nor what power he has as a ghost. Observed Zaragoza, “It is fascinating because he doesn’t really have a counterpart to the [original] BBC show. He’s a very new character. He’s very dry and sarcastic. Everyone’s a little larger than life. He’s kind of like that observer. I love playing that, and with the Joes, Season 1 was a lot of like, ‘Can you guys tell me something? I don’t know how to play him yet. I’m trying to figure it out.’ More and more we’re learning, but I will say Season 2, in the first few [episodes], we get a little bit more about him and it’s always fun to find out a little more.”
Because the ghosts are, well, ghosts, they are always in the same clothing, meaning most of the cast are always in the same costume. Said Rebecca Wisocky (“Hetty”), of her character’s dress, “It’s so beautiful and does so much to inform my character that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Still though, she admitted, “We all desperately look forward to the little flashbacks that come in” for their characters, which allow them to put on different costumes, though Hetty hasn’t had one yet.
The viking Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) meanwhile stands out as the oldest ghost on the property, with Long noting he was also alone for quite awhile until he was joined by Sasappis. As Long put it, “He would have lost his s**t for like 500 years. Dude was hanging out by himself, with himself, alone in the woods, like, losing his mind going full Castaway mode.”
Long then brought up Thorfinn’s sadness over a certain animal pal in a very amusing manner, adding, “He did have a friend who was a squirrel. He ate him. Which we can all relate to. I think at the end of the day, a lot of people will go hey, you know what? At some point, we’ll all eat our best friend. And that’s something that most humans get and that’s I think that’s why people like Thorfinn.”
GHOSTS OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
(AND INSIDE JAY)
With a cast of 10 regulars, most Ghosts stories are set inside the house (and connected grounds), though we do see Jay and Sam travel off the property sometimes, leading to Sam encountering other ghosts.
Said McIver, of these encounters, “It’s really fun. And I especially love it when they tie back to the ghosts that we have at home, and that’s happened a number of times. There have been people who I have seen in the area, because obviously they would have coexisted on the same land. So there’s there’s a lot of moments and that happens again this season. There’s even more development of our characters’ stories with the people that I run into outside.”
As for what occurs inside the house, one incredibly funny Season 1 episode found Sam possessed by Hetty, and Wisocky deadpanned, “I sure loved being inside of him.”
That episode allowed Ambudkar to do an hysterical impression of Wisocky as Hetty, and while Hetty is the only ghost we know of with the power to possess a human, Ambudkar would love to get the chance to play his other costars in this manner.
Said Ambudkar, “The great thing about this ensemble, from top to bottom, is every actor has a strong point of view of their character. They’ve created really iconic roles, and for any impressionist or impersonator, you have to have great source material and every one of these guys would be a dream to play, and I think so much fun for the audience. I don’t know if I’ll be the one who gets possessed this season but I’m pretty sure we’re going to revisit that story device in Season 2, much to the joy of the audience.”
Ghosts Season 2 premieres September 29, 2022.
