GHOSTS Showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman Pick Their Favorite Season 1 Moments

GHOSTS, quite simply, is fantastic.

The CBS comedy—an adaptation of the British series by the same name—follows Sam (Rose McIver), a young woman whose life is turned upside when an accident leaves her with an unexpected gift: the ability to see (and communicate with) ghosts. That complicates things as she and her husband, Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), try to turn the estate they inherited into a charming bed and breakfast…all while a gaggle of spirits (ranging from a Viking warrior to a ’90s finance bro) have some very strong opinions about what’s being done to their home.

Naturally, fun mayhem follows. Sam and the ghosts form a bond as they get to know each other. And though Jay can’t see what’s going on around him, thanks to a temporary possession and Sam as his go-between, he manages to forge his own special connections with their unexpected roommates, too.

The series—which finished up its first season in April; season 2 was ordered in January—came out of the gate strong, somehow balancing its ten-person ensemble with laugh-out-loud moments, emotional backstories, and unexpected mysteries. It’s the perfect dose of joy, whether you watch it weekly or saved it all to binge. (The first season is reairing Thursdays at 9/8c over the summer on CBS; additionally, the episodes are streaming on Paramount+.)

With production of season 2 just getting started, showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman looked back at the first season of the series, sharing their favorite moments from each cast member (so far)—and offered a couple of teases about what’s to come…

Rose McIver (Sam): “Rose’s entire performance in the series is a technical triumph. Each scene she’s in has to be shot two different ways: one where we can see the ghosts she’s talking to, and another where we can’t. Seeing her play those ‘no ghosts’ scenes, where she’s reacting to and speaking to people who aren’t there, while oftentimes interacting with ‘livings’ who have no idea of her power, is inspiring. One scene that stands out for me is from ‘Thorapy’ where Sam is talking to a therapist on Thorfinn’s behalf, having to present his issues as her own, all while Thor is screaming in her ear. The line ‘I even got some brains up my nose’ kills me every time.” — Wiseman

Utkarsh Ambudkar (Jay): “His portrayal of Hetty in the ‘Possession’ episode. Utkarsh just fully inhabited Hetty, which was a testament both to him, as well as to Rebecca Wisocky, who developed the strong character for him to imitate.” — Port

Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac): “There are two scenes from ‘Thorapy’ (one where Isaac tries to seduce Hetty to prove something to himself; another where Isaac tells Hetty his deepest secret) where Brandon Scott Jones’s full range as a comedic and dramatic actor are on full display (as well as his scenemate in both scenes, Rebecca Wisocky).” — Wiseman

Richie Moriarty (Pete): “We, along with so many of our viewers, loved the emotional range Richie showed at the end of ‘Pete’s Wife,’ when Pete finally, and posthumously, gets to reunite with his now grown daughter and meet his grandson, little Pete.” — Port

Danielle Pinnock (Alberta): “When I first saw Danielle Pinnock’s audition tape for Alberta, one of the things that jumped out was the fun Danielle seemed to have playing this character. The joy was infectious. Nowhere else is that better represented than the end of ‘Alberta’s Fan’ where Alberta happily celebrates as a video about her starts to go viral. It’s so fun to watch.” — Wiseman

Asher Grodman (Trevor): “In ‘Trevor’s Pants,’ I loved the moment when we see how Trevor lost his pants, making a sacrifice for a friend. It was another among a series of humanizing character turns that we’ve seen thus far, all of which Asher Grodman plays with remarkable understatement and depth.” — Port

Román Zaragoza (Sasappis): “In ‘Ghostwriter’ we did two flashbacks to when Sasappis was alive and talking with his father. The scenes turned out great, and shooting them was such a special day on set, partly because Sasappis’s father was played by Román Zaragoza’s real father, Gregory Zaragoza.” — Wiseman

Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty): “I loved her entire speech in ‘The Vault’ where she both reached out an olive branch to her ‘syphilitic reprobate’ of a husband Elias, and then—once he turned down her suggestion to try to use eternity to change and become a better person—she sent him to hell (or at least suggested that he go to hell, at which point he coincidentally did).” — Port

Sheila Carrasco (Flower): “In ‘Attic Girl,’ when all the ghosts are admonishing Stephanie for being mean to Sam, Flower takes her turn and angrily says, ‘We trusted you man, and you stole our money,’ which of course is not what happened at all. It was a line added on set when I wasn’t there, and when I watched the first cut I had to pause the playback because I was laughing so hard.” — Wiseman

Devan Chandler Long (Thorfinn): “‘Why not apologize sooner. Fix everything, cost nothing!’ This line sums up Thorfinn pretty well to me. He’s always so close to learning the right lesson, but he’s got a good heart and he’s trying.” — Port

Looking ahead to season 2, what unexpected or less-explored duo are the writers most looking forward to showcasing? “We were talking with Brandon over hiatus, and he pointed out that he and Richie have never had a scene with just the two of them before,” the showrunners said via email. “Seems like that would be a fun pairing!”

And from what has been written so far, what are the writers most excited for fans to see in in the new season? “We have seen a lot of people online clamoring to see flashbacks of Alberta singing in a club during the 1920s,” the showrunners teased. “We want to see that too!”

GHOSTS, Season Premiere, Thursday, September 29, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

RELATED:

• GHOSTS Post-Mortem: Asher Grodman Breaks Down the Unexpectedly Emotional ‘Trevor’s Pants’
• GHOSTS’ Asher Grodman Teases the ‘Trevor’s Pants’ Reveal: ‘I Did Not See That Coming’
• GHOSTS: Rebecca Wisocky Reflects on Hetty and Thor’s Bond, Previews ‘Shenanigans’ Ahead for Other Ghostly Residents
• CBS Renews GHOSTS, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, and BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA
• GHOSTS Post-Mortem: Rebecca Wisocky on ‘The Vault’ Twist That ‘Will Change Our Universe’
• GHOSTS: Rebecca Wisocky Previews Hetty’s Reunion With Her Long MIA Husband
• GHOSTS: Utkarsh Ambudkar Previews Sam’s Reunion with Her Mom
• GHOSTS EPs Joe Wiseman and Joe Port on Their Strategy for Revealing the Ghost Rules
• GHOSTS: Utkarsh Ambudkar Previews Hetty Possessing Jay
• GHOSTS: Danielle Pinnock on Alberta’s Death and That Bonkers Tattoo
• GHOSTS: Danielle Pinnock Previews Alberta’s Encounter with a Superfan
• GHOSTS Post-Mortem: Richie Moriarty Breaks Down the ‘Pete’s Wife’ Reveals
• GHOSTS’ Richie Moriarty on Meeting a Mini-Pete on Halloween, Plus Pete’s Upcoming Family ‘Reunion’
• CBS Orders Full Season of GHOSTS
• GHOSTS: What You Need to Know About the Series Premiere

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