America has had its fair share of television shows that originated in the United Kingdom. Remakes are a common thread on American TV, whether it’sStrictly Come DancingbecomingDancing With the Stars, or narrative shows being ported over to a different audience, includingBeing Human,Life on Mars, and more. Each has had varying degrees of success, based on how well the concept translates to American humor, but none has perhaps been more successful lately thanGhosts, a supernatural comedy that arrived on our shores in 2021, after the original version premiered in Britain in 2019.
Where some American remakes try to alter their premises to better fit the tastes of a much larger country,both versions ofGhostsremain largely the same on the surface:a couple (played byCharlotte RitchieandKiell Smith-Bynoein the UK, andRose McIverandUtkarsh Ambudkarin the U.S.) inherits a large, rundown manor house that they intend to turn into a hotel. Little do they know, the house is crawling with ghosts of all kinds, and when half of the couple has a near-death accident that grants her the ability to see them, things go awry as they must learn to manage their new home and the needs of the spirits haunting it.
It’s a simple concept, propelled just as much by its cast of characters as its interesting premise.TheUK version is still as much of a successas ever, finally coming to an end after five seasons and a new Christmas special that was released in December 2023. The team behindGhostsalso produced a book giving a special inside look at the characters of the series and continue to receive massive amounts of love from fans, who each have their favorites out of the rowdy pack of specters determined to find peace in Button House.
A group of spirits restlessly squabble in an abandoned country house. To their despair, a young couple inherits the house with hopeful plans to renovate it into a luxury hotel.
‘Ghosts’ UK Is Defined by Its Creators
But more importantly, that team is exactly what makes the original version ofGhostsso special. While the U.S. version was developed as a spin-off adaptation byJoe PortandJoe Wiseman, theoriginal series came from the minds of Them There, a collective of comedians, writers, and actors comprised ofMathew Baynton,Martha Howe-Douglas,Jim Howick,Laurence Rickard,Ben Willbond, andSimon Farnaby. While each has achieved personal success in their own career — Farnaby notably co-wrote last year’sWonka, as well as the hit filmPaddington 2— they’re largely known for their group efforts, which began with the inception ofHorrible Historiesin 2009. A comedy sketch show meant to teach children about English history (notably including the iconic“Monarch Song”), the series brought the six creatives together as they were hired out of the UK comedy scene, and brought them such success that they banded together to continue creating, moving on to the fantasy seriesYonderlandand the comedy filmBill, a humorous take on the life of William Shakespeare, before creatingGhosts.
Them There is the backbone of the series, writing the show as well as playing amajority of the ghostsinhabiting Button House: Baynton as romantic poet Thomas Thorne, Howe-Douglas as the stuck-up Lady Button, Howick as cheerful Boy Scout leader Pat Butcher (the greatest DJ in thear-e-a), Rickard as both the decapitated Lord Humphrey and stoic caveman Robin, Farnaby as pantsless Tory MP Julian Fawcett, and Willbond as the simply titled Captain. While a few others fill out the cast of specters plaguing Ritchie’s Allison (includingHorrible Historiesguest starKaty Wix),the collective is the heart at the center of the show that elevates it over the American remake.
The Entire Cast of ‘Ghosts’ Really Wants to Make a Musical Episode Happen
We caught up with the cast of ‘Ghosts’ at the Library of Congress, where they were treated to an incredible tour of the collection.
It’s that simple difference that sets the original series apart from its American cousin. Where the U.S. version is crafted exactly likeevery other sitcom on network television, with a writers’ room and actors hired individually,GhostsUKbeing a product of friendship and collaboration gives it a homier feel, like how I imagine waltzing into Button House would feel. The writers and stars know each other well, enough to know what kinds of jokes work for whom and exactly what they can get away with given their chemistry. Viewers get the sense that the ghosts really have spent hundreds of years (or in Robin’s case, thousands) together, their fifteen years of collaboration and creativity meshing together in the exact right mixture for the show’s premise.
Comedy Collective “Them There” Caters to the ‘Ghosts’ UK Cast With Its Humor
As a result,the show always feels freshpulling not only from situational comedy but also the small moments that come from working together, especially when it comes to improv or over-the-top reactions — which also make for an extremely entertainingblooper reel. Itnever feels as though jokes are recycled, something that happens at least moderately on the U.S. series, and they feel less like staged bits and more… well, I’d say natural, but there’s nothing natural about being able to see ghosts, is there?
Even those who come to the series from outside the collective — including Ritchie and Smith-Bynoe, as well as fellow ghostLolly Adefope— are catered to in the show’s writing, as their fellow stars took the opportunity to examine their specific strengths and weaknesses and bonded with those who’d already worked together.There’s nothing worse than watching a show where sets of actors feel like they’re on completely different planets,and even though Smith-Bynoe’s Mike can’tseethe ghosts, he’s just as much in on the joke as the rest of them, given a chance to shine as comedic support that few actors (includingAmbudkaras the American Jay) are ever given.
That’s not to say the U.S.Ghostsisn’t funny, butit does tend to defer toflat character typesor stereotypes to define its spiritswhereas the original series created characters based on its actors’ strengths. The best example of this is the character of Pat Butcher, one of the few characters copied and pasted directly from the British series to the American one. While Pat was originally categorized only as sweet and cheerful, which allowed Howick to play a variety of emotions based on the plot, the American version — renamedPete Martinoand played byRichie Moriarty— takes Pat’s dorky charm and Flanderizes him, often making “nerd” the core part of his personality, without much more depth than that.
While the AmericanGhostshas only run for two seasons, giving it plenty of chances to expand and deepen its cast of characters in the future, it does seem like the standard sitcom approach to writing for an ensemble cast does the American ghosts a disservice compared tothe UK ones, who get the opportunity to fully expand themselves and create rich inner lives with the help of their actors, who can make choices for their characters themselves as opposed to simply being handed material. Whether it’s Allison’s relationship with the ghosts or the tact with which the show handledThe Captain’s queerness— something the UK series far outdoes the American version with — it’s hard not to see the sentimental and loving side of what many might pass off as a standard comedy, new layers to each character, living or dead, hiding in the nooks and crannies of Button House.
‘Ghosts’ UK’s Humor Is Widely Acclaimed
It’s no surprise, then, thatthe series is BAFTA-nominated, both in the Scripted Comedy and Comedy Writer Craft categories.Them There know themselves and each other inside-out, and that camaraderie is far more natural and appealing than the constructed feel of the American series. Their history lends itself to natural depth and complexity, something that not every British series can achieve, even though comedy on television in the country varies greatly from the fare we’re used to in America.
That personal ownership of the show also means thatThem There had the chance to decide when and where the ghosts’ story ends.As opposed to American network television, which will likely drag the U.S.Ghostsout as long as it continues to be successful, the team behind the UK version knew there was a natural conclusion ahead for the show’s story, and chose voluntarily to bring it to an end, rather thanstring the characters along simply because of its massive popularity. While many fans were sad to see the show go, Them There was able to give their audience an emotionally satisfying conclusion — if not the one that everyone wanted — rather than being forced to wrap up when the show was eventually canceled, escaping the feeling of the dreaded rushed finale. There’s nothing worse for a beloved series than getting the can early, forcing a team to half-ass character arcs, and the ghosts managed to escape with their lives — or, well, deaths — intact.
‘Ghosts’ Renewed for Season 4 at CBS
Season 3 is currently underway on CBS.
There are strengths to thestandard sitcom format— a near-guaranteed audience, for one — and thesuccess ofGhostsin the U.S. can’t be understated,particularly with the way the premise was adapted for American audiences. It’s a television staple in its own right, but I can’t help but always drift back to the friendliness of Them There, and the feeling that I’m part of a family — if not that of Button House, then of the massive, wonderful audience the show’s developed, and who shares in my love for a bunch of spirits who make us all feel seen.
