Countless American adaptations of British TV classics have fallen woefully short of the source material. Either the dry British humor simply doesn’t translate well — which is why the U.S. version of Gavin & Stacey was far too cringe-worthy to enjoy — or it feels so similar there’s no real reason to adapt it in the first place.
However, some adaptations are thoroughly enjoyable. More importantly, they respect the original premise, adapting what makes it special while adding their own twist. One such adaptation does just that — and it’s currently available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
Ghosts premiered in 2021 on CBS. Showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman adapted the U.K. series of the same name from the BBC, bringing the original’s charm to the U.S. The sitcom quickly found success, earning a second season the following January, with multiple seasons later confirmed. At the time of writing, season 6 is scheduled to debut in early 2027, with no end in sight.
Like the BBC original, Ghosts follows a young couple who believe their lives have taken a positive turn when they inherit a massive mansion from a recently deceased relative. However, what they think is a dream come true soon takes a turn for the worse when they realize the mansion they’ve inherited is riddled with ghosts.
The original series’ allure largely hinges on the natural chemistry of its cast, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond, who also created the show and are well known to the British public for their educational comedy series, Horrible Histories. This ease between the characters initially made me concerned about the U.S. version — how could the adaptation hope to match a cast that has been performing comedy together since 2009?
Thankfully, there was no reason to worry. While the adaptation relies on the general premise of the BBC’s first season, the U.S. sitcom’s sheer size compared to the original (the BBC original had six episodes for its first season versus the U.S. adaptation’s 18) quickly forces the CBS version to chart its own course. For one thing, the couple, Samantha “Sam” (Rose McIver) and Jay Arondekar (Utkarsh Ambudkar), aren’t the same working-class hopefuls as Alison and Mike in the original; they are more interested in leaving city life than desperately looking for a house to move into as a couple.
The ghosts themselves are a big part of the original’s appeal and remain central in the US adaptation. While my fellow Brits and I delighted in ghosts like stuck-up English Regency ladies such as Lady Fanny Button, as well as smarmy, pantless Tory MP Julian Fawcett, the U.S. adaptation leans into periods like the Prohibition era, the American Revolutionary War, and even the cult communities of the 1960s.
These ghosts aren’t as specific, and it’s easy to see where CBS leaned on the original for safety (Rebecca Wisocky as Lady Henrietta Woodstone, the uptight lady of the manor, is clearly based on Fanny), but as the series develops, the characters evolve in ways that make them unique. For example, Fanny comes from a poorer background than Henrietta, whereas Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long), a Viking from Norway, isn’t quite as literal as the prehistoric caveman Robin from the original.
Ghosts stays true to the source material where it matters
Yet despite these differences, the U.S. adaptation of Ghosts ultimately stays true to two essential facets of the original. First, the living couple brings a sense of grounded reality to the audience, reminding us that, for all the ghosts’ wackiness and wonder, their interactions with the living humanize and define them beyond the circumstances of their deaths. Lastly, the ghosts’ development, from supernatural pests who want the living out of their home to embracing the changes the living bring to their undead life, is what puts the ‘family’ in this family sitcom.
By embracing the original’s themes, Port and Wiseman elevate Ghosts from lackluster to truly extraordinary.
Ghosts is streaming now on Pluto TV