While I was initially disappointed to see that Lin-Manuel Miranda wasn’t reprising his most famous role in Ghosts season 4, I can now see why the cameo appearance would not have worked in the CBS sitcom. While the ghosts of CBS’ Ghosts are the show’s most important characters, alongside the Woodstone B+B’s living proprietors Sam and Jay, that doesn’t mean that the sitcom is short on guest stars. In season 4 alone, Dean Norris appeared as Sam’s estranged father Frank, and Mary Holland played Patience the Puritan, a new ghost with a creepy supernatural power.
Other episodes reintroduced Ghosts supporting stars like Jay’s sister Bela, who plays a bigger role in season 4, and Pete’s widow Carol. As such, I wasn’t shocked when it was announced that Isaac’s longtime rival, the Revolutionary War legend Alexander Hamilton, would appear on the CBS show. However, I was a little surprised and disappointed by who was playing the historical figure and the circumstances of his appearance. Hamilton’s role was limited to a flashback in season 4, episode 14, “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle.”
Why There Was Interest In Seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda Play Hamilton In Ghosts
When Isaac’s actor first announced that Hamilton would appear in the sitcom, I initially assumed Lin-Manuel Miranda would play Hamilton in Ghosts season 4. Not only did Miranda’s well-received musical Hamilton earn a lot of praise when the Broadway show debuted a decade ago, but series star Utkarsh Ambudkar worked with Miranda on the project when Hamilton was still in its infancy. Then dubbed The Hamilton Mixtape, this early version of the musical saw Ambudkar play the central role of Aaron Burr.
Ambudkar openly admitted at Comic-Con that he asked Miranda to reprise the role of Hamilton in Ghosts. Thus, Miranda bringing back the character during a January episode of Saturday Night Live made me more convinced than ever that Ghosts was missing out by casting someone else in the role. The Conners supporting star and sitcom stalwart Nat Faxon might be a mainstay in TV comedy, but it seemed unlikely that he would leave as much of an impression as the return of Miranda’s take on Hamilton.
“Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” is a goofy farce that wouldn’t have worked with Miranda’s more self-serious version of Hamilton at its center.
Luckily, I was very wrong on this front. From start to finish, “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” is a goofy farce that wouldn’t have worked with Miranda’s more self-serious version of Hamilton at its center. Faxon brought a funny, light-hearted energy to the petty, immature Hamilton that was a welcome surprise, and the absurdity of Isaac losing out on signing the Declaration of Independence because of a fight over an ornate ruffle just wouldn’t have worked with Miranda’s sincere take on the historical figure.
