sther and Lenny Lefkowitz spent more than two decades without having given their son Trevor (Asher Grodman) a proper burial. To be fair, that’s partly Trevor’s fault for placing his faith in irresponsible friends. When a weekend of drug-fueled partying proved too be too much for his ticker to handle, his pals dumped his body instead of owning up to their actions. As “Ghosts” viewers know, the Wall Street bro’s remains have been lost somewhere on the grounds of what is now Woodstone Bed & Breakfast since the year 2000.
When its newest caretakers Sam (Rose McIver) and her husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) discover them – in the most unfortunate way for their business, but still! – the couple offers Trevor’s parents (played by Laraine Newman and Chip Zein) some peace by hosting their son’s memorial. But Trevor is in no mood to rest. Instead, he makes it his mission to ensure Mom and Dad’s stay is as entertaining as possible – for them, for him, for his phantasmic roommates, and most importantly, for us.
On “Ghosts” the dead substantially outnumber the living. They hang around everywhere Sam and Jay go, except only she can see them, thanks to her brief trip to the Great Beyond by way of electrocution. None are threatening, creepy or forlorn. Quite the opposite: they’re carefree, opinionated and comforting. In their version of limbo, spirits watch over the still-breathing with fascination, revulsion and mild judgment mainly because there isn’t much else for them to do. Since nothing can hurt them anymore, everything about the world is fascinating. They’re also past caring about such vanities as clothing changes or partial nudity. Trevor passes his remaining time tethered to Earth sans trousers.
A few years ago “Ghosts” might have been viewed as too cute for the room. Zombies ruled pop culture, a popularity occasionally encroached upon by the odd vampire or demon. Those monsters represent the hideousness of the human soul. Apparitions signify longing, unresolved business and things left unsaid.
It was only a matter of time before TV’s spirit infestation spread beyond one network’s prime-time lineup.
“Ghosts” is one of the most popular sitcoms on television, and has already been picked up for a third season. Success breeds imitation in TV, especially when originality is at an all-time low. (To be fair, the CBS version of “Ghosts” is a remake of a BBC One series that premiered in 2019.) It was only a matter of time before TV’s spirit infestation spread beyond one network’s prime-time lineup. This week ABC made its necromantic pitch with “Not Dead Yet,” which casts the irrepressibly charismatic Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”) as Nell, a young woman who returns to the Los Angeles newspaper where she once worked as its obituary writer.
“Not Dead Yet” has an entirely different feel and execution from “Ghosts,” although Nell and “Ghosts” B&B host Sam share a common mandate to bridge the worlds of the living and the deceased, carrying messages to people who may not have appreciated the deceased enough while they were alive. Each accidental medium also absorbs the lessons their spirit visitors provide, if unwillingly at times, as Nell must when she’s temporarily haunted by her high school bully, who turns out to have been far more popular than she is.
It’ll be a few weeks before we know whether “Not Dead Yet” will remain above ground. But midway through its second season, “Ghosts” regularly competes with fellow CBS comedy “Young Sheldon” for the top-rated comedy crown. Plainly something about it is resonating with viewers besides the sharp writing and the cast’s stellar chemistry.
