While Ghosts has a lot in common with the original UK sitcom that inspired the series, the show made one great change to the formula of its predecessor. Ghosts follows Sam and Jay, a couple who move into a rundown mansion that they inherit from a distant relative. After a near-death experience, Sam gains the ability to see and communicate with the many ghosts that haunt the house. To her surprise, most of the ghosts in CBS’s Ghosts are surprisingly affable, even if their in-group squabbles keep her busy. This premise is almost identical to the original series.
Beginning in 2019, the original British version of Ghosts features Allison and Mike, a couple who go through almost the exact same trials and tribulations as their American counterparts. Mike is more impulsive and immature than Jay, and Sam is less level-headed than her British equivalent, Allison. The two shows also have different ghosts, although their lineups share a lot of similarities. However, the biggest existential difference between the US and UK versions of Ghosts has more to do with the divergent outlooks of both shows, as epitomized in two very different approaches to the same subplot.
