Greenlighting all of these adaptations of the same show highlights the fact that many studios are way more comfortable promoting ideas that have already proven to be successful versus nurturing original, unique ideas. Recent Emmy winner Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer) pointed this out in his acceptance speech saying, “I know the industry is in a slump right now, and I know it might put pressure on networks and stuff to tighten the purse strings and broaden the slate, but I do believe no slump was ever broken without willingness to take risks.”
Gadd’s declaration is an important one that speaks to the current state of Hollywood, and it calls out studios that are overly focused on airing franchises or shows with an already-established fanbase. This leaves out the possibility for truly one-of-a-kind ideas to shine through. And if studios and streaming companies have a finite number of projects they can greenlight every year, this limits the number of original projects that can ultimately get in front of viewers. At this rate, in the future, we’re only going to be watching reboots, remakes, and spin-offs with no special or truly different ideas. It’s understandable that the Ghosts crew would like to capitalize on the success of the franchise, but now the US version is most likely going to struggle to retain some of what made it exceptional because they’re going to have to compete with all of these global rehashes of their content that are airing at the same time. And the franchise also runs the risk of alienating the core fans who tuned in because of the original concept.
The US Ghosts has a lot of exciting plot points in store for its upcoming season. It has been announced that Jay will actually gain the ability to see the ghosts for the first time, and Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) will be held prisoner by a mysterious new ghost named Patience. The intriguing direction the show is going with its characters shouldn’t be overshadowed by yet another version of the series being greenlit. Of course, it’s great that a larger audience around the world will get to experience the magic of the Ghosts world, but it is a shame that the series that’s already airing could be hindered by all of this branching out. Hopefully, Ghosts US will get to continue with its hilarious supernatural hijinks and can exist as a separate entity from the many international adaptations. And maybe Hollywood will start to learn that IP grabs don’t always equal success, but great storytelling does.
