Rose McIver joins me over Zoom from her bedroom, effortlessly charming, much like her character Sam in CBS’s Ghosts. However, she’s multitasking, glancing at the baby monitor beside her as she speaks.
McIver is well-acquainted with managing distractions. As Sam, she’s constantly balancing conversations with a lively cast of ghosts that only she can see. “It’s obviously different in many ways, but Sam never gets to switch off, and as a new mom, neither do I,” she reflects. “That’s been an interesting parallel this year.”
Inspired by the British series of the same name, Ghosts follows Sam and her husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) as they inherit the dilapidated Woodstone Mansion. After a near-fatal fall down the stairs, Sam discovers her ability to see and communicate with the resident ghosts. She becomes their liaison to the living world, helping them navigate their unresolved issues and negotiate their futures—ultimately assisting them in moving on to the afterlife.
Now in its fourth season, the show has found its rhythm. The dynamics among Sam, Jay, and the eclectic group of ghosts are finely tuned, creating the cozy feel that fans love in long-running sitcoms.
McIver likens returning for Season 4 to returning to college after summer break. “It’s like you’ve been away, and now you reconnect. There’s a creative shorthand that makes everything flow so much easier on set,” she explains.
The writers have also hit their stride, crafting roles that resonate deeply with the cast. “It feels like they know exactly how to write for you. It becomes art imitating life and vice versa, especially with specific pairings and humor,” she notes.
This season, Sam faces the challenge of balancing her desire to please a quirky group of ghosts with her own needs as a living person. “Sam wants to be liked and included; she doesn’t want to offend anyone. But you can’t please everyone,” McIver says, adding that she relates to this struggle as a new mother. “I’ve realized I can’t care as much about what others think anymore. It’s been an interesting shift.”
McIver announced her pregnancy in January while filming Season 3, but the writers chose not to write it into Sam’s storyline. As a result, she often found herself behind desks or hidden under bulky coats to conceal her growing bump.
After giving birth in the summer, she returned to set just 11 weeks later for Season 4. “It was early, and being a first-time mom is a learning experience,” she admits. “But everyone has been incredibly supportive.”
Now free from the bump-concealing props, Sam is busier than ever. A new ghost, the puritanical Patience (Mary Holland), has joined the crew, and Sam is undertaking what Jay refers to as a “ghost reclamation project.” Patience, who died in the 1600s, has a complicated history with the three eldest ghosts—Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), and Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long)—having lost her way and sanity over centuries. As Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) puts it, she is “a lot,” while Sasappis adds she’s “exhausting.”
