The CBS adaptation of the BBC Ghosts features new actors playing familiar characters, like Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar as Sam and Jay. However, the actors and showrunners wanted to make the characters unique to the Ghosts US version. Rose McIver (Once Upon a Time and iZombie) broke down the dynamic of the central couple that grounds the supernatural haunted sitcom.
‘Ghosts’ actor Rose McIver described Sam and how her personality works with Utkarsh Ambudkar’s Jay
While some Woodstone Mansion spirits carry biases from their own time periods (Rebbeca Wisocky plays Hetty, who hilariously has plenty of outdated beliefs), McIver described Sam as someone “very accommodating.”
“It’s funny, I’m starting to wonder if I get typecast as working with dead people only. I came from iZombie onto this,” McIver told TV Insider, “and I’m now seeing ghosts! Samantha is, I would say, very accommodating. She really wants everyone to get along.”
McIver then recounted the events of the first few Ghosts episodes. After Sam hits her head, she then starts seeing spirits like Trevor (Asher Grodman) and Pete (Richie Moriarty).
“Instead of being particularly angry at [the ghosts], or sort of aggressive towards them, she wants to work out how everyone can get along,” McIver said. “So for me, this show is gonna be a lot about understanding people you’re spending a lot of time with [and] in close proximity.”
While Sam and Jay rarely get a moment alone in their haunted house, McIver and Ambudkar remain the strong main dynamic in CBS Ghosts.
‘Ghosts’ actor Rose McIver broke down her and Utkarsh Ambudkar’s characters
Then focusing on the relationship between her and Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rose McIver said they complement each other well in Ghosts.
“I think we’re a really good Yin and Yang,” McIver said. “Sam is very responsible, very on top of everything. She doesn’t have much chill factor, and what she lacks in chill, Jay makes up for. He’s very kind of laid back and funny, and grounded. And [he’s] wonderfully played by Utkarsh Ambudkar, who I’m a big fan of. [I was] very excited to work with [him].”
While Ghosts Season 1 has only given the couple a handful of episodes to work off each other, fans have already seen them handle disagreements and differing opinions in a healthier way than most sitcom couples.
However, the draw of the Ghosts show comes from the living interacting with the dead. And McIver had a few words to say about some of the specters with which she shares the screen.
The ‘iZombie’ actor said the ‘Ghosts’ cast brings ‘different kinds of energies’ to the CBS show
Beyond the Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar couple, the ghosts themselves bring their own dynamics to the show.
“The one that stands out to me right now is Thorfinn, a Viking,” McIver said. “Instead of leaning too far into a Viking archetype, they find a little nuance that’s going to pop up through the series, things, like he’s very fastidious, his attention to detail, is really specific.”
“It’s an amazing assortment of characters, I’m not going to sum them up as well as other people, so I should leave that to them,” McIver said. “They’re really a great textured, funny bunch that will bring all different kinds of energies to the production.”
