CBS’s Ghosts wisely followed The Office’s approach to remaking a UK sitcom when the series remake took the name and basic premise of the original show, but dropped everything else. The Office was originally a cringe comedy that centered on Ricky Gervais’s delusional middle manager David Brent, but the U.S. version of the series was a warmer, less cynical show that focused on Steve Carell’s sweeter Michael Scott.
Both Brent and Scott had blatant character flaws, but their personalities diverged completely. Similarly, the supporting characters who staffed the office itself were very different in the U.S. version of the show.
Ghosts clearly learned from The Office as the series ensured that the UK show’s central conceit remained intact but didn’t import many main characters. While Sam and Jay are often effectively carbon copies of Mike and Allison, they are also the show’s human characters. Almost all the ghosts are unique to the new show, much like The Office’s inhabitants.
This explains how Ghosts has borrowed The Office’s successful strategy for translating a TV comedy from Britain to America. The basic setup stays the same, but new supporting characters allow for fresh storylines and a unique, original tone.
