Now that Hetty’s power has been revealed on Ghosts, every major spirit on the show has a special gift — but not all gifts are created equal.
Below, TVLine has assessed the powers of all eight ghostly series regulars for usefulness, creativity and entertainment value, and ranked them from worst to best. We’ve also included a couple of recurring characters with memorable abilities in our tabulations.
How does Hetty’s newfound power to be seen compare to Pete’s traveling adventures beyond the gates of Woodstone? Is Alberta’s humming really worthy of her friend’s jabs? And how far ahead in our rankings did Trevor’s increasingly quick typing get him?
The ghosts, themselves, have plenty of feelings about their own unique gifts — we get it, Pete, you can leave the property! — as well as their friends’ impressive (or impressively lacking) talents. But are their opinions in alignment with TVLine?
After dying of dysentery during the Revolutionary War, the soldier developed the unfortunate ability to emit an awful, fart-like order when passing through livings. Neither all that useful or amusing, this power is a (literal) stinker, and Isaac knows it.
The Basement Ghosts
The basement ghosts finally revealed their power in Season 4, and it was disgustingly fitting: Mirroring the way they died, the spirits gave cholera to Jay’s restaurant staff for a brief period of time. Gross but hilarious, just like the basement crew.
Alberta
While the 1920s singer gets a lot of flack from the other ghosts for her lackluster power, Alberta’s ability to have her humming heard by livings has actually come in handy on the rare occasion. When she used it to communicate with her great niece to guide her during an important life decision, Alberta’s power went from ho-hum spooky to incredibly touching
Thor
Death by lightning means the Viking can make lights flicker and, sometimes, explode with only the power of his brain. Nifty? Yes. Spooky? Maybe. More often, Thor’s ability is a better expression of his emotions than it is in its intended execution. And manipulating electrical currents can leave the giant feeling, well, zapped of energy.
Hetty
No doubt many of Hetty’s ghostly pals would love to be visible to livings, like the robber baroness recently discovered she was on St. Patrick’s Day, allowing her to briefly date Jay’s cousin. But the limited time frame on Hetty’s power — it seems to manifest only during that specific holiday — is a major damper on what would otherwise be a god-tier ability. In the meantime, Hetty’s left to just wait around until the following St. Paddy’s Day.
Sasappis
With his ability to enter people’s dreams, Sas has the coolest and most influential power on the show. Not only does he get to hang out with livings and have fun in another realm (Trekkie time with Jay!), but he can also sway their decisions and behavior when they’re awake by planting seeds in their dreams. And unlike with Pete and Hetty, there doesn’t appear to be a major constriction on the extent of his special skill. No wonder Sas kept the details of his power to himself for so long!
