For three seasons of the CBS supernatural comedy “Ghosts,” his character’s wife has been able to converse with colorful specters but he hasn’t. That changes in Season 4 (premiering Oct. 17), and Ambudkar was excited to get the news.
“Yes! I wish I was strong enough to throw this table right now,” Ambudkar said at a Saturday “Ghosts” presentation at Comic-Con, the pop-culture conference happening at the San Diego Convention Center. “I finally get to talk to people at work.”
“Ghosts” centers on Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Ambudkar) as a couple who move to upstate New York when they inherit a rundown mansion and decide to turn it into Woodstone Bed & Breakfast. Sam has a near-death experience, allowing her to interact with the assorted colorful ghosts who inhabit the place.
Mary Holland is joining the cast as Patience, the ghost of an ultra-judgmental Puritan woman abandoned by gay Revolutionary War phantom Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones). In the Season 3 finale, the feral Patience emerged from her dirty place of unrest to kidnap Isaac, and fans will see what she has in store for him in the Season 4 premiere.
Holland’s “funny, she’s quirky, she’s off. She’s perfect for Patience,” said “Ghosts” executive producer Joe Port. Román Zaragoza, who plays Sasappis, a Lenape Native American, has already filmed a scene with Holland: “I’m just in awe of her.”
The other new guest star is “Breaking Bad” alum Dean Norris, who plays Sam’s father Frank. They haven’t stayed close since Frank divorced Sam’s mom when she was 10, but he arrives for a visit to Woodstone with his new girlfriend. Sam has secretly resented her father for decades because he’s been absent from her life, and those emotions come to a head when a new ghost leads her to finally have a father/daughter chat.
Executive producer Joe Wiseman’s 16-year-old daughter had been binge-watching “Breaking Bad” and suggested Norris to play Sam’s dad. “He’s playing this gruff, no-nonsense Dean Norris-type role,” Port said.
“Ghost” creators also revealed that the third episode of the new season will be Halloween-themed and heavily involve Patience. “A Puritan ghost will have a big effect on the house and might not be the biggest fan of Halloween,” Port said.
There’s also a one-hour Christmas special planned for the holiday season that will introduce Jay’s family. “There’s 19 of them, so it’s going to be a full house,” Ambudkar said. “I think it’ll be really stressful for Sam, actually. It’s going to be a major chance for Sam to prove herself to Jay’s family or more importantly for Jay’s family to accept the unconditional love they have for each other.”
The new season will also feature the opening of Jay’s restaurant, which prompting Ambudkar to joke that “Ghosts” is “going to become that incredibly funny comedy known as ‘The Bear.’ ”
The Comic-Con panel also gave actors a chance to talk about their favorite episodes, including an emotional one during Season 3 where uptight spirit Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) reveals that she killed herself with a phone cord and then uses it to help save fellow ghost Flower (Sheila Carrasco) when she’s stuck in a well.
