During the recent New York Comic-Con panel, it was announced that Ghosts star Rose McIver will take on directorial duties for an episode of the popular CBS comedy. This marks McIver’s first time directing a television series, with filming for the episode set to begin soon and slated to air in 2025.
In Ghosts, McIver portrays Sam, who inherits a haunted mansion that she and her husband, Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), transform into a bed and breakfast. This endeavor leads to humorous interactions with the resident ghosts, whom only Sam can communicate with. In this year’s one-hour Christmas special, viewers will finally meet Jay’s parents.
Sakina Jaffrey (Billions, The Mindy Project) and Bernard White (The Matrix, Silicon Valley) have been cast as Jay’s parents, Champa and Mahesh. The two-part holiday episode, titled “A Very Arondekar Christmas,” will air on Thursday, December 19.
According to the logline for the episodes, a leaky water heater threatens to derail the holiday plans as Sam and Jay prepare to host Jay’s critical father, Mahesh (Bernard White), his discerning mother, Champa (Sakina Jaffrey), and sister, Bela (Punam Patel).
Champa is characterized as a loving mother who dotes on Jay but holds a grudge against Sam, whom she blames for Jay moving away. She also manages the family’s text chain, the “Core Four,” which Sam is eager to join. Meanwhile, Mahesh, while secretly admiring Jay’s culinary skills, still hopes his son will pursue a more traditional career in engineering rather than the unpredictable world of the bed and breakfast business.
McIver was joined on the NYCC panel by three of the ghosts from the series—Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac), Sheila Carrasco (Flower), and Román Zaragoza (Sassappis)—in a discussion moderated by CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil.
Ghosts, which has returned for its fourth season, airs Thursdays at 8:30 PM on CBS. The cast also includes Richie Moriarty, Danielle Pinnock, Asher Grodman, Rebecca Wisocky, and Devan Chandler Long.
Executive producers of the series include Joe Port, Joe Wiseman, and Richie Keen, along with a talented team of writers and producers. The show is produced by CBS Studios in association with Lionsgate Television and BBC Studios.
In addition to her work on Ghosts, McIver is known for her roles in iZombie and Netflix films such as A Christmas Prince, The Royal Wedding, and The Royal Baby. She is represented by UTA and Artists First.
