Ghosts
Ghosts (2021) is an American supernatural sitcom adapted from the popular British series, offering a humorous take on life and the afterlife. The show follows Samantha and Jay, a young couple who inherit a dilapidated country estate that is unexpectedly teeming with a motley crew of ghosts from various historical periods. After a near-death experience, Samantha gains the ability to see and communicate with these spirits, leading to a series of comedic and often poignant interactions as the couple attempts to convert the haunted mansion into a bed-and-breakfast. The series explores themes of community, acceptance, and learning to understand different perspectives across centuries, blending its fantastical premise with character-driven comedy. It is generally intended for older tween and teen audiences, navigating its supernatural and mature themes with a lighthearted approach.
Concerns
Witchcraft & Occult
HighThe entire premise of "Ghosts (2021)" is deeply rooted in supernatural and occult themes, involving communication with the dead and spirits exhibiting various abilities. A séance is also explicitly depicted.
Samantha gains the ability to see and communicate with ghosts after a near-death experience, making constant interaction with the deceased spirits the central plot device. In Season 3, the ghosts explicitly attempt to bring back a departed friend through a séance. Ghosts also demonstrate abilities like influencing dreams and temporarily possessing the living, although usually for comedic purposes.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
MediumThe series features a prominent gay character, Isaac, a Revolutionary War officer, whose sexuality and romantic life are recurring plot points. The show also depicts a same-sex wedding.
Isaac's storyline explores his romantic feelings, including his past attraction to another man named Nigel. In one episode, the ghosts witness a modern-day same-sex wedding at the mansion, prompting discussions among them. While fan discussions note Isaac's gayness is sometimes treated as a 'punchline,' it is consistently present as a character trait.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumThe show includes romantic relationships and frequent sexual innuendo and suggestive dialogue, though explicit sexual acts or graphic nudity are absent. There are implied sexual histories for several ghost characters.
Sam and Jay, the living couple, are shown in bed together, but no intimate acts are depicted. Dialogue contains "plenty of innuendo talk" and words like "thruple" and "horny" are used. Trevor, who died without pants, often appears in his ghostly form without them, contributing to suggestive humor. Hetty's backstory includes references to her 'philanderer' husband and her own past affairs.
Profanity
Medium"Ghosts (2021)" features mild to moderate profanity, consistent with a TV-PG network sitcom. Common mild curse words are used in dialogue.
General profanity is spoken, including words like 'damn,' 'hell,' and 'crap.' These terms are used periodically in the comedic banter among characters, but strong or explicit language is generally avoided.
Substance Use
MediumSubstance use, particularly alcohol and hallucinogens, is a thematic element tied to specific recurring ghost characters' backstories and personalities. Social drinking is also depicted.
Flower, a hippie ghost, is explicitly linked to the use of 'hallucinogen mushrooms from 1969.' Alberta, a Prohibition-era singer, has her backstory tied to a 'Prohibition-era speakeasy,' implying historical alcohol use. Social drinking is shown in contemporary settings within the mansion. Mentions of 'period drugs' like cocaine from the 19th century also occur.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumWhile primarily a comedy, the show deals with themes of death and the afterlife, and can include mildly intense or eerie elements. Later seasons have introduced characters with more traditionally 'spooky' attributes.
Samantha's near-death accident, which enables her to see ghosts, serves as an intense inciting incident. Season 4 introduces a new ghost, Patience, described as a 'traditional ghost complete with a gruesome backstory and intense, unsettling supernatural powers' that 'spark unnerved reactions.' Explicit discussions of death are present, which some parents find potentially scary for younger viewers.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe show's humor often stems from the clash of personalities and historical/cultural norms between the living and the ghosts, leading to frequent instances of comedic disrespect, sarcasm, and mild defiance.
The ghosts often offer sarcastic commentary or display mild rebellion against Sam and Jay's decisions for the mansion, as when Hetty expresses disdain for their bed-and-breakfast plans. Sasappis is characterized as 'witty and sarcastic,' frequently engaging in backtalk. The inherent generational and cultural conflicts among the diverse group of ghosts also lead to humorous, yet often disrespectful, interactions.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumThe show's foundational premise, which involves benevolent human spirits remaining on Earth and communicating with the living, contradicts explicit biblical prohibitions against interacting with the deceased and diverges from traditional Christian teachings on the afterlife. However, the show does not actively mock or criticize Christian faith.
The entire narrative revolves around Samantha's ongoing ability to see and interact with ghosts who have not 'moved on' from the earthly realm. This central theme presents a non-biblical understanding of death and the spiritual world. While the ghosts are portrayed with comedic and sympathetic qualities, their existence and communication with the living are the driving force of the series, diverging from a Christian worldview that typically forbids such interaction.
Violence
LowViolence in "Ghosts (2021)" is generally implied, historical, or played for comedic effect, rather than being graphically depicted. The deaths of the various ghosts occurred in the past and are not shown with gore.
Flashbacks occasionally show how characters met their demise, such as Pete dying from an arrow to the neck during a scout trip. Revolutionary War battle violence leading to Isaac's death is mentioned and briefly depicted in historical contexts, but without explicit gore. The comedic focus of the show minimizes the impact of these historical violent events.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Ages 12+ due to frequent mild to moderate profanity, consistent sexual innuendo, thematic substance use, and the central, recurring supernatural premise involving human spirits and occult practices like séances. While largely comedic, some content may be intense for younger children, and the underlying themes may warrant parental discussion.
Additional Notes
The show is rated TV-PG, but some streaming platforms list it as TV-14, indicating a discrepancy in official age guidance. Parents of younger children should be aware that the US adaptation tends to be more explicit in its discussion of innuendo and death compared to its UK counterpart. The series has consistently maintained its comedic tone across seasons, with Season 4 introducing a potentially scarier ghost, suggesting a slight increase in intense content.
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