The ensemble cast on the hit CBS hit show “Ghosts” say producing the comedy series is harder than it looks. There’s shooting multiple takes with and without the series’ apparition characters, for starters. And then there’s the issue of cracking each other up.
“It’s like a front row seat to the most amazing show,” series star Rose McIver said. “We have a great time together. It’s such an ensemble. We really do all bounce off each other and rely on each other, and I think that’s getting stronger and stronger as the season has gone on.”
McIver was joined by co-showrunner and executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman alongside fellow cast members Utkarsh Ambudkar, Brandon Scott Jones, Richie Moriarty and Danielle Pinnock in a Variety streaming room panel. In conversation with TV editor Michael Schneider, the cast and crew discussed bringing the playful and hilarious world of the ghosts to the small screen.
Based on the U.K. series of the same name, Season 1 of CBS’ single-camera comedy series stars McIver and Ambudkar as a young couple who move into a ghost-infested estate. The numerous departed souls are a close-knit group spanning generations, including a Prohibition-era singer, a ’60s hippie, an overly upbeat ’80s scout troop leader, a lively Viking and a gay Revolutionary War general. The first season takes viewers on a comedic adventure through each ghost’s past while also following McIver and Ambudkar’s own troubles in the present day. Working with an ensemble cast of 10 main characters, including eight ghosts and two humans, can be a tough challenge for the cast and crew, but they really see its scale and tone as a blessing.
“It’s really fun to be able to get to feel like you are creating something together, and you’re moving as a group,” Jones said. “It’s so unique and it feels so lucky. It’s the dream scenario. It’s a screwball comedy in a really beautiful, gorgeous house with 10 insane people running around. It’s so fun.”
The hit show was renewed for a second season in January, and series showrunners Port and Wiseman hinted at some big questions being solved in the show’s sophomore season.
“We definitely are going to spend some time delving into Alberta’s murder and find out hopefully what happened with that, and get into whether ghosts can get off the property or not,” Port said.
Wiseman added: “We’re not going to make any seismic changes. I think we like how the show’s going.”
