Content Warning: Spoilers ahead for both the British and American versions of “Ghosts.”

I know the British version of “Ghosts” is technically the better show. I know that the writing is sharper, the characters are more original, the editing is top-notch, and the emotional moments often land better. I know the pilot is one of the funniest, most well-crafted introductory episodes to a show I’ve ever seen. I also know that the American version of “Ghosts” would not exist without the brilliance of the “Them There” troupe, made up of Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond. I know all of this, and yet, years after the UK version aired its final episode, I still prefer the American version.

At the moment, the internet agrees that the British version of “Ghosts” is superior, as the American version of Ghosts has a 7.9 ranking on IMDB, while the British version is half a point higher at 8.4.

Admitting that I prefer the American version of a British creation feels like saying I prefer to eat glue rather than use it for its intended purposes. There is an element of classicism at play, as British productions are usually seen as intellectually superior.

I suppose that is fair, as when I’m watching a British TV show, I’m five times more likely to Google everything the characters say because I’m clearly missing context. For instance, when watching the last two seasons of the British “Ghosts,” I had to have the subtitles on and my phone ready to look up the random slang coming from Pat, the Boy Scout Troop Leader from Yorkshire. It also took me years of watching the show to realize his character came from the North of England, which is a different location from where the show takes place outside of London (to be fair, Yorkshire is only 4.5 hours north of Surrey, and they act like it’s a completely different ecosphere, whereas if you drive 4.5 hours North or South from where I live in California, you’re still going to be in California). So, yeah, there was a lot of cultural nuance within the British show that went over my head.

I had low expectations when the American version of “Ghosts” first debuted. American adaptations of British shows sometimes have weak pilots that are almost word-for-word recreations of the original, and this show was no exception. Some characters, like Pete and Hetty Woodstone, were originally presented as near-identical replicas of their British counterparts, which was so lazy that it almost turned me off from the show. Part of the brilliance of “Ghosts” was the diverse cast of characters that represented different periods throughout British history, ranging from Robin, the caveman from 10,000 B.C. (and the best character), to Julian, the corrupt, pantsless politician from the late 1990s. My initial opinion of the American line-up was that the cast was weighed down by too many characters who died in the 20th century (four out of the main eight ghosts are from that period, not counting Crash, the decapitated Greaser, who adds nothing to the show).

One of the strongest elements of “Ghosts,” (and the reason I think it could be adapted in almost any country) is that each region in which it takes place would have unique ghosts based on that region’s history. So while the American version of “Ghosts” takes place in the Hudson Valley and has, say, a Lenape man and a Viking, a version of “Ghosts” that takes place where I live in the Bay Area could potentially involve an Ohlone, a Miner from the Gold rush, and some of the first Chinese immigrants, to name a few of the kinds of people who’ve added to the richness of American history. I love the idea of a Haunted House full of silly people who are stuck together, and the beleaguered living person who has to live with them. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited to give the show “School Spirits” a chance, before I watched the entire first season and realized it was not good. This is also my way of saying that once the German adaptation has English subtitles, and the Australian version is up and running, I will be watching (but not every version of the show needs a person with an arrow through their neck).

Going back to the American version, I think it began to stand on its own once the writers embraced the insanity of Hetty’s backstory as the wife of a robber baron. From making her an absolute coke fiend to having her gleefully participate in her husband’s illegal business affairs, Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) soon proved herself to be the best character in the show. In one particular standout moment in the thirteenth episode, “The Vault,” it’s revealed that Hetty’s POS husband, Elias Woodstone, had built a ghost-proof vault in the massive Woodstone mansion. Once he’s unleashed, he terrorizes the household with his unique ability to walk through people and make them horny (hilarious). In the last few minutes of the episode, he and Hetty have a final confrontation in which he laments that Hetty is no longer the submissive, morally bankrupt woman he once owned. Hetty tries to reason with Elias, suggesting that their time in purgatory could be used for self-improvement, but he rejects that idea and refuses to change. So, she tells him to go to Hell.

And, coincidentally, a portal to Hell opens, swallowing Elias and dooming him to an eternity of torture. It’s a fun twist!

That episode showed how willing American “Ghosts” was to introduce bold changes within the storyline that would have greater consequences for the story’s universe. Within the first season, additional changes from the British “Ghosts” included adding the element of possession, like when Hetty possesses Jay, beefing up the cast with the British revolutionary war ghosts, and expanding on the abilities of the ghosts within the cast, like Flower’s unique ability to intoxicate anyone who walks through her.

My “critique” of the British show isn’t much of a critique but more of a lament that British TV shows have so few episodes. I loved the concept of “Ghosts” so much that I wanted to spend more time in the universe. I wanted to know more about the other ghosts not living on the property and what their stories were. I also wanted to know if any of the other ghosts had unique abilities, like Thomas or the Captain, who didn’t seem capable of much beyond having large personalities. The British version had a total of 34 episodes, and while the show was equally funny and heart-warming, I sometimes felt unsatisfied by the events of the episodes. I wish that instead of focusing on how annoying the ghosts could be to Alison, the poor human woman who could communicate with them, the show would expand the mythology it had introduced.

If I were a hungry pigeon, the original “Ghosts” was like a man at the park wolfing down a fresh-baked croissant, occasionally magnanimously dropping little flaky crumbs of his pastry that I anxiously scoop up with my beak. Whereas the American show is the nice person at the park dropping half of their popcorn on the ground so my pigeon buddies and I can feast.

The American “Ghosts” is one of the few instances where I can say “more or more.” The American universe is always expanding, either by adding new characters or further developing the world in which those characters live. For example, in the British version, there is one episode in the first season in which Pat’s family visits his death site, upon which he realizes his widow was having an affair with his best friend long before he died. The American show adapted this concept with their character, Pete, but continued to bring Pete’s family back into the show, thus creating new stories where Pete positively (and negatively) interacts with his family.

It’s also worth mentioning that the main living characters of the American show, Sam and Jay, feel different from their British counterparts, Alison and Mike Cooper. Unlike Alison, who seems like a pretty cool person, Sam (Rose McIver) is kind of a dork. Alison’s gift of communicating with ghosts is more often portrayed as a burden, like in the episode where she yells at the ghosts, and they respond by performing an “I’m Sorry” song for her. Sam is more reminiscent of characters like Chandler Bing in that she’s hopeless, awkward, and desperate for (familial) love. Jay, played by the criminally underrated and extremely charming Utkarsh Ambudka, is much like Mike, sharing his enthusiasm for the ghosts and their antics, except he’s more developed. Jay has a laundry list of hobbies and interests, not to mention his distinct career ambitions. Unsurprisingly, these additional character details enrich the interactions between the characters, so it’s a lot of fun to watch Sam and Jay banter, even if there aren’t any ghosts in the scene with them.  

As the original series concluded in December 2023, I do have some criticisms about the ending. I’ll try to avoid spoiling the majority of the episode, but what happens is the ghosts encourage Alison and Mike to move away from Button House and start a new life. The last few moments of the episode show that Alison still occasionally visits Button House on special occasions, where she briefly reunites with her ghost family.

The episode, titled “A Christmas Gift,” was well-received and was lauded for being a thoughtful, fitting ending to the show, in which the ghosts give Alison the gift of space to live her own life with her new family. I can’t say that I’m one of those who received it well because I think it ignores the core issue brought up in the first season: that Alison can see all ghosts, not just the ones at Button House. The reason the particular ghosts at Button House were such a part of her life was that she’d inherited the property, and it was such a money pit that she and Mike couldn’t leave. The ghosts never wanted their house to be turned into a hotel, so this turn of events is still inconvenient for them. Meanwhile, Alison would still have to deal with ghosts no matter where she went, so if she moved to a new apartment or house, it’s very likely she would still have to deal with a pack of ghosts. So why not stay with the ones who’ve become like family to her?

If anything, I think the American show does a better job of portraying the direction the British show could have taken, which would involve letting the Cooper family win once in a while. That would mean Button House could be a semi-successful venue so that Mike and Alison weren’t constantly scraping by, and so the ghosts weren’t also overrun by the living. Alison and Mike could have continued living at Button House and raised their family there (which I could see happening with the American show). Then, in the hypothetical last episode, the British ghosts (or at least a few of them) get “sucked off” and ascend to the next plane of existence, rather than sticking around for all of eternity, crowded into a single hotel room. I can’t help but think that the British ghosts got the short end of the stick once Button House was sold.

And suppose you hate my reasoning for why I prefer the American version to the British one. In that case, I’ll suggest this: what if the British “Ghosts” had a spin-off (or even just a special) that takes place at the newly refurbished Button House Hotel, with a few new characters, so that the haunted house antics could continue? Introduce a low-level employee of the hotel who can also see ghosts so that there’s still a connection between the living and dead, except maybe this time the employee takes full advantage of having ghost spies at their disposal, so they rise through the ranks of the hotel and eventually land their dream job. Also, there should be a new girl ghost who relentlessly pursues Thomas because I would like to see him as the recipient of someone’s unwanted advances.

Suppose you hate everything I described and still think I’m a troglodyte for preferring the bright, soapy happiness of the American sitcom to the brilliant, somewhat cynical British series. In that case, I’m sorry for wasting your time. The good news is that the British “Ghosts” still exist, so you can continue to enjoy it.

In the meantime, I prefer the goofy antics of the American show. American “Ghosts” is not perfect, but it’s the kind of show about dead people that consistently brightens my day, and I’m happy it’s getting two more seasons. Not just because Asher Grodman is a ridiculously good-looking pantless man, but also because of what his character, and the rest of the ghost crew, represents. It’s about loving the people you’re with and celebrating your found family. And it’s about the joy of making the best of your situation, whether you’re a thousand-year-old viking far from home, or a revolutionary war ghost who smells like a fart whenever a living person walks through you.

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