Anyone Seen "Ghosts" on CBS?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Tim Lookingbill, Oct 19, 2021.

  1. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    I've seen the pilot and think it just may be a comedy hit.

    Nice mix of historical trivia and humor with each ghost having an attitude toward "The Livings", what they call the new owners of the over 100 year old manor now being turned into a bed and breakfast.

    It has the pacing and comedic timing of the old Cary Grant Topper movie.

    Topper (film) - Wikipedia

    Comments welcome.

     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2021
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  2. MAYBEIMAMAZED

    MAYBEIMAMAZED Don't think Twice it's alright

    Location:
    DFW TEXAS
    I will check it out look fun!
     
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  3. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    I watched it...
    sadly, the married couple have no chemistry....
    Other than that, plenty of 'soft-comedy' can come from this premise.
     
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  4. Carrman

    Carrman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    The original British version just finished it's 3rd season. Not sure why they didn't just make it available in North America.
    It's a great series!
     
  5. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    I had the same feeling about the couple's chemistry, but I thought that about the husband switch in the Bewitched sitcom from Dick York to Dick Sargent, both of these TV series have this sparkle in the timing and pacing of the actors and the events they encounter I can settle into. At least Ghosts has a plethora of material and wisecracks to source for the ghost characters to riff off the modern topical events in context of their own time in history similar to Bewitched.

    There's jokes about the Broadway musical Hamilton from one of the ghosts who lived during his time who trash talks the American founding father.

    Not sure of its staying power but right now it's better than La Brea and other shows from the big 3 networks on cable tv.
     
  6. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    Yeah...that's a given..
     
  7. geetar_await

    geetar_await I heart Linux.

    Location:
    USA
    will have to watch it. it's fun to see if these new shows use any frame of reference from previous shows & films or even flat-out copy them sometimes.
     
  8. rich100

    rich100 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle of England
    I love the British Ghosts series, I wonder if many of the references would translate to a wide audience in America - such as the tory MP ghost for example.
     
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  9. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Didn't know of a British version of Ghosts but if similarly British sourced sitcoms like All In The Family is any indicator, I don't think American audiences tuned in much to see the British version. I know I didn't. And CBS's Ghosts' humor is sourced mainly from topical satire that references American culture and history. I would think the British version's jokes wouldn't land with American audiences due to this difference.
     
  10. thegage

    thegage Forum Currency Nerd

    The British original is fantastic. The American version takes the concept and overlays it with the usual American sitcom style of overplaying. If you like American sitcoms you’ll probably like this Ghosts retread. Me, I couldn’t make it through the first episode.

    JohnK
     
  11. colinu

    colinu I'm not lazy, I'm energy saving!

    I have watched the American version, then watched the first show of the UK version. As with many things, I preferred the one I watched first.

    Enjoying it so far.
     
  12. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    Where can one see that UK version?
     
  13. colinu

    colinu I'm not lazy, I'm energy saving!

    In Canada it is on a national channel - CBC.
     
  14. TheHypnoToad

    TheHypnoToad Senior Member

    HBO MAX has the UK series and in the opening credits on the American version, they do note that it is CBS Studios/Lionsgate BBC production.
     
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  15. Armjim

    Armjim Music is indeed a gift from Heaven

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Watched the first two episodes which were on one night. I like the premise but did not find it very funny. There were scenes here and there which were amusing, but I am going to have to watch more of it before I decide to write it off or not. Have not been motivated to look for the latest episodes, but I see the potential in this type of show.
     
  16. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    The stock broker ghost who obviously died with no pants and underwear is probably the funniest character because he gets to trash talk and say snarky comments to the historically older characters and play with their heads due to their era's more innocent and respectful nature. I laughed when the Victorian era character talks of other ghosts getting "Sucked Up/Off" into heaven after resolving issues on Earth. The stock broker guy tells the "Living" that can see and hear them to not correct them because it's too funny due to them being oblivious to how they word certain terms.
     
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  17. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    We took the plunge into GHOSTS last evening, watching all three of the episodes aired so far. It's pretty good. We'll be sticking with it for awhile.
     
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  18. Chartstuff

    Chartstuff Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    No idea what the US version is like, but agree that the UK 'Ghosts' is brilliant. It is of course written (and mostly) acted by a team that have been together for a decade or so. They are almost like a gentle version of Python by now. Not all the episodes are absolute classics but those that are - are so good! Unexpectedly moving in some segments with its meditations on time and mortality. The 'Pat' stories are really emotional and Jim Howick steals the show! 10/10
     
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  19. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    It's apparently doing fairly well in the ratings so far.
     
  20. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    What ratings? Nielsons? I wonder how that long standing rating system is holding up, keeping up with streaming services?

    I still don't understand how they arrived at their numbers even back when I first heard the name in the '70's.
    Maybe now it's conducted by some type of Survey Monkey online.

    Of course CBS touts that Ghosts has been getting high ratings in ads on TV.
     
  21. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

  22. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Impressive. Wonder if the numbers are influenced by the fact Ghosts is a Halloween themed movie and there doesn't seem to be any family friendly new similarly themed shows outside of Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

    Guess we'll have to wait till next month to see if the numbers stay the same or increase.
     
  23. spencer1

    spencer1 Great Western Forum Resident

    I wouldn’t say that the BBC version is 100 times better but I would say it’s at least 10 times better.
     
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  24. NekoM

    NekoM Seriously not serious.

    I’m a fan of the British version and was a little skeptical of this version, surprisingly it’s pretty good, it even does the ghosts getting Sucked off bit, which then becomes a running joke.
     
  25. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Last Thursday's episode in the US version had the Victorian woman ghost suggesting the "Livings", uptight from negotiating a permit with the head of the Historical Preservation group invited over for a prepared supper, needed to take some cocaine to feel better, adding it was often recommended in her day which invoked gasps of disgust from the more recently deceased.

    That's the kind of historical trivia that adds interest to the show.

    Any similar trivia mentioned for shock value in the British version?
     

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