Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Ghosts Season 5 Episode 1.Five seasons in, and there’s something still comforting about one of CBS’s highest-rated comedies, Ghosts. Even when Joe Port and Joe Wiseman’s series chooses to lean on its signature laughs and giggles, it’s this familiarity blending character quirks, comedic timing, and supernatural absurdity that makes it easy to fall back in. But as the new season made its anticipated return tonight, it’s hard not to feel like the show’s starting to spin its wheels. Picking up right where the last season left off with a book launch party for Captain Isaac Higgintoot (Brandon Scott Jones), we’re tossed straight into the aftermath of a major twist: Jay’s (Utkarsh Ambudkar) slick, leather jacket-wearing publicist turns out to be none other than Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh) in disguise. The ghost-turned-soul reaper has been posing as a human all this time and is ready to cash in by dragging Jay’s soul to Hell. It’s an absurd, deliciously dark setup that promises chaos, and for a brief moment, Ghosts feels like it’s gearing up to take a bold swing in its milestone season. But that spark doesn’t last long. What starts as a high-stakes setup quickly shrinks into something smaller. It’s still funny and sweet, but feels far more self-contained than the twist deserves. The premiere “Soul Custody” instead turns inward for a moment, and that’s where Ghosts Season 5 starts to show its biggest, most critical pattern yet: a tendency to flirt with big ideas for shock and awe, but then casually retreat to safety before it can really land.
What Is the ‘Ghosts’ Season 5 Premiere About?

When the ghosts take on the devil, everything that can go wrong does.

Picking up from the Season 4 chaos in “The Devil Went Down to Woodstone,” Sam (Rose McIver), Jay, and the Woodstone ghosts are quickly scrambling to undo Jay’s accidental deal with Elias Woodstone. While Sam looks for loopholes, her husband’s practicality kicks in. If he does die, maybe he can hang out in the ghost trap (complete with a mini BarcaLounger) until they find a way to fix it. It’s a smart callback to Season 2’s “ghost trap” shenanigans, but things quickly spiral once the ghosts start brainstorming. As seen with most of their plans, their latest is a half-baked one at best: trap Elias in the ghost trap and threaten to “eviscerate” him if he doesn’t release Jay from his contract. Trevor (Asher Grodman) suggests Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) use her charm to lure Elias out of his devil form and back into ghost form so they can spring the trap. It works, but only briefly until they all realize Pete’s late wife, Carol (Caroline Aaron), somehow got stuck in there too after her curiosity (and the Barcalounger) lured her in for a nap. Of course, everyone makes the case that Carol should be eviscerated along with Elias. It’s a plan Jay is not a fan of, as he refuses to let Carol, of all people, go to Hell on his account. The final act kind of plays out like a game of moral musical chairs with each of the ghosts taking turns to say they’ll go to Hell for Jay — like, Patience (Mary Holland), who earlier in the episode starts spiraling after she fails to “smite” Elias, which also looks like she’s hilariously casting invisible Pokémon moves on him. For a character who’s spent most of her time calling other ghosts out, it’s the first time she has really looked inward — realizing she might, in fact, be the drama. But when she steps up to the plate to sacrifice herself for Jay in hopes she can redeem herself, she suddenly backs out, afraid of the heat. Pete (Richie Moriarty), ever the Boy Scout and Jay’s best friend, offers to take her place, only for his ex Carol to step in and save the day. It’s a surprisingly moving moment that brings closure to Pete and Carol’s complicated marriage. She’s fully prepared to go to Hell, but in true Ghosts fashion, her selfless act earns her a surprise ticket upward instead. One second she’s descending, the next she’s being “sucked off” to Heaven. It’s a moment that doesn’t just wrap up their story with heart, but also gives the Woodstone spirits a rare glimpse of redemption. Seeing Carol get “sucked off” for doing something good feels like a lesson worth sticking to, and with Ghosts renewed for Season 6 — which some can argue, is likely its home stretch — it’d be smart to let that moment inspire the rest to start thinking about their own finish lines. But while the episode ties off its supernatural thread with a bow, the episode also circles back to smaller, more emotional beats that keep the show grounded. Like, Pete and Alberta finally fessing up to their long-awaited kiss from last season. Though he didn’t want to tell his Woodstone family in light of Jay’s predicament (and perhaps, sensitivity to Carol), the pair finally shares it with everyone by episode’s end for the kind of payoff that viewers will no doubt love.
‘Ghosts’ Might Be Playing It Too Safe After Four Seasons

The laughs are steady, but its unwillingness to shake things up keeps it stuck between comfort and greatness.

Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay sitting at a computer in Ghosts Season 4 Episode 21.Image via CBS

By the end of “Soul Custody,” everything’s wrapped up really neatly — maybe even too neatly for Ghosts’ standards. It kind of makes you think there’s a catch coming around the corner (and maybe there will be). But for now, the series doubles down on its usual habit of resetting itself after a big event. For all its setup of Jay losing his soul in Season 4, the premiere kept everything comfortably small and hardly the leap forward the premise teased. Sure, it’s “comfort TV,” but that comfort’s starting to feel like a crutch where it feels like the writing never fully trusts itself to take a swing. From Jay nearly seeing the ghosts at the end of Season 1 to the big “sucked off” cliffhanger in Season 2, and to Patience teasing even “more ghosts” living in the dirt for a potential horror turn, it’s this kind of safety net that Ghosts keeps falling into. Refusing to mess with its own formula, the show raises the stakes, the music swells, it tugs at our heart, and then everyone goes back to bantering in the parlor like nothing happens. You can feel the writers choosing levity over aftermath — and sure, that’s part of what makes Ghosts so easy to watch. But sometimes that “on to the next” rhythm robs its biggest moments of their weight. Even a show built on charm could use a little reflection to feel more impactful like Abbott Elementary, The Good Place, or The Office. It’s a shame, too, because the concept of the series is built for reinvention. The BBC version (also the original) proved how far this premise could go emotionally when its own Button House spirit, Mary (Katy Wix) was “sucked off.” It wasn’t just a plot twist either. It was a devastating move that affected viewers, but also hit the entire house with an emotional aftershock that forced every character to evolve because of their grief. It’s this moment that gave the series real weight and established how a lighthearted comedy could still wreck you when it needed to. The American version hasn’t dared to do that yet. Even when Flower had been “sucked off” (or rather, just gone missing in the dirt) in Season 3, no core character ever sat with lasting change. Instead, it ignored those big consequences and handed them off to more peripheral circumstances or characters, like Carol in this episode. Ghosts seems to be content to live in its sitcom bubble that’s fun, easy, and slightly redundant, where nothing bad ever sticks for long. For all the laughs and smiles, it’s also, ironically, a show that doesn’t haunt you.
‘Ghosts’ Is Kept Alive Thanks to Its Cast

Strong performances keep it afloat, even when the writing forgets to give them something bolder to haunt.

For all the joy Ghosts brings as a comfort show, most of its charm lies in its cast. Utkarsh Ambudkar continues to be one of the show’s not-so-secret weapons, grounding the absurdity with a perfect mix of exasperation and warmth. As the only one at Woodstone who can’t see the ghosts, his constant panic — toggling between fear, logic, and dry sarcasm — works because Ambudkar makes him feel real instead of reactive. As for the Woodstone spirits, Brandon Scott Jones, as always, is a masterclass in comedic timing. His Isaac is still the sharpest-tongued and most self-serious ghost in the house, but Jones knows exactly when to crack the armor for something sincere, especially in his scenes opposite Holland’s Patience. Holland, meanwhile, slides in effortlessly and has earned so much of her merit in the house as a core member of the team. Her blend of misplaced confidence and deadpan physical comedy gives the series and this episode in particular some of its biggest laughs. And then there’s Sheila Carrasco, who remains Ghosts’ stealth MVP. Flower continues to bring a bright, unpredictable energy to every scene, turning even the simplest reaction into a punchline. It’s thanks to Carrasco’s free-spirited warmth and fearless weirdness that gives the show its emotional core — the contrast that keeps all the chaos from floating away. Together, this cast gives Ghosts its pulse when the writing takes an easier, more scenic route, making every line and half-baked scheme land with charm. But unless the show dares to scare itself (and the audience) a little more, Ghosts risks becoming exactly what it’s always joked about — a haunting that refuses to move on. Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS and streams on Paramount+ the next day.

Image via Paramount+

Release Date

October 7, 2021

Directors

Christine Gernon, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Katie Locke O’Brien, Nick Wong, Jude Weng, Pete Chatmon, Richie Keen, Alex Hardcastle, Kimmy Gatewood, Matthew A. Cherry, Cortney Carrillo

Writers

Emily Schmidt, John Timothy, Lauren Bridges, Sophia Lear, Guy Endore-Kaiser, Rishi Chitkara, Julia Harter, Skander Halim, Zora Bikangaga

Rose McIver

Samantha Arondekar

Utkarsh Ambudkar

Jay Arondekar

Pros & Cons

Keeps that signature mix of warmth and wit that makes Ghosts an easy, rewatchable comfort show.
The ensemble’s chemistry remains unbeatable, with Ambudkar, Jones, Carrasco, and Holland carrying every laugh and heartfelt beat.
Even small storylines feel fun thanks to the cast’s quick wit and timing.

Writing avoids risk, resetting big arcs before they can hit emotionally.
Major teases fizzle fast, leaving stories feeling smaller than they should.