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SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the CBS season 3 premiere. Ghosts.
It’s been a while since we met up with the inhabitants of Woodstone Mansion.
When CBS season 2 ghosts When it was over, the audience was left with a huge suspense, as one of the ghosts finally moved on. Or, as the other ghosts call it, “they sucked me in.” Like the audience, Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and Sam (Rose McIver) also don’t know who left the mansion, as they only saw a flash of light from their car to indicate that someone had left.
The season 3 premiere wastes no time solving that mystery. After a quick recount, Jay and Sam discover that it was Flower who finally crossed over to the other side. Bad news for Thor, who was madly in love with Flower. Meanwhile, some of the others have complicated feelings about her departure because, while they miss her friend, they are also waiting for her turn.
The rest of the episode deals with the aftermath of Flower’s disappearance, as everyone tries to figure out their own ways of coping with grief.
Executive producers and showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman spoke with Deadline about the fallout from Flower’s departure and what else to expect from this short season of Ghosts.
DEADLINE: When did the idea to suck one of the ghosts come about?
PORT JOE: Towards the end of the season last year, we came up with that idea and thought it would be a really cool and fun way to end the season, as a step forward for next year.
DEADLINE: So how did you come up with the idea that it would be Flower?
JOE WISEMAN: I mean, we had a lot of conversations after they picked us up. Before the room started, we didn’t know exactly who it was going to be, but we definitely had candidates in mind. And then just talking about it, we wanted to be someone who had consequences, someone who had impact. We landed on Flower, (which we thought) would be an interesting ghost to disappear. because it would create many stories. Many people would have different reactions. Thor is obviously in love with Flower and would be super devastated. Other ghosts would be jealous of her because he hasn’t been there that long. So it seemed like we would create a lot of stories.
DEADLINE: There was a time when I thought maybe she wasn’t really gone. Did you play with the idea of the ghosts just thinking they got sucked, but in reality she was just doing something, like a comedy?
PORT: Once we came to the conclusion that it would be Flower who was leaving, I think we wanted to reveal that at the beginning of the episode so that we could spend the episode dealing with the fallout from that and really examine how it affected everyone in the house in the premiere.
DEADLINE: So does this mean Flower won’t be returning? Or is there a chance she could return?
WISE MAN: Sure. It’s interesting that when a ghost is absorbed into the show, it’s not dead. They are all already dead. So in previous episodes we’ve had ways of bringing in ghosts that have been sucked in (returning) for stories and all that. And we tell stories with flashbacks, etc. So yes, in theory, there would be ways to continue seeing a ghost that has moved on.
DEADLINE: One of the most enduring parts, which never gets old, is that Jay doesn’t notice the ghosts. There are several moments in this episode where that happens. How do you keep that part going without it feeling tired?
PORT: It’s a challenge that Jay can’t talk to 80% of the cast, but it’s also definitely an opportunity because it lends itself to a certain (comedy) style. Sam does a lot of scenes for Jay, play by play, and she just gives him the highlights. Sometimes it turns out that she has missed a lot of things. I think Joe and I…we read that people say, ‘Oh, he should have these powers and he should be able to see ghosts.’ First of all, we think that would take away a lot of the humor, as you point out, and we also think it seems very, oddly enough, not real. I’ve never met anyone who can see ghosts. Therefore, it seems strange that there are two people in the same household who develop this gift at random.
DEADLINE: I recently read an interview where Asher Grodman teased that Jay might see ghosts this season. Can you expand on that, given what you just said?
WISE MAN: I think what you’re talking about is a version of that, but not the same thing. Without going into spoilers, it’s not the same as what Sam does.
DEADLINE: This is a shortened season, mainly due to strikes. How did that affect your creative choices, since you only have 10 20-minute episodes to work with?
PORT: The first season we did 18. Then we did 22 last year and we hope to do 22 in the future. I think the way we look at it, we normally split the season into two halves. So this year we just followed the trajectory of what would be the first half of the season. We always finish the first half of the season with great news. This is no different.
DEADLINE: Can you talk a little more about the production schedule and how it evolved after the strikes?
WISE MAN: Well, first of all, everyone was very happy to be back at work. Everyone loves to work, and this is a fun place to work. It’s a fun program to think about ideas and write. So everyone was excited to be back in the room… it’s been the same on set. Nobody has lost a step. Everyone is very excited and happy to get back to work. There are certain challenges. We film the show in Montreal and usually try to start in July. So most of the time we are there the weather is nice, but we didn’t have that opportunity. So we’re dealing with a little more winter weather than normal. We still leave the house, but we have to be a little creative about where we go or how we film. But the team up there is incredible. Our production designer is amazing and has come up with very creative ways to help us film.
DEADLINE: What else can you tease about season 3?
PORT: I think Flower’s disappearance will be an ongoing story that unfolds and will have many ramifications throughout the house. We’re going to learn a couple of our ghosts’ powers that we haven’t learned yet, and we’re going to learn how a ghost died in what will be a very touching episode, I think.
WISE MAN: There are a couple of arcs we’re following. Isaac and Nigel recently got engaged, so we’ll be following them as they plan weddings, stag parties, etc., etc. And meanwhile, Jay and Sam have begun breaking ground on the restaurant. They continue to convert that barn into a restaurant. So that’s also an ongoing story that we posted some stories about.
PORT: We’ll do another Halloween episode this season, although we won’t air it during Halloween. We love making them and use this one to kick off a great story arc.
DEADLINE: What about the new ghosts?
WISE MAN: Part of the fun of the show is trying to think of ways to introduce new ghosts. We have a couple of fun ways to do it. This year we will see a love interest for Alberta, which we are very excited about.
DEADLINE: Do you find that you introduce new ghosts into the story out of necessity, or do you sometimes just think of a fun character you want to write?
PORT: They are both things. In our opinion, we thought of a particularly clever way to have a ghost visit the property that season. And once we found out we had that character, we thought it would be an interesting love interest for Alberta. That became the story of her visit.
ghosts airs Thursdays on CBS at 8:30 pm ET/PT.