UK/US Ghosts: which is better?

I’ll admit, as a British fan of BBC’s Ghosts, I was a bit sceptical when I heard about the American remake of this hit show. Not because I have some sort of disdain for American TV, I have a deep love of American sitcoms like New Girl, Community (6 seasons and a movie!) and Arrested Development. I will be covering some spoilers for both shows in this article so look away now if you want to avoid those.

But the UK Ghosts is such a quintessentially British thing. From the type of humour to the characters themselves, it is a very twee English countryside, ‘cup of tea and a biscuit in front of the fire’ type of TV. So, when I read the announcement that there would be an Atlantic adaption of the hit show, reader, I was worried.

Nevertheless, I am a sucker for any TV and without seeing any reviews or social media buzz, I sat down and watched the pilot episode of the American remake. To be completely transparent, I struggled with the first episode, it’s almost an exact shot-for-shot remake of the UK version. Obviously, the ghosts themselves are from different historical periods, but the similarities are too much. It’s like the spectre of the other show hangs over the pilot in a very distracting, obvious way. I found myself comparing the US to the UK one and was a bit disappointed.

Thankfully, I persevered and forced myself to watch the next few episodes. Once the show moves past setting up the initial plot, it quickly finds its feet. The characters are allowed to do their own thing, establishing their personalities and plot points. These are unique and separate enough from the UK characters that I stopped comparing them and settled into the rhythm and humour of the US version. Interestingly the British Ghosts focuses heavily on the quite depressing reality of owning a stately home without really having the budget to restore and run it, the US Ghosts quite quickly decides not to focus too heavily on this.

One of the things I loved in the UK Ghosts was the show’s ability to balance humour with some serious emotional depth, there are one or two episodes that hit hard, dealing with loss, grief and other complex themes with subtlety, respect and warmth. The US Ghosts……..doesn’t quite manage this. God bless it, it tries, it honestly tries so hard, but it just doesn’t land in the same way. Perhaps it works better for an American audience, but I don’t think it quite earns the emotional lessons it tries to impact.

I will say that there are a few things the US Ghosts handles better than the UK Ghosts. The characters have some interesting interactions and connections. While they maybe aren’t as deep or compelling as those in the UK show, they present some entertaining situations that are very ‘sitcom-y’. The show also addresses some of the more controversial elements of US history, particularly through the character of Sasappis (Román Zaragoza). He is a member of the Lenape tribe, which was, and still is, a part of the Hudson Valley region of New York as well as nearby states. The issue of land ownership and recognising the past inhabitants of the land is addressed head-on in season 2 of the US show, with the characters performing a Lenape ritual to recognise the Lenape rights to the land. This is something that the UK show doesn’t do, addressing controversial elements of history head-on. It could be argued that the controversies surrounding British history tend to be centred more on our actions abroad rather than at home, but I still feel there would be a way to work this into the UK show.

The US version also has a bit more diversity and representation compared to its older British sibling. Characters like Sasappis, Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) and Issac (Brandon Scott Jones) all have their own plot points surrounding their diversity. Isaac is gay, as is his British counterpart, but whereas The Captain (Ben Willbond) has never directly acknowledged or addressed this, the American show has several storylines about Isaac and his sexuality. I am sure the British version is building up to addressing this storyline in the upcoming final season, but seeing the US Ghosts already tackle this plot point is satisfying.

I think when it comes down to it, the key difference between the two versions is that the US Ghosts leans more into the ‘odd roommates’ trope that comes from shows like Friends, Fraiser and New Girl. The UK one instead follows the British tradition of making something wholly unique that doesn’t quite fit into any sort of category. This could be due to the different formats of the two shows. The UK one is split into 6, 30-minute episodes with no advert breaks, while the US Ghosts is 18/22, 20-minute episodes with an ad break sandwiched in the middle. This forces the plot to move quickly, establishing the problem and then rapidly finding a solution. The US Ghosts has no choice but to lean more into the sitcom style, while the extra ten minutes that the UK one gets to enjoy allows the plot to languish a bit, gently settling into the plot.

Both are great TV, and the second season of the US Ghosts really allows it to find its place in the schedule. They both offer different experiences, if you want a funny, entertaining sitcom with some light emotional depth then the US Ghosts delivers on that. It’s an easy, comfortable watch that still has the spirit (I couldn’t help myself) of the original. If you want something that has a bit more emotional heft, with some more subtle humour but occasionally can hit too close to home, then the UK Ghosts is the one for you.

I would say; both are worth a watch. They offer different shades of the same colour. The differences between the two are compelling enough to provide enough reasons to watch them both. They don’t cover many of the same storylines, and both bring in some fun, different takes on the same premise.