Why Ghosts Is Now Poised to Get Even Bigger — Plus, the Story Behind CBS’ Trimmed Thursday Sitcom Slate
For the first time in a decade (‘member when Person of Interest used to air at 9?), CBS’ newly released fall schedule features only two sitcoms on Thursday, with Young Sheldon and Ghosts — TV’s top two comedies — leading into the freshman dramedy So Help Me Todd, followed by Season 2 of CSI: Vegas.
The shift was largely dictated by the fact that CBS cancelled United States of Al, B Positive and How We Roll, while greenlighting zero new sitcoms for the 2022-23 season.
“You play the hand you’re dealt,” CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl told TVLine. “Each year it’s, ‘How do we put the best schedule together?’ We had some [new sitcom] choices for sure, but the room kept coming back to, ‘What’s the best schedule? What’s the best numbers? Whats the best flow across the entire week?'”
Besides, pairing Ghosts with Sheldon can only bolster the supernatural comedy, which previously had to fight the good fight situated between lower-rated peers.
“Ghosts was a bit of an island this season,” airing between Al and B Positive (and then How We Roll), Kahl pointed out. “It impressively grew on its own, and this is a show we want to continue to build. There’s still a ton of people who haven’t seen it, theres a ton of growth potential left, so this is a way we could not only support it, but use it to help So Help Me Todd, which is a lighter kind of drama with a lot of comedy. It won’t feel like a jarring transition from 8:30 to 9.”
Kahl said that while there is nothing currently in development to possibly join the Thursday sitcom slate later this season — plus, “if you have one [new sitcom], you need two,” he notes — that is not a sign that CBS has permanently dialed down the night’s potential for laughs.
“We’re not running away from comedy by any means,” he made clear. “We’ll continue to develop, and if we have the goods to get back to four on any given night, we will look to do that.”
I would love to see Ghosts be an hour show! Can we make that happen?
We don’t want it to happen. It’s a terrible idead.
Who’s we? Got a mouse in your pocket?
I’m with you. Half an hour is the perfect length… and always leaves you wanting more (in the best sense).
That would be great, but as he said, they’d still have to find another half-hour comedy to pair with Young Sheldon.
Yeah, that kind of kills the idea, but a girl can hope :)
Ghosts is one of those shows that always feels like it’s over too quickly. I’d love to see what they can do with an hour!
I agree 100%
Ghosts is a great program..filmed outside of Montreal, Canada. Keeping it a half hour means not having it drag.
I’m with you! Absolutely LOVE Ghotsts!
CBS was traditionally the home of some of the best comedies in TV History going back to the 1950’s, and the strong periods of the 1960’s and 1970’s – this is kind of sad. 4 Sitcoms…guess ABC and NBC was right to focus more Comedies than CBS.
Unfortunately, people would rather watch shows about murder, rape, or the Kardashians, than laugh.
I love to laugh! Unfortunately this past couple of years only Ghosts has made me do so. Until comedies go back to actually being funny, I’m good with just the two. Of course I’ll only be watching one…
The other networks cut back on comedies as well for next season. ABC has 4 shows all on Wed. NBC has only 2 on Friday in the fall – that it.
There’s a glut of hit comedy reruns in syndication, on the sub-channels and cable outlet.
The problem is that most networks went to expensive single cam drama-dies, that aren’t funny at all.
Go back to 3 cam sitcoms, with studio audience, newsradio, becker, Titus grounded for life were edgy and funny
No
I missed this when it aired – anyone know where I can catch up before S2?
https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/ghosts/
The complete first season is streaming on the CBS website and app.
If you’re on cable it should be in your On Demand as well.
Episodes are also available via Pluto. https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/series/ghosts-cbs-rolling-4/details/season/1
It’s available on TUBI.
The networks are making it difficult to watch broadcast Tv. One never knows if the shows are going to be new or repeats! Story lines are becoming hard to follow. The trend toward fake reality shows and prime time game shows are making me happy I can stream other programs!
“One never knows if the shows are going to be new or repeats!”
.
Really? My DVR seems to know… but a useful strategy is to check an online episode listing, which usually includes the original broadcast date.
Not everyone uses their DVR. Some people still watch live. And the network often goes to repeats for seemingly random reasons (usually due to sports conflict), so you get new shows for a few weeks, then two weeks of repeats. It’s a pain to have to check constantly to see if your show is new or a repeat. Can it be done, yes. But still a pain. Back in the day (when we walked to school in the snow, uphill, both ways), shows didn’t have repeats until summer. It was an easier time. Ahhh.
It’s 2022. Get with the times. You clearly used the internet to post that comment. Use to find out about new episodes.
Before the internet, weekly print issues of “TV Guide” were available in the checkout line areas of almost every supermarket and convenience store in the U.S.. Cable providers have had “guide” channels on their systems since at least as far back as the 1990s. Internet searches offer easy ways to check episode air dates (past and upcoming) for any network or cable TV show being broadcast in any U.S. zipcode.
You can get the TV Guide listings on their website for free, and it tells you if it’s new or not.
My Thursdays have been packed this season. Between Ghosts, Call Me Kat, and the major competition of any Star Trek series, it was a balancing act that usually left Ghosts to wait until later.
Yes, it is ‘funny’ but it isn’t ‘funny’ enough to be top tier in my home. Increase it to an hour? No thanks. The scripts aren’t strong enough to carry an hour and at this point, I don’t see the potential.
Even with fantasy there is a fine line between acceptable and farce. Ghosts has almost fallen off the line toward farce too often this season. We shall wait and see.
Thursday have become quite crowded.
What happened to the new Jamie Presley show?
CBS greenlit zero comedy pilots. And THE PORCH has/had not even had a pilot order yet, simply “in the works.”
Al’s Numbers were solid. I would have followed it to another night if that made sense. I will always choose comedy over murder and crime shows and reality shows. It is sad there are so few comedies left.
It would have been good to even have it as a mid season show. An emergency fill in if something bombs. It’s the only cancellation that didn’t make sense to me other than Magnum (which I don’t even watch).
Can’t wait for Ghosts’ 2nd season! Wondering about something though. The ghost characters appear as they looked at their time of death however how will the show address changes in the actors’ appearances? The actors will certainly age, gain weight, lose weight, etc. Will be interesting to see how the show will address what will inevitably happen.
Or the might not. After all, aging, gaining/losing weight, etc is part of real life, and doesn’t necessarily need to be acknowledged in the make-believe world of television. :)))
“…but use it to help So Help Me Todd, which is a lighter kind of drama with a lot of comedy. It won’t feel like a jarring transition from 8:30 to 9”
He’s not wrong, imo. I think it’s pretty jarring what ABC is doing, putting the very dark and violent Big Sky (which I watch) after their only comedies.
I would love an hour of Ghosts, best comedy in years. I would never miss it, is on DVR, as I watch all my shows the next day.
Nice to see a power rangers have success in a network sitcom.
Because sitcoms today are nowhere near as funny as they were political correctness and thin skinned people saw to that
Oh, my, what jokes are you missing? Tell us how “political correctness” has damaged any comedy. Specific examples of what you think is funny that can no longer be said. I’ll wait.
Ghosts is the best sitcom in years if not decades
After cancelling sitcom after sitcom over the past few years, I’m giving up on CBS. Ghosts is still a sitcom, but Young Sheldon has turned into an unfunny drama. I’ve got my OWN family if I want drama. And Ian Armitage isn’t the cute little kid he used to be.
The endless police procedurals are just dreck.
But I’m thankful. Without CBS I can do more reading and streaming.
I was a loyal Thursday night viewer every Thursday I watched young Sheldon and Al and even ghost most of the time but I’m not very happy about the fact that you canceled those shows
I’m really going to miss AL & B Positive. Enjoyed both.
I enjoyed both of those shows as well as Sheldon & Ghosts. Too bad they did not renew it.
I will miss B Positive; it was a cute show, the characters, especially Linda Lavin, were likeable.
Cbs had good comedies and cancelled them. I will not watch any new comedies unless it is renewed. I did not watch ghost this year until it was renewed then I binge watched the show for the first couple of episodes. After the cancellations I am only interested I.n about 10 shows. Guess I will be watching movies or other streaming service shows
Truly not trying to beat jerk here, but using your Ghosts example, of everyone waited to watch until they knew it was picked up, no shows ever would be. If we’re don’t watch them, they won’t renew them. Gotta take a chance.
“That’s be a jerk”, and “if everyone”. Obviously posted before re reading.
I think it was a great decision to air YS and Ghosts back-to-back. Now the decision to cancel Magnum PI really upsets me.
It’s interesting that ABC, CBS, and NBC are cutting back on sitcoms. I stopped watching sitcoms years ago. Dramas have always been critics and award shows favorite genre.
Now I’m assuming that L&O and Grey’s/Station 19 are going to dominate Thursdays for sure. Sitcoms are dying on TV like Rock, R&B and Country on the radio.
CBS you made unwise choices for your Thursday prime time line up. Hopefully NBC will pick up on Comidy Thursday and bring back the title of “Thursday must see comedy TV”
I wish that instead of just canceling shows, they would have given the show a chance to wrap up. Maybe not a whole season, but at least tie up loose ends. It’s easier to let go when you know the outcome.
I still have no clue as to why they renewed CSI Vegas. That was a dumb decision, their ratings were horrible. With B Positive & United States of Al they may not have liked the numbers but they were consistently the same in the demo. It frustrates me when good comedy gets taken away.
The reason it feels like you all want an hour for a sitcom to run is that in that 30 minute time frame, CBS – after running all their cancer ads, NFL promos and bad show promos – are only left with anywhere from 18-20 minutes for their “half hour” sitcoms. That’s why you always feel like it’s over too soon. It’s pathetic how less and less time is committed to the show you’re watching and how much more continues to go to Big Pharma and network plugs. I don’t see it changing soon.
You ever watch Young Sheldon and notice when you get to that second break at about the 16 minute mark – they take a break and you can actually forget what you’re watching, you have been away for that long. Sad is what it is. Just sad!
I would have watched B Positive or US of Al by the way. I won’t watch So help me Todd, a “dramady” What a joke!
I love love love “Ghost!’ It’s imaginative, intelligently funny, diverse…I can go on an on. Please don’t take it…I would love an hour’s worth of MORE!