Ghosts: Comparing the Characters, History & Humour in the UK and US Comedies

[shapeshifter]

Since my son-in-law restarted our Paramount+ subscription for a month, I decided to finally watch the Ghosts UK version. 
But I didn't notice until I got to the end of season 2 that Paramount+ only has 2 seasons of Ghosts UK.🫤

It seems I can buy access to the other seasons through Prime, however:
The Prime account is another daughter's to which I officially have access, and I'm wondering about

• using my credit card — which might trigger a switch to me paying for it in the future, which is okay, so long as the shared thing doesn't go away — like if we were grandmothered in or something?
• if I wait a few months, will CBS/Paramount likely air all the Ghosts UK seasons prior to the start of the new season of Ghosts USA? Didn't they do that previously? Or no?
• Is there a commercial free/higher priced Paramount+ monthly subscription that includes all seasons of the UK version?
• With Prime, it's about $11/season for High Def Ghosts UK, and $7/season for fuzzy, which is what all TV was like in the 50s and 60s, and I still like watching Barney Miller in really low definition because that's all there is.
  So, I'm leaning towards the cheaper, unless someone tried it and hated it for some reason?
• Is there another streamer for Ghosts UK seasons 3-5 that I should consider?

Edited June 8, 2024 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

The daughter with Paramount+ watched all seasons of Ghosts UK that were initially available there, and I can't get her to watch the US version because she said she tried a few episodes of season 1, and thought it was the same but not as good, so she thought it was a waste of time.
Having just watched the first 2 seasons of Ghosts UK, I feel somewhat confident in telling her that Ghosts USA diverges from the UK at season 2, with different plots and character development, etc. 
Do all y'all agree?

This isn't a big deal like the access to the UK epis in my post above.
Mostly she and I bond over Bluey these days anyway. 👶🏼👶🏻🐶

[Annber03]

Yeah, from what I've seen of the UK version, I agree that both versions have developed into their own thing. Even the early episodes, where the U.S. version did take some storylines and plot points from the UK one, there were still enough differences to make each version's take on the story work for their respective shows. 

But yeah, I think the U.S. version has done a great job of finding its own tone and voice over these last few seasons. 

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

if I wait a few months, will CBS/Paramount likely air all the Ghosts UK seasons prior to the start of the new season of Ghosts USA? Didn't they do that previously? Or no?

They only aired what they did of the UK series because of the strikes, so I doubt it.

[PaulE]

On 6/8/2024 at 11:32 AM, Annber03 said:

Yeah, from what I've seen of the UK version, I agree that both versions have developed into their own thing. Even the early episodes, where the U.S. version did take some storylines and plot points from the UK one, there were still enough differences to make each version's take on the story work for their respective shows. 

But yeah, I think the U.S. version has done a great job of finding its own tone and voice over these last few seasons. 

I agree.  After all, there still are cultural differences between the U.K. and the U.S., despite our shared history and the fact that we speak the same language (well, sort of).   Some things that might be funny over here wouldn't work across the pond and vice versa.  Americans often feel that the Brits are too dark and pessimistic, while the Brits think Americans can be obnoxiously sunny and optimistic, and those differences are reflected, I think, in the respective plots and comedic devices.  So it's natural that each show would go its own way.

[Kir Rich]

Character of Kitty is the most irritating of UK and US versions. I have stopped watching the UK version because of that character!!!

[shapeshifter]

On 6/8/2024 at 8:22 AM, shapeshifter said:

Since my son-in-law restarted our Paramount+ subscription for a month, I decided to finally watch the Ghosts UK version. 
But I didn't notice until I got to the end of season 2 that Paramount+ only has 2 seasons of Ghosts UK.🫤

I signed up for Paramount+ when there was a $60/yr deal a couple of months ago.
I've been checking about once a week, and Seasons 3-4 of the UK version are available again, not just 1-2. 👻🙌👻

[Bastet]

On 10/28/2024 at 10:38 AM, shapeshifter said:

I've been checking about once a week, and Seasons 3-4 of the UK version are available again, not just 1-2.

But not season 5, unfortunately.  Maybe they'll put that up one of these days.

[SoMuchTV]

If anyone is following this thread but not the UK one - season 5 is now available on Paramount Plus. 

[shapeshifter]

 

If anyone is following this thread but not the UK one - season 5 is now available on Paramount Plus. 

Yes! I discovered this a day or 2 ago but couldn’t find this thread, so thanks for the bump😊

 

 

 

 

I think the U.S. version has done a great job of finding its own tone and voice over these last few seasons. 

And the characters are so different! 
Viking Thor v. gentle Robin, for example.
And space, free-love Flower v. naive Kitty.

Edited December 23, 2024 by shapeshifter

[Skooma]

On 12/23/2024 at 4:54 AM, shapeshifter said:

Yes! I discovered this a day or 2 ago but couldn’t find this thread, so thanks for the bump😊

And the characters are so different! 
Viking Thor v. gentle Robin, for example.
And space, free-love Flower v. naive Kitty.

I think Thorfinn and the Captain are somewhat closer.  They both talk about fighting endlessly (the Danes / Germans) and though the Captain really isn't, both present themselves as gung-ho warriors.  And both were calmed down from their oppositions to the "living" couple early on by seeing documentaries on the new technologies.  A UK documentary on WWII tank battles and a PBS documentary on Vikings.

Yes a good part of the Captain and Issac line-up too obviously but Issac also has some of Julian's characteristics since they are always dropping names of the political movers and shakers in their days and feel like they are at the center of all things historic.  The Captain had no interest in politics and movers and shakers by contrast.

Now Trevor/Julian share a lack of pants and big ladies man egos but Trevor is younger and has an early crush on Sam mirroring Thomas' endless crush on Allison. 

Meanwhile Sass shares a love of words and story telling with Thomas (oral vs written) though Sass is actually good with words while Thomas is terrible.

Except for Pete/Pat and Hetty/Fanny there aren't that many one-to-one direct matches and Fanny is older than Hetty and died by her husband's hand. 

Even Flower isn't 100% Kitty.  Mary is a very big part of Flower too.

I think Robin is the one that doesn't really have a direct link to any American ghost unless you want to say to Thorfinn only because they are the oldest remaining ghosts on the property but the difference is thousands and thousands and thousands of years and Robin was never a warrior.

Actually Sass is the oldest "native" to the particular land and his character has a bit of gentleness to him somewhat like Robin.  So maybe Sass is a wee bit of a Thomas/Robin hybrid.

I guess what I am saying is the American writers did a good job of changing most of the ghosts from the start while still making a lot of their attributes similar to the UK ones.

Edited December 24, 2024 by Skooma

[Annber03]

Isaac and Thomas also have something in common, in that they're both jealous of someone from their time period who became way more famous and well-known than they did. 

Also, they both have a strong tendency towards the dramatic :p. 

[Skooma]

17 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Isaac and Thomas also have something in common, in that they're both jealous of someone from their time period who became way more famous and well-known than they did. 

Also, they both have a strong tendency towards the dramatic :p. 

Good catch.  It was like the US writers took all of the UK ghosts attributes and spread them around in a hybrid pattern in the most part.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Skooma said:

It was like the US writers took all of the UK ghosts attributes and spread them around in a hybrid pattern in the most part.

Which was a good idea, because the US ghost characters are more multi-faceted than the UK ghosts.

[PaulE]

On 12/23/2024 at 4:54 AM, shapeshifter said:

On 6/8/2024 at 11:32 AM, Annber03 said:

I think the U.S. version has done a great job of finding its own tone and voice over these last few seasons. 

And the characters are so different! 
Viking Thor v. gentle Robin, for example.
And space, free-love Flower v. naive Kitty.

I agree.  I've never thought it was very worthwhile to compare the two in terms of which is "better."  They're different, each reflecting to an extent the type of humor and cultural references of each country.  

[Skooma]

This is about the new German version story via the BBC. 

I posted this in the media thread but maybe it is just as well to post it here in case we can ever get this with English subtitles so we can compare all three versions. 

It includes the official German cast picture, brief (couple of words) descriptions of the German ghosts and the "living" couple, in this case named Emma and Felix.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2024/ghosts-set-to-haunt-germany

Also this has the German ghosts described in more detail:

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/which-countries-are-getting-ghosts-remakes-new-characters/

This latter makes a few mistakes in the American ghost descriptions referring to Hetty as slightly older than Fanny when she is definitely younger.  And of course doing just a lazy one-on-one comparison with the British ghosts.  But still a nice article.

There is also indication here and elsewhere that a Ghosts Australia is in the works as well as a Ghost Spanish (Spain) version will be coming along as well.

Edited December 29, 2024 by Skooma

[shapeshifter]

Just in case, I'm using spoiler tag for this bit about the UK show:
Unspoilering because apparently the cat's already out of the bag…
And, respoilering:

To whom it may concern:
The final season of Ghosts (UK) has now aired in the U.S…
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https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/ghosts-larry-rickard-robin-christmas-special-ending-the-show/
When I saw the last episode of season 5 of UK Ghosts on Paramount+, I didn't know it was the f'in' Series finale.
Sheesh.
Plus, what did their leaving their home and their beloved (if nerve-wracking) ghostmates behind accomplish?
Allison will have new ghosts to contend with wherever they go, right? 
I mean, even a newly built home would sit on property where humans had likely decamped in the past.

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by shapeshifter
typo

[Skooma]

No need for a spoiler tag.  The UK show ended in 2023.  And yes the last episode was totally terrible.  It made zero sense.  It's like the Brits cannot handle a happy ending ever.

I mean if the baby was the kind that could see ghosts well into their childhood, well what young kid wouldn't have been thrilled to grow up beside all their historic "aunts and uncles" and on one of the most beautiful properties in the UK surrounded by nature?  What a magical childhood that would have been.  Instead the kid will be stuck in some stupid flat in noisy, polluted London leading a generic, uninteresting life.  Yuk.

Edited December 29, 2024 by Skooma

[Bastet]

It's been several days, and I still can't decide how I feel about Allison and Mike moving out of the house.  I liked the very end, showing that they came to visit the ghosts every year, but felt sorry for the ghosts spending eternity (unless they get sucked off) being bombarded by strangers (it would have been a smaller operation had Allison and Mike opened a hotel, plus they'd have had Allison to be a bridge to the outside world).  I'm waiting to further process my thoughts before I post in the UK show's forum.

In terms of comparing the two shows:  It was more believable than if Sam and Jay decided to split -- the UK ghosts were more selfish and obnoxious than the US ones, so Allison - while considering them family - had more fortitude to leave them behind than Sam would have. 

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Just in case, I'm using spoiler tag for this bit about the UK show:

  Reveal spoiler

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/ghosts-larry-rickard-robin-christmas-special-ending-the-show/
When I saw the last episode of season 5 of UK Ghosts on Paramount+, I didn't know it was the f'in' Series finale.
Sheesh.
Plus, what did their leaving their home and their beloved (if nerve-wracking) ghost-mates behind accomplish?
Allison will have new ghosts to contend with wherever they go, right? 
I mean, even a newly built home would sit on property where humans had likely decamped in the past.

 

 

1 hour ago, Skooma said:

No need for a spoiler tag.  The UK show ended in 2023.  And yes the last episode was totally terrible. 

I’d say it’s a gray area (or grey area, for our UK friends) regarding spoiler tagging that. UK Ghosts has its own forum here:

https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/6271-ghosts/

and spoiler tagging wouldn’t be required there, since all episodes have aired. But folks there are so far talking around it a bit, since the last episodes only became available in the US a few days ago. 

Here, in the Ghosts US forum, I appreciate the spoiler tag, since Ghosts US watchers may be reading this thread without realizing they could be spoiled for the ending of the UK version. 

If anyone thinks I’m being overly picky, it won’t hurt my feelings if you flag this post and let a mod decide. 

[Skooma]

I saw the UK Season 5 long ago.  It has been available from other "sources" for a long time for anyone to see.  And no big deal for using them either in this day and age.  We are way past that point.

And since this isn't an episode thread but a comparison of the whole series I just don't see the need for spoiler tags.  Now a UK Ghost thread NOT divided up into the different years I could see.  But that's just me.  🤷‍♂️

[SoMuchTV]

14 minutes ago, Skooma said:

I saw the UK Season 5 long ago.  It has been available from other "sources" for a long time for anyone to see.  And no big deal for using them either in this day and age.  We are way past that point.

And since this isn't an episode thread but a comparison of the whole series I just don't see the need for spoiler tags.  Now a UK Ghost thread NOT divided up into the different years I could see.  But that's just me.  🤷‍♂️

All true, but my point was that we’re spoiling the ending of a technically different show, which I believe is a no-no here (Primetimer). I suspect a lot of US viewers have only seen the UK episodes that aired on CBS in the US, and are reading this thread based on that. I’ll go ahead and flag, so we can get a ruling and all be on the same page. 

Edited December 29, 2024 by SoMuchTV

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, Skooma said:

And since this isn't an episode thread but a comparison of the whole series I just don't see the need for spoiler tags.

Nor do I.  If you come in here to compare the shows, you do so knowing the entirety of the UK series is available for discussion, and the US series up through the most recently aired episode.  If you haven't seen any of those, you know you may be spoiled.

[Skooma]

26 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

All true, but my point was that we’re spoiling the ending of a technically different show, which I believe is a no-no here (Primetimer). I suspect a lot of US viewers have only seen the UK episodes that aired on CBS in the US, and are reading this thread based on that. I’ll go ahead and flag, so we can get a ruling and all be on the same page. 

Perhaps but I see Survivor Australia spoilers in the US Survivor episode threads all the time.  Now I've never "accessed" the Australian version yet but I don't care if it is casually mentioned since they are all "in the can" even if I get spoiled a bit. 

It's just too hard to compartmentalize natural conversations without turning stuff into a regimented and awkward tripwire forum.  Since the UK series ended in 2023 it seems it is "in the can" too and a done deal.  🤷‍♂️

If it is ruled that spoilers must be used here well whatever but it will seem pretty illogical to me because when is the UK series that ended in what will soon be 2 years ago NOT considered a spoiler anymore?  Is there an official date when we can just get rid of the spoiler stuff?

[SoMuchTV]

7 minutes ago, Skooma said:

Perhaps but I see Survivor Australia spoilers in the US Survivor episode threads all the time.  Now I've never "accessed" the Australian version yet but I don't care if it is casually mentioned since they are all "in the can" even if I get spoiled a bit. 

It's just too hard to compartmentalize natural conversations without turning stuff into a regimented and awkward tripwire forum.  Since the UK series ended in 2023 it seems it is "in the can" too and a done deal.  🤷‍♂️

If it is ruled that spoilers must be used here well whatever but it will seem pretty illogical to me because when is the UK series that ended in what will soon be 2 years ago NOT considered a spoiler anymore?  Is there an official date when we can just get rid of the spoiler stuff?

Yeah, like I said, imo it’s a gray area. I would think major spoilers in the US Survivor thread for a different country’s version would be not cool. That’s definitely the case for Traitors, which is one I’m more familiar with.  

Let’s see what a mod says. 
Maybe the solution is just something like changing this thread title to include something like “…includes spoilers for all aired episodes of both series”

[Bastet]

The person who created this thread wrote:

Quote

To avoid spoiling people who haven't seen the UK show, I thought I'd start this thread so we can compare/contrast.

So it was meant to be the one place in the US forum where you can talk about what happened in the UK series (comparing/contrasting with what happened in the US version; if it's just discussion of the UK series, that belongs in the UK forum) without worrying about spoiler tags.  There are mod notes at several points throughout this thread - which is littered with spoilers for the UK show as it aired, never mind years later - none of which say to use spoiler tags.

Edited December 30, 2024 by Bastet

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Hi everyone, 

I hope anyone who celebrates anything this time of year has or is having enjoyable holidays and that everyone else was able to enjoy a few, quiet days. 

Regarding the spoiler question: kindly keep in mind that mod notes addressing spoilers (or anything else for that matter) that were posted before February 2024, may not apply anymore. Whereas the handling of spoilers was largely up to the forum moderators and, therefore, differed from forum to forum, there's now a forum-wide policy. 

With that said, it feels like the requirement of spoiler-tags would almost defeat the purpose of a compare and contrast thread. In other words, after review, it was concluded that spoilers don't need to be spoiler-tagged in this topic. 

Even though the UK episodes are now all available in the US, please be so kind and continue to spoiler-tag any information from the UK show in the episode threads. (Likewise, please spoiler-tag any information from the US show in the UK episode threads). 
As we don't know the viewing habits and spoiler preferences of everyone who frequents the forum but the small act of being spoiled involuntarily can be quite disappointing, Primetimer's policy is to rather be safe than sorry when it comes to spoilers. 

Thanks for asking and happy continued watching!