Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Brandon Scott Jones, Daielle Pinnock, Richie Moriarty, Asher Grodman, Sheila Carrasco, Rebecca Wisocky, Devan Chandler Long, Román Zaragoza, John Hartman, Betsy Sodaro, Trostan D. Lalla, Authur Holden, Nigel Downer, Stuart Fink, Christian Daoust, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Punam Petel, Nichole Sakura, Mark Linn-Baker, Crystle Lightning, Kathryn Greenwood, Mike Lane, Lindsey Broad, Matt Walsh, Matthew Baynton, Odessa A’zion, Dakota Taylor.

Of all the British comedies to have been adapted and altered for the American market, none have arguably come as close to capturing the fine nuances and characterisation that a comedy needs in order to be more than just funny, than that of Ghosts.

Comedy requires the viewer’s complete understanding, it needs to be balanced between pathos and delight, between tragedy and rejoice; so many see the sight of sadness as a weakness, but without the source of catastrophe you cannot see the sunshine of the horizon, that misfortune can be trumped by growth and the ability to laugh at one’s trials and tribulations.

The adage of two countries who are close separated by a common language is never truer when adapting a British comedy and giving it to the American market to alter. So many comedies have failed to jump the divide and yet the U.S version of Ghosts not only keeps its eye on the ball in terms of situation, but in many ways outshines the original with its dynamic between characters not placed within such a rigid form.

One major difference between the two versions is the run time. With only six to eight episodes afforded by the traditional channels to a series in Britain, the chance of character development is small, normally taking as long it takes the entire run to come to fruition; and when you have such a large cast at your disposal, that itself can become infuriating when there are so many paths to travel as a viewer in search of enjoyment.

The flow of the many strands is full on, never losing sight of the loves and lives of the many dead within the grounds of the home owned by Samantha and Jay, and as the investigation into Jazz singer Alberta’s murder, as the love life of former revolutionary Issac and his British counterpart Nigel and the continuing saga of all within the house and their failing to grasp just how times have changed since their deaths, the comic falls, the desperate highs, these are what mark out the second series of Ghosts as wonderfully expressive and physically, as well as verbally, sublime.

With superb performances by the entire cast, Ghosts (US) is proof that language and influence does not have to be a one-way street, it can be engaging and completely fulfilling and one that does not require translation.

Ian D. Hall