There have been a few adaptations ofGhostssince the debut of the original, but the scrapped South Korean adaptation is the one that needs to happen the most. The supernatural comedy began as a British comedy, originally airing on BBC One from April 2019 to December 2023. The conceit of squabbling spirits lurking around an old residence, with one of the owners gaining the ability to see and speak to the spirits after a near-death experience, has since enjoyed several remakes.
The most well-knownremake is likely the U.S. version, with Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar leadingtheGhostscastas the respective leads, Samantha and Jay. But the zany comedy has already produced other iterations, most of which tend to follow roughly the same premise, with some differences in how the friendly undead are depicted. But a South Korean version, which ultimately didn’t move forward, sounds way more interesting than a slightly adjusted version of the same premise.
The Scrapped Korean Version Of Ghosts Sounded Fantastic
The Family Dynamic Is Not The Only Difference
While speaking at the Seriencamp Conference recently, perDeadline, BBC Studios Producer Charles Harrison discussed the different versions ofGhosts. BBC Studios is one of the production companies behind the series, with Harrison overseeing International Scripted Formats, and he mentioned thata planned Korean remake ofGhostswould have traded the couple-centric focus of the series to spotlight three sisters instead. Harrison revealed:
Harrison:“The idea of a young couple trying to find a home together wasn’t actually reflective of young Koreans’ experience. What they wanted was three sisters as the central characters – one who could see the ghosts, one who never could and one is in the middle, so there are different perspectives.”
The producer did not specify why the Korean remake ended up getting scrapped, though he does touch on the fact that the adaptation would have to present a different take on spirituality and the supernatural. But, given that Jay’s inability to see spirits is one of the CBS version’s frustrating weaknesses, with theGhostsseason 4 finaleattempting to generate drama out of the situation, the shift to a sisterly dynamic would have been a breath of fresh air.
There is a French remake ofGhosts, a German version, an Australian version, and a planned Greek version.
There is similarly more story to tell when the main premise is shared between three characters, each with varying levels of abilities, than the evenly split couple where one half can communicate with spirits and the other half. Adjusting the spotlight to a trio of sisters also inherently opens up more storytelling avenues, as each sister has their own dynamic, not just with each other but with the spirits as well.
A U.S. Ghosts Spinoff Could Be Adapted Using The Korean Version’s Idea Of Three Sisters
Samantha Isn’t The Only One Who Can See Spirits
IntheGhostsseason 4 episode “Kyle”, it was established that Samantha isn’t the only one with the ability to communicate with the undead. Kyle Rosenblatt (Ben Feldman) has that same ability, after a bizarre near-death experience involving a roller coaster. Feldman, aSuperstorealum, largely appeared as a way to drive a wedge between Sam and Jay. His presence did establish, though, that just about anyone could have special powers after a brush with death.
Utilizing the sibling concept of the Korean version could be the right way of testing the waters and really demonstrating how different people use the gift.
Ghostsis renewed for two more seasons. Even if the U.S. version won’t be building up any additional spinoffs, it could tease the possibility by introducing three siblings who can talk to spirits. The endgame of the comedy, though it does not seem fully interested in building towards one at the moment, could be that communication with spirits is relatively normalized. Utilizing the sibling concept of the Korean version could be the right way of testing the waters and really demonstrating how different people use the gift.
There Are Other Great Spinoff Options For Ghosts
There Are Other Supernatural Beings
It is relatively rare for a network show to receive a two-season pickup, speaking to the U.S. remake’s ratings success. It’s a sign of confidence in the supernatural comedy that gives showrunners and executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman to tease and tinker with the formula. Although it’s unreasonable to expect a massive departure from a network comedy, there are questions raised byGhoststhat might be interesting to explore as a spinoff. An anthology that introduces different supernatural beings, while maintaining a few main protagonists, is the kind of premise that could catch on.
