‘Ghosts’ Guest Star Jeff Hiller on Getting Terrorized by Hetty for St. Patrick’s Day Episode

Ghosts welcomed Somebody Somewhere Emmy-winner Jeff Hiller into its wacky world as he stepped in to play seasoned server Jeff in “St. Hetty’s Day 2: The Help.”

As Jeff is a key asset to the Mahesh team, Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) was counting on him to take care of a high-importance client on St. Patrick’s Day, only for a visible Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) to shake things up when she was permitted to sit as a customer and proceeded to unload her bitter feelings on the waiter. Upset over being stood up by a virtual date, Hetty lashed out at Jeff when he approached her table, and comments about his own relationship status sent him spiraling. It turned out that Jeff’s husband had recently left him for the dog walker…. woof.

But while his character’s life was in shambles to the point of quitting his job on the spot, leaving Hetty to step up to the service plate, Hiller was more than eager to join the Ghosts world as a fan. “I wish I could have played a dead person,” Hiller admits, “but I was willing to do whatever.”

Bertrand Calmeau / CBS

As for going toe-to-toe with Hetty, Hiller says, “It was also strange because Rebecca is quite warm and very welcoming and congratulatory on the Emmy, and then when we were on set, she was very prim and proper, and it was sort of like whiplash.” Meanwhile, his role of a waiter wasn’t too far of a stretch as Hiller points out, “I’ve played annoying waiters, so I also was used to it.”

Having been a former waiter himself, Hiller shares, “It’s funny because I’ve had people be way meaner to me than Hetty, and I didn’t cry. Jeff, I think, was having a personal moment, and she hit a sensitive spot because of his relationship recently breaking down, but I hated being a waiter because there was a lot of that, and it is nice to shine a light on the fact that waiters are people, too.”

Apart from Hetty’s critical remarks, Hiller also had to contend with the fact that his character is not supposed to be able to see the other ghosts, besides Hetty, who was visible because of her St. Patrick’s Day-related ghost gift. “There were a couple of times when I wanted to make a face at whatever they were saying, and then I was like, ‘Oh wait, no, I can’t hear that,'” Hiller remembers of shooting scenes with the other ghosts.

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'Ghosts': Rebecca Wisocky on Putting Hetty to Work for St. Patrick's Day

While waiter Jeff was upset in the episode, he did ultimately return to Mahesh, making us wonder if he’ll appear in future episodes. While Hiller confirms he won’t be back in Season 5, he isn’t closing the door on a potential Season 6 return. When asked which ghost he’d like to cross paths with in a future episode, Hiller notes, “I love John Hartman, who plays the other Revolutionary War [ghost], Nigel. I would love it if the waiter had to go get wood out of that shed, and he somehow can magically see Nigel, and then I die out there… I don’t know. It gets complicated.”

We’ll keep our fingers crossed for Hiller’s potential return for that Jeff-Nigel crossover. Until that potential storyline could unfold, let us know what you thought of Hiller’s guest appearance in the comments section below, and don’t miss more Ghosts shenanigans as Season 5 continues on CBS.

Ghosts, Season 5, Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS