How All 6 ‘Ghosts’ Adaptations Stack Up Around the World
Based on the hit U.K. sitcom, CBS’s primetime smash Ghosts has become a haunted favorite, turning the afterlife into an audience-pleasing comedy as the series follows Sam and Jay as they try to build a normal life alongside their not-so-normal phantom roommates.
Originally based on the English version written and performed by the comedy troupe Them There, best known for Horrible Histories, the series established a template that proved both flexible and universally appealing. It became the blueprint for every subsequent international adaptation, each adding its own cultural spin to the afterlife while remaining true to the original spirit.
While each global interpretation brings its own cultural flair and historical influences, the core setup remains the same: A couple inherits a sprawling, often crumbling property only to discover it’s inhabited by ghosts from different eras, determined to make the estate part of their future — usually by converting it into a hotel, bed-and-breakfast, or similar venture.
The different series also consistently feature certain traits among their undead residents that carry over from one version to the next. For instance, there’s always a ghost who was once the lady of the manor and is distantly related to the living person who can see them; there’s always a ghost with an arrow through their neck; there always seems to be a pantless ghost; and at least one ghost is inevitably infatuated with one of the living.
Want to know the basic differences between each international version of your favorite phantom-based sitcom? Here is a rundown of each version of Ghosts, from the living couple who inherit the house to the different types of ghosts that inhabit each estate, along with a handful of quirky details that set the various adaptations apart. Please enjoy.
Ghosts, Season 5, Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c, CBS
Ghosts (United Kingdom)
Premiere date: April 2019
The manor: Button House
The living: Alison and Mike Cooper (Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe)
The ghosts:
- Lady Fanny Button (Martha Howe-Douglas) – The former lady of the manor who is distantly related to Alison. She was pushed out of a window in 1912 by her adulterous husband.
- Pat Butcher (Jim Howick)- A former scout leader who died from an errant arrow still lodged in his neck.
- Kitty Higham (Lolly Adefope) – Naive but friendly Georgian noblewoman.
- Thomas Thorne (Mathew Baynton) – Regency Period, who is in love with Alison
- Julian Fawcett MP (Simon Farnaby) – A pantless ghost who died in the midst of a political scandal.
- Robin (Laurence Rickard) – A caveman who died possibly around the Prehistoric era, specifically 10,000 BCE, when he was struck by lightning.
- Humphrey Bone the Headless Ghost (Laurence Rickard as the head, Yani Xand as the body) – A Catholic Tudor nobleman who was accidentally decapitated while hiding from Royal guards searching for Catholic conspirators.
- The plague victim ghosts – The many ghosts who inhabit the basement that died during the Black Death.
The original series introduced Alison as the living descendant who inherited Button House, who, after an accident, can see its spirited occupants. The series ran for five seasons and concluded when Alison and Mike had a baby and moved away to give their child a normal life. However, they returned to Button House (now a hotel) annually to check on their friends.
Ghosts (United States)
Premiere Date: September 2021
The manor: Woodstone Manor
The living: Journalist Sam and chef Jay Arondekar (Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar)
The ghosts:
- Hetty Woodstone (Rebecca Wisocky) – The former lady of the manor who is distantly related to Sam. She took her own life by hanging to save her son from possible jail time.
- Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) – A Viking ghost stuck on the property after his shipmates left him behind. He died by lightning.
- Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) – A member of the Lenape tribe who died in 1513. The voice of reason for the ghosts.
- Captain Isaac Higgintoot (Brandon Scott Jones) – A Revolutionary War-era ghost who died of dysentery.
- Alberta Haynes (Danielle Pinnock) – A jazz-era singer who was murdered on the property in 1928.
- Flower Montero (Sheila Carrasco) – Once a promising law student, the eternally stoned hippy was mauled by a bear when she tried to hug the furry fellow.
- The cholera victim ghosts – The various basement-dwelling ghosts who died in a pest house. Nancy (Betsy Sodaro) is their mouthpiece.
In the American series, Sam and Jay try to convert Woodstone Manor into a bed and breakfast with a high-end restaurant. The ghosts have many demands on their time, from solving their murders to reaching out to distant relatives, but they eventually become family. Jay has a closer connection to the ghosts in this version and considers Pete among his best friends.
Ghosts: Fantômes en Héritage (a.k.a. Ghosts in the Inheritance, France)
Premiere date: April 2025
The manor: Château de Mérudeaux
The living: Allison Cardinet and Nabil Ben Mabrouk (Camille Chamoux and Hafid F. Benamar)
The ghosts:
- Countess Marie-Catherine de Mérudeaux (Natacha Lindinger) – The former mistress of the household who was part of the aristocratic family of Mérudeaux and an ancestor of Allison.
- Tayac (Monsieur Poulpe) – A caveman ghost who died on the property hundreds of years ago.
- Berthe (Tiphanie Daviot) – A sweet, slightly naive maid ghost from the 15th century.
- François Laval (Paul Deby) – The ghost of a French Nazi collaborationist/sympathizer who died in World War II and was once tied to a tree as punishment.
- Georges Peyrache (François Vincentelli) – A World War II captain who died at Mérudeaux Castle.
- Dani Quignon (Bruno Sanches) – The former scoutmaster who died after an arrow was lodged in his neck, but crashed his car in an attempt to get help. He had a cheating wife named Carol.
- Auguste Montfleury (Paul Scarfoglio) – A former poet from the Age of Enlightenment.
- Roland Givorant (Fred Testot) – A sleazy politician who died in the midst of an orgy, thus his lack of pants.
- The Gallic Ghosts – The basement-dwelling ghosts, led by Albos (Camille Combal).
In the French version of Ghosts, nine ghosts who haunt the property of Château de Mérudeaux represent France’s long history and significant contribution to civilization. Also, Allison and Nabil are common-law partners and not married. So far, the French version is only a single season with six episodes.
The Ghosts (a.k.a. Ta Fantasmata, Τα Φαντάσματα; Greece)
Premiere date: September 2025
The manor: Kifisia Mansion
The living: Marina and Haris (Elli Tringou and Orfeas Avgoustidis)
The ghosts:
- Kalliroi Paparigopoulou (Natalia Tsaliki) – A former lady in waiting for Queen Amalia of Oldenburg, the first queen of Greece, and a distant relation to Marina. She was pushed out of a window by her adulterous husband.
- Bilio Karatasou (Agoritsa Oikonomou) – A rebel during the Greek War who was burned alive by the Ottoman Turks.
- Vangelis (Thodoris Skiftoulis) – A Neanderthal ghost who died on the property hundreds of years ago.
- Apostolos Nikolopoulos (Aris Troupakis) – A sleazy member of Greek Parliament who died in during a sex scandal, thus his lack of pants.
- Major Athanasios Karkalentzos (Harris Fleouras) – A major in the Hellenic Army who was killed on the property by Germans.
- Gerasimos Zidoros (Alkis Bakoyannis) – A poet in love with Marina, who was killed by an angry boyfriend in the 1900s.
- Theophania (Evaggelia Karakatsani) – A worshipper of Athena who was killed in the 1st AD by Romans due to her faith.
- Paraskevas Papazoglou (Nikos Gialelis) – A scout master who died in the 1980s by an arrow through his neck.
- The Headless Ghost (Romanos Katsaris and Stelios Iakovidis) – A knight who died from decapitation in the Byzantine Era.
- The Plague Ghosts – The ghosts who occupy the basement, victims of the plague.
In the Greek version of Ghosts, the main setting is an old mansion in Kifissia, a suburb of Athens, where ghosts of Greek history haunted the dilapidated manor. And while some of the ghostly archetypes are similar, their backstories are fundamentally Greek. Also, there are nine central ghosts who fill the show with their undead shenanigans.
Ghosts: Germany (Germany)
Premiere date: March 2025
The manor: Donnerhall House
The living: Emma and Felix Küper (Cristina do Rego and Benito Bause)
The ghosts:
- Adelheid von Donnerhall (Antje Widdra) – The former mistress of the household who was part of the aristocratic family of Mérudeaux and an ancestor of Emma. She was pushed from her window by her adulterous husband.
- Urs (Jan van Weyde) – A Neanderthal ghost who might have died during a mammoth hunt.
- Claudius (Max Giermann) – The ghost of a Roman legionnaire who died in 22 AD.
- Griet (Meltem Kaptan) – The ghost of a maid who was burned alive in the 1600s after being accused of witchcraft.
- Joachim (Sebastian Schwarz) – An insurance agent who wanted to remove the shackles of his old life, starting with his pants. The trouser-less ghost possibly died of a heart attack during his act of defiance.
- Svenni (Sina Tkotsch) – A school teacher from the late 20th century who was accidentally shot through the neck with an arrow while giving an archery lesson.
- Friedrich Dorn (Alexander Khuon) – Ghost of an 18th-century poet who was shot in a duel.
The German version of Ghosts debuted on ARD with six 25-minute episodes. The German version is a more direct adaptation of the original British show, but with no headless ghost, no naive nice ghost, nor any plague ghosts lingering in the basement.
Ghosts: Australia (Australia)
Premiere date: November 2025
The manor: Ramshead Manor
The living: Lawyer Kate and project manager Sean (Tamala Shelton and Rowan Witt)
The ghosts:
- Eileen (Mandy McElhinney) – An Irish ghost from the 1880s who owned and operated a pub. She presumably died of alcoholism.
- Gideon (Brent Hill) – English Third Fleet naval officer and town governor who was mortally wounded by a spear.
- Joon (George Zhao) – A Chinese miner from the Gold Rush era who is in love with Kate. He lost his pants sometime before his death.
- Lindy (Michelle Brasier) – An aerobics instructor from the 1980s.
- Miranda Munchen (Ines English) – A socialite who died in the early 1900s, presumably of influenza, on her wedding day.
- Satan (Jackson Tozer) – A burly biker from the 1990s.
In this version, Kate inherits property from a great-uncle instead of an aunt, and moves in with her boyfriend (not husband) Sean. Kate has Indigenous Australian heritage, and the show incorporates Indigenous topics through her perspective, as each ghost reflects Aussie history. This version has the least amount of ghosts, with only six phantoms to focus on.
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