A Ghosts crossover with the UK original isn't off the table at CBS

Could we see a Ghosts crossover coming? The showrunner has chimed in on if the U.K. version of the show can mix with the CBS version!

Ghosts has become the rare case of an American adaptation of a British show that’s just as big a hit as the original. Both use the same plotline of a couple moving into a mansion where an accident allows the wife to see and hear the ghosts of various residents who have died on the grounds over the years. The comedy comes from her trying to help them with issues on Earth and dealing with modern times.

There are obvious differences in the shows given the opposing cultures and histories. The U.K. version has characters the U.S. doesn’t, such as Regency-era poet Thomas and the Captain, a World War II soldier. However, they have similar characters in a scout shot through the neck with an arrow and a man (a disgraced politician in the U.K. version and a Wall Street trader in the U.S. one) who died pantless. 

Both shows have been great, with the CBS one a huge hit, expanding on the concept with more ghosts introduced. This has naturally led to the big question of if, just maybe, the shows can do some sort of crossover to link the properties together. Can it happen?

More actors from Ghosts UK may come to the CBS adaptation

The show has had a mild crossover already as Mathew Baynton, who played poet Thomas, made a cameo on the U.S. version as an overdramatic actor taking part in a docudrama set in the house. 

That hinted at the idea that maybe the U.S. version can have the original U.K. actors on board in new roles that can pay tribute to the original show with a little fun twist. However, a full-scale crossover may not be in the cards. 

Speaking to TVLine, Ghosts co-showrunner Joe Port admitted that while they’d love to have the original actors appearing, having a full crossover may be too much given how similar the shows are. 

"At some point, we’d like to have them all on, eventually. But as far as [Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe] as Alison and Mike, that sort of doesn’t compute for us because it feels kind of strange… It just seems too similar, or something, to Sam and Jay. Like, they live in a house where there’s also a pants-less ghost and a guy with an arrow through his neck…."

On the one hand, that could be some fun comedy in Alison and Mike meeting a couple with the same issue with ghosts. It can poke fun at the cultural differences, yet things are much the same with both couples marveling at finding kindred spirits (literally).

However, those similarities also make it trickier to handle as even for this show, it’d require a major suspension of disbelief to accept two mansions of ghosts so much alike can exist at once. That would be too much of a “gimmick” to make for a compelling story even if it could be a fun crossover. While CBS might be intrigued at the idea, the creators don't want to be pushed into doing it just for a ratings grab.

So, while it’ll be fun to see some of the U.K. Ghosts actors appear in the U.S. version, a full-on crossover between the shows is unlikely. Yet it does show the connection that’s made both versions of the comedy a huge hit.

Ghosts season 4 premieres Thursday, Oct. 17 at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.