The beloved CBS comedy Ghosts, one of the network’s most surprising and enduring hits, is now available to stream for free. The series, which premiered in 2021 as an American adaptation of the BBC’s acclaimed British sitcom of the same name, can be watched right now on Pluto TV without any subscription or account required.
The announcement arrives at a convenient moment for fans: with season six already scheduled to debut in early 2027 and no sign of the show winding down anytime soon, there has never been a better time to catch up on the supernatural comedy that has quietly become one of television’s most reliable sitcoms.
A Rare Adaptation That Earned Its Keep
The American version of Ghosts was brought to CBS by showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, who adapted the original BBC series. Where countless U.S. adaptations of British shows have fallen short—either losing the source material’s humor in translation or feeling so derivative that there is no reason to watch them at all—the Ghosts remake has managed something rarer: it respects the premise while charting its own course.
The series quickly found an audience after its 2021 premiere, earning a second season by January of the following year. Multiple seasons have since been confirmed, and the show’s longevity is remarkable for a sitcom that debuted during one of television’s most challenging periods for new programming.
The ghosts’ development, from supernatural pests who want the living out of their home to embracing the changes the living bring to their undead life, is what puts the ‘family’ in this family sitcom.
About the series’ enduring appeal
Staying True While Striking Out on Its Own
Like its British counterpart, Ghosts follows a young couple who believe their lives have improved when they inherit a massive mansion from a recently deceased relative—only to discover the property is riddled with ghosts. But the American version’s sheer scale forced it to develop differently. While the BBC original ran just six episodes for its first season, the CBS adaptation produced 18, giving writers room to expand and differentiate.
The living leads also differ meaningfully from their British counterparts. Samantha “Sam,” played by Rose McIver, and Jay Arondekar play a couple more interested in leaving city life behind than desperately hunting for a home—a subtle but notable shift that gives the American version its own identity. The ghosts themselves remain central to the show’s charm, though the U.S. iteration leans into distinctly American historical periods, including the Prohibition era, the American Revolutionary War, and even 1960s cult communities.
The original British series relied heavily on the natural chemistry of its cast—Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond—who had been performing comedy together since 2009 through their educational series Horrible Histories. The American version has built a similarly strong ensemble that evolves as the show progresses. Rebecca Wisocky’s Lady Henrietta Woodstone clearly draws from the original uptight lady of the manor, yet the characters develop in ways that make them distinct.
A Family That Belongs Together
Despite these differences, the U.S. adaptation preserves two essential elements of the original: the living couple grounds the show with a sense of reality, humanizing the ghosts beyond their circumstances of death, while the supernatural residents gradually embrace the changes their new housemates bring to their undead existence.
Ghosts is streaming now on Pluto TV.
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