Ghosted
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Ghosted is about two "experts" who pair up to investigate a series of supernatural events. The tone of the show is light, and violence is played for laughs, but there's still some imagery that may disturb young or sensitive viewers: sci-fi guns that emit glowing blue and red light, alien ships that pull people up with a tractor beam, a man with unearthly lit-up eyes who removes his head. Other than that, there's a bit of language ("hell," and "bitch" used to describe a complaining young boy), some off-color humor (like when a man pees into a fountain at a mall), and references to drugs/alcohol (one man asks another if his behavior is due to being "super high"). But a relatable friendship anchors the action, the cast boasts great ethnic, gender, and racial diversity with women and people of color in central roles, and it's funny, too. This may be a good choice for whole-family viewing.
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Lightweight fun family viewing
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Brain dead
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What's the Story?
Once upon a time, GHOSTED's Leroy Wright (Craig Robinson) and Max Jennifer (Adam Scott) had great lives. Leroy was a respected LAPD officer; Max, a professor of physics at Stanford. But then Max started telling his colleagues that his wife was abducted by aliens, and Leroy made a terrible mistake that wound up getting his partner killed. But none of that matters anymore when the mysterious Bureau Underground, the secretive agency tasked with protecting the American public against paranormal threats, brings the two of them together to find vanished agent Kurt Checker (Linc Hand) and figure out what top-secret mission Checker was on before being kidnapped by shadowy forces. It's a tall order -- but with a little luck and a lot of teamwork, Leroy and Max may just learn the secrets of time and space.
Is It Any Good?
Light, fun, and charming largely due to the comedy chops of its two leads, this sci-fi series doesn't break any new ground, but it will make you laugh. Craig Robinson and Adam Scott have terrific comic chemistry, with Robinson's gruffer persona contrasting pleasantly with Scott's nerdy-nebbish thing. "Boost me up so I can see," urges Leroy when the two break into a super-secret bad guy compound. "I think it might need to be the other way around," laughs half-his-size Max. "Why?" says Leroy, deadpan, answering Max's apologetic stammer with "I'm just messing with you." He is, and he does, and it's a fun dynamic to watch.
There's plenty of comic gold to be mined in Ghosted's ancillary characters, too: Ally Walker as the Bureau's permanently unimpressed head, Adeel Akhtar as a mad scientist, Amber Stevens West as a droll weapons expert. Ghosted is basically an odd-couple comedy set in a Men in Black-esque sci-fi world with aliens and otherworldly monsters and agents and missions. But if it gives viewers a chance to see Robinson and Scott in action, it almost doesn't even matter where the show is set.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why unusual partnerships are a staple of TV sitcoms like Ghosted. What dramatic or comedic possibilities does this setup offer? What's funny about pitting two different people against each other and then creating a scenario in which they must coexist?
How do Leroy and Max demonstrate courage and teamwork in their quest? Why are these important character strengths?
What part do special effects play in this show? How would you rate these effects against others? Are they great? Good? Serviceable? Poor? Does it matter? Do the effects add to this show? In what way? Have you ever seen a show with effects poor enough to detract from the comedy or drama?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 1, 2017
- Cast: Adam Scott, Craig Robinson, Ally Walker
- Network: Fox
- Genre: Comedy
- Character Strengths: Courage, Teamwork
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: April 1, 2022
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