15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Ghosts

In an era where TV sitcoms are largely relegated to all-at-once drops on streaming services, it's surprising when a network sitcom gains a massive audience, like CBS's "Ghosts." Continuing the age-old tradition of adapting popular British sitcoms for American audiences, "Ghosts" uniquely combines a familiar comedy formula — namely the "fish-out-of-water" roommate trope — with absurd supernatural elements.

As a result, fans of "Ghosts" might find there are plenty of other television shows that incorporate aspects of the CBS program's identity. Some of these 15 shows will remind viewers of "Ghosts" through their large ensembles of lovable, albeit flawed, characters. Others will remind you of "Ghosts" in how they merge the extraordinary with the painfully ordinary. Others just happen to also be among the best sitcoms ever made. And some, simply, just have that dry, British comedy flair that only a show adapted from a BBC sitcom can have. Together, they capture the same mix of heart, eccentricity, and ensemble chemistry that turned "Ghosts" into such an unexpected hit.

Rewinding all the way to 1969, a simplistic premise like "Ghosts" was not unusual on television, especially in British television. Take, for instance, the one-season-long ITC series "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)," known outside the United Kingdom as "My Partner the Ghost." Mike Pratt stars as Jeff Randall, a curmudgeonly private detective whose partner, Marty Hopkirk (played by Kenneth Cope), is murdered in the first episode, only to return as a ghost and help his former partner solve crimes — including the one that took his own life. 

Though it's a lot more of a straight crime drama than the comedy of "Ghosts," the way the series's paranormal elements weave in and out of Randall's everyday life makes it a fascinating watch, especially 50+ years after it aired. "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)" was also revived by the BBC in 2000, starring Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves in the titular roles, but we'll always consider the original one of the greatest British TV shows of all time. 

"Dead Like Me" isn't just on this list because it's one of the best TV shows about ghosts, but because it also has a lot in common with CBS's "Ghosts." Premiering in 2003, "Dead Like Me" follows a young woman named Georgia (Ellen Muth), who, after dying in a freak accident, is unwittingly recruited to become a grim reaper. She remains on Earth to collect the souls of the recently deceased and help escort them into the afterlife, aided by the reapers' leader, Rube (Mandy Patinkin). 

Like "Ghosts," "Dead Like Me" takes a dry, satirical approach to depicting not only death but also the mundanity of being undead. Because the show never really found an audience like "Ghosts" has, it was cancelled after two seasons on Showtime, which is a shame, since its depiction of life after death is among the most unique across television. To make matters even worse, "Dead Like Me" isn't even the only show on this list created by Bryan Fuller.

Along with Bryan Fuller's "Dead Like Me," "Pushing Daisies" is yet another TV show that was cancelled too soon, though it at least had a strong enough fanbase and enough critical acclaim to remain relevant in the years after it went away. The ABC series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a man with the latent ability to bring the dead back to life with a touch. However, if he touches them again, they die permanently and can never be revived. He eventually teams up with a private detective (Chi McBride), who convinces Ned to use his powers on homicide victims, including his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), whom he reluctantly keeps alive so they can resume their romance — albeit without physical contact.

With a slow-burn, yearning romantic storyline and stellar supporting performances from the likes of Kristin Chenoweth and Paul Reubens, "Pushing Daisies" remains a show beloved by its fanbase long after its second season aired. Whosts" fans may fall in love with it all the same, it may also give them a greater appreciation for the CBS show's relatively consistent run.

When it comes to lovable television shows that, despite praise from fans and critics, floundered because of poor ratings and instability, there's nothing quite like "Community." Created by Dan Harmon, the NBC-then-Yahoo! Screen series centers on an underfunded community college, where six misfit strangers become a found family through a study group.

Their de facto leader is smarmy lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), who puts the group together as a ploy to sleep with wayward activist Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), only for Britta to invite the rest: film and television fanatic Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), type-A basket case Annie Edison (Alison Brie), dim-witted jock Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), moist towlette entrepreneur Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase), and Christian single mother Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown). 

Like "Ghosts," "Community" thrives not only because of its ensemble — which includes unpredictable Spanish teacher Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) and whimsical dean Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) — but also because of its absurdist tone, often playing with genre conventions, sitcom tropes, and meta humor. It's a great time to watch the show now, knowing the much-delayed "Community" movie is hopefully on the way. #SixSeasonsAndAMovie

No paranormal entities or supernatural events occur in Fox's "New Girl," but it's definitely a more grounded take on the roommate comedy than "Ghosts." Zooey Deschanel stars as Jessica Day, a bubbly schoolteacher who moves into an apartment with three men: Nick (Jake Johnson), a bartender and aspiring author; Schmidt (Max Greenfield), a boisterous marketing executive; and Winston (Lamorne Morris), an unemployed former basketball player.

In addition to being a widely lovable sitcom without a single bad season – even when Deschanel briefly went on maternity leave — "New Girl" is so outrageously funny thanks to the chemistry between its cast members. They're definitely reminiscent of the big personalities in the cast of "Ghosts," albeit without the whole-being-dead-thing. "New Girl" is sort of the benchmark for what a show like "Ghosts" aims to be: a feel-good, popular sitcom that runs for a respectable amount of time — seven seasons, in this case — while maintaining a stable cast and a lasting reputation as a rewatchable comfort show on streaming services. 

"Another Period" is among the racier shows on this list, given that it aired on Comedy Central and featured comedians like Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. The faux reality television series is a modern take on "Downton Abbey" by way of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," depicting the lives of the wealthy Bellacourt sisters in early 20th-century Rhode Island as they grapple with class struggle, loveless marriages, and chauvinistic social systems. 

Although it was cancelled by Comedy Central after three seasons, the leads of "Another Period" are the funnier, edgier counterparts to Hetty Woodstone from "Ghosts," with the show's period aspects often juxtaposed against the characters' foulness and crass way of life. It also never performed well enough in the ratings to warrant a longer lifespan like "Ghosts" has enjoyed, so the chances of an "Another Period" revival are unfortunately slim. Still, for viewers who enjoy the historical comedy elements of "Ghosts" with far fewer restraints, "Another Period" remains an easy recommendation.

What do you get when you combine the co-creator of "Parks & Recreation," stars from the best TV shows of the 21st century, and the topics of ethics and philosophy? Well, you end up with "The Good Place," the NBC sitcom that ran for four seasons and became one of the best shows of the 2010s. Kristen Bell stars as Eleanor, a morally depraved woman mistakenly sent to "The Good Place" instead of "The Bad Place" after she dies, unbeknownst to bumbling afterlife architect Michael (Ted Danson). Though the first season alone contains many twists and turns surrounding the truth behind Eleanor's misplacement, the entire series questions what it means to be good, whether humankind is innately evil, and who deserves saving — and why.

Like "Ghosts," "The Good Place" is much smarter than many sitcoms released during its era, and by the end, it bows out with such deep love and appreciation for its characters and their journeys that "Ghosts" fans can only hope their favorite show receives the same kind of goodbye. Be ready to shed a few tears throughout the final season, though, because watching "The Good Place" blind will be the time of your forking life. 

TBS has been home to many underrated sitcoms everyone should watch, including "Wrecked," which ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. Though it's not a roommate comedy, nor does it feature supernatural elements like "Ghosts," "Wrecked" boasts an ensemble cast with big personalities, including Zach Cregger — the future director of "Barbarian" and "Weapons" — Rhys Darby, Ginger Gonzaga, and Ally Maki, all of whom play survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island.

With obvious nods to "Lost," "Wrecked" has a lot of fun survival tropes to play around with, including pirates, sadistic millionaires, and interpersonal romances. However, the show sustains itself across all three seasons thanks to the chemistry between its cast, which is certainly reminiscent of the dysfunction among the characters in "Ghosts." Sadly, it was canceled by TBS, leaving its characters' odyssey unresolved, and there likely won't be a fourth season given that cast members like Cregger have gone on to bigger and better things. 

It's hard to believe a show as fun and unique as "Santa Clarita Diet" was cancelled by Netflix, given that its three seasons received positive reviews and an ardent fanbase. Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore star as Joel and Sheila, a seemingly normal married couple, until Sheila begins craving human flesh, forcing Joel to save face while juggling their real estate business in the titular Californian suburb. It's much darker than "Ghosts," given its subject matter, but the way it blends zombie tropes with grounded sitcom antics feels similar to the CBS series.

In addition to Olyphant and Barrymore, "Santa Clarita Diet" also boasts an impressive roster of supporting cast members, from Skyler Gisondo and Nathan Fillion to Portia de Rossi and Andy Richter. It's "The Odd Couple" by way of "Dexter," and the chemistry between Olyphant and Barrymore is strong enough that we wish it could've had plenty more seasons than it unfortunately got. 

Though it only aired for one season on Fox, "Ghosted" showed a lot of promise as a sitcom exploring the effects that the supernatural has on everyday life. Adam Scott and Craig Robinson star in "Ghosted" as a pair of friends who are recruited by a covert bureau investigating paranormal occurrences in Los Angeles. Scott's Max is a conspiracy theorist whose career crumbled after he claimed his wife was abducted by aliens. (She's played by Britt Lower, which is a fun connection for any Mark S. and Helly R. shippers from "Severance.") Meanwhile, Robinson plays Leroy, a skeptic of the supernatural. 

Obviously, "Ghosted" shares some DNA with "Ghosts" through its focus on supernatural occurrences, with each episode playing out like "The X-Files" if Mulder and Scully were played by former cast members of "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation." It definitely deserved more than just one season to prove its worth as a sitcom that could've had the same run as "Ghosts," but alas, it would've gotten a little confusing to have both shows airing on TV at the same time. 

"What We Do in the Shadows" started as a modern cult classic from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, exploring the lives of three vampire roommates living in Wellington, New Zealand. In adapting the story into an FX series, Clement smartly relocated the flatmates to a house in Staten Island, New York, which proved to be the perfect backdrop for its colorful cast of immortal bloodsuckers: Ottoman warrior Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), bickering couple Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Laszlo (Matt Berry), energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and long-suffering familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén).  

Despite obviously following pretty nefarious characters, the "What We Do in the Shadows" series finale proved that it was a lot more wholesome of a sitcom than viewers initially expected. Like "Ghosts," the supernatural elements of the series are an aesthetic used to explore how seemingly vastly different personalities can form a kind of found family just by living under one roof. Also, similarly to "Ghosts," it does so without getting stale over six seasons. 

Obviously, we can't recommend shows like CBS's "Ghosts" without addressing the original sitcom on BBC One. In place of Rose McIver's Sam and Utkarsh Ambudkar's Jay, Charlotte Ritchie stars as Alison and Kiell Smith-Bynoe as Mike, the inheritors of a dilapidated country house haunted by an ensemble of quirky ghosts whom only Alison can see and communicate with after suffering a near-death experience. Many of the "Ghosts" (UK) characters are analogous to their American counterparts, including Ben Willbond's The Captain (instead of Brandon Scott Jones' Isaac Higgintoot) and Martha Howe-Douglas' Lady Fanny Button (instead of Rebecca Wisocky's Hetty Woodstone). 

Though CBS's "Ghosts" is already renewed for a sixth season, the UK version ended after its fifth in 2023, wrapping the story up with a Christmas special. Although it has fewer than half as many episodes as the American version, the UK "Ghosts" often leans into racier humor, as is common with British sitcoms. Nevertheless, whether you like "Ghosts" or not, the UK version is worth a watch, as it's similar in its characters and premise but vastly different in its tone and execution. 

"Miracle Workers" is the only show on this list that's an anthology series, though it features the same cast in each of its four seasons playing vastly different roles. Created by Simon Rich and based on his satirical short stories, the first season of "Miracle Workers" follows a pair of low-level Heaven employees, Craig and Eliza (played by Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan, respectively), who are determined to save Earth from destruction after God (Steve Buscemi) becomes bored and jaded with humanity. 

Future seasons completely change the setting, exploring the Dark Ages, the Oregon Trail, and a "Mad Max"-style post-apocalyptic wasteland. Though "Miracle Workers" was cancelled after four seasons on TBS, it delivered some of the funniest and smartest comedy television had to offer during its run. Like "Ghosts," it uses supernatural elements to explore what it means to be human — or inhuman — in a variety of ways. 

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg have been behind some of the most iconic comedy movies of all time, like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," but they also produced a lesser-known comedy series for Amazon Prime Video that was released in 2020. "Truth Seekers" stars Frost as Gus, an amateur paranormal investigator who teams up with his fellow internet company co-worker, Elton (Samson Kayo), and a haunted young woman, Astrid (Emma D'Arcy). Pegg also appears as Gus's internet company boss, David, taking more of a backseat compared to his usual buddy-comedy partnership with Frost.

Though "Truth Seekers" was cancelled after one season at Amazon Prime Video, the show deftly combines a fascination with the paranormal with the type of slapstick, dry comedy that Frost and Pegg's collaborations are known for. It's definitely got a similar British sensibility as the UK version of "Ghosts," but focuses on offering some real terror to its audiences. 

"School Spirits" leans more toward supernatural drama than sitcom territory like "Ghosts," but the two series share similar enough premises to appeal to the same paranormal-obsessed audiences. Peyton List stars in the Paramount+ series as Maddie, a teenage girl who mysteriously becomes a ghost confined to the grounds of her school with no memory of the circumstances surrounding her death, while her town investigates her sudden disappearance. She's welcomed into limbo by an ensemble of ghosts who also died at the school, including Wally (Milo Manheim), an '80s jock with a heart of gold; Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin), a '60s beatnik girl; and Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman), a former teacher trying to help spirits pass on to the other side. 

Having recently wrapped Season 3 and looking ahead to Season 4, "School Spirits" is one of the most fascinating mysteries on television right now. It may not have as many laugh-out-loud moments as "Ghosts," but its similar take on how ghosts work in the world manages to offer a much different interpretation of life after death than the CBS sitcom.