Over the years, CBS has been home to classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H, and The Andy Griffith Show as well as modern gems including The Big Bang Theory. The network’s newest addition, Ghosts, could potentially continue that tradition of having fun and clever comedies that turn rising stars into household names.
After watching the premiere of the show that follows a couple (played by Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) as they turn a haunted house into a bed and breakfast, you might be wondering where you’ve seen the Ghosts cast before. Well, worry not, weary spirit, as we have put together a quick yet comprehensive guide of the show’s main cast and just about everywhere you’ve seen them before.
Rose McIver (Samantha)
Rose McIver plays Samantha on Ghosts, one half of the couple who decide the best way to spend their money and time is to convert a seemingly abandoned home into a bed and breakfast. Before playing the journalist who is able to see ghosts after waking from a coma, McIver made a name for herself in the realm of television by playing Tinker Bell on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, which she followed up with the lead role of Olivia “Liv” Moore on the The CW’s supernatural comedy series iZombie. McIver has also appeared on shows like Masters of Sex, Xena: Warrior Princess, and the Hulu comedy, Woke.
The actress has also appeared in a couple of dozen movies over the years, going back to her debut in the 1993 period drama The Piano. Since then, McIver has had roles in everything from The Lovely Bones to Brightest Star, but most will recognize her as Amber Moore from Netflix’s holiday romantic comedy film franchise, A Christmas Prince. McIver reprised the role once more in the 2020 comedy The Princess Switch: Switched Again.
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Jay)
Utkarsh Ambudkar plays Jay, the other half of the couple who set out to open their own bed and breakfast on Ghosts. Before he took on the role of an up-and-coming chef full of optimism and positive energy, Ambudkar established himself as a multi-talented entertainer who has dabbled in acting (film, television, and theater), rapping and singing throughout much of the 21st Century. Starting with television, Ambudkar has appeared on The Electric Company, The Mindy Project, Brockmire, and Never Have I Ever.
Utkarsh Ambudkar’s film work is just as impressive, with appearances in Pitch Perfect, Blindspotting, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and, most recently, Free Guy. Over on the stage side of things, Ambudkar’s list of credits go all the way back to 2004, when he appeared in a production of History of the World. Perhaps his most notable role was that of Aaron Burr in the 2013 Vassar Workshop Production of Hamilton, better known as The Hamilton Mixtape.
Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac)
Taking on the role of Isaac, the 18th Century militiaman who haunts Samantha and Jay’s new investment is Brandon Scott Jones. Before joining the Ghosts cast, Jones spent the majority of his acting career in television, with his first role being a small part on a 2003 episode of All My Children. Since then, Jones has appeared in one-off roles on shows like Broad City, Girls, and Difficult People, as well as more prominent positions on The Good Place, Edith!, and The Other Two.
Brandon Scott Jones has also dabbled with movies throughout his career, having appeared in Isn’t It Romantic, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Other People. On top of all of that, Jones has also performed with The Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe over the years.
Richie Moriarty (Pete)
Richie Moriarty appears on Ghosts as Pete, a Boy Scout troop leader who became one of the house’s resident spirits after taking an arrow to the neck in a former life. The lion’s share of Moriarty’s work is on television, with the recurring role of Mr. Everest on the Amazon original series, The Tick, as well as multiple guest appearances on shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The Mysteries of Laura.
On top of his television work, Richie Moriarty has appeared in movies like Irresistible, Going in Style, and How to be Single. He also had roles in multiple short films and other specials throughout his career.
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta)
Stepping in as Alberta, the prohibition-era lounge singer on Ghosts, is Danielle Pinnock. Despite her career only being a few years old at this point in time, Pinnock has built up a rather successful resumé in such a short period. Following brief appearances on the likes of This Is Us, Workaholics, and Scandal early on, Pinnock began to take on more recurring roles, starting with the 2017 Epix adaptation of Get Shorty.
That same year, Danielle Pinncok landed perhaps the most notable role of her career when she was cast as Ms. Ingram on The Big Bang Theory spinoff series Young Sheldon. In 2020, she joined the voice cast of the DreamWorks Animation series Doug Unplugs on Apple TV+. Pinnock’s other voice roles include that of Barbastella on ThunderCats Roar and various characters on Where’s Waldo?.
Asher Grodman (Trevor)
Taking on the role of Trevor, the wayward spirit of a ‘90s financial party boy with no pants, is Asher Grodman. Before playing the celebrity name-dropping (like Tara Reid) bro on Ghosts, Grodman got his start on television like oh so many other actors over the years: with a guest appearance on Law and Order. Grodman would go on to complete a “Dick Wolf Hat Trick” when he showed up on Chicago Med and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. His other television credits include Elementary and Succession. Grodman has also appeared in nearly a dozen short films going all the way back to 2004.
When he’s not appearing or various television programs or short films, Asher Grodman teaches acting as an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College, as well as to inmates at Rikers Island.
Román Zaragoza (Sasappis)
Román Zaragoza joins the Ghosts cast as a character named Sasappis, a Native American who has been wandering the Earth as a ghostly spirit since the early 16th Century. Prior to taking on the role of the witty, sarcastic, and hilarious character, Zaragoza took on a series of small parts in various television programs, movies, and short films going back to the 2010 made-for-TV movie, Everyday Kid. Since then, Zaragoza has appeared on shows like Austin and Ally, Those Who Can’t, and Stumptown.
Sheila Carrasco (Flower)
Sheila Carrasco appears on Ghosts as Flower, the spirit of a hippie from the 1960s who still has a fondness for psychedelic drugs and the “Summer of Love,” despite being dead for more than a half-century at this point. Since making her acting debut in the 1993 television adaptation of The Untouchables, Carrasco has appeared in a smaller capacity on shows like Life in Pieces, How to Survive High School, and American Housewife, as well as more prominent roles on Jane the Virgin, Carrier, and the 2021 Rainn Wilson-led podcast series Desk Air with Terry Carnation. Carrasco also briefly appeared on the bonkers Netflix sketch comedy show I think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty)
Taking on the role of Hetty, a high society woman from the 19th Century who turns out to be Samantha’s ancestor on Ghosts, is Rebecca Wisocky. With arguably the most prolific television acting career on the entire cast, Wisocky has been a fixture of the medium going back to a 2000 episode of the HBO landmark comedy series Sex and the City. Since then, she has completed the original version of a “Dick Wolf Hat Trick” with guest appearances on Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. And, chances are if there was a crime procedural released in the pat 20 years, Wisocky has been on in it at one point or another. This list includes CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS: New Orleans, and Cold Case to name just a few. Wisocky has also had recurring roles on shows like For All Mankind, 90210 (the 2010 reboot), Devious Maids, and The Mentalist.
Rebecca Wisocky has also had multiple film appearances throughout her career, including her professional acting debut in 1996’s The Fountain of Death. Other movies include Ed Harris’ 2000 biographical drama, Pollock, about American painter Jackson Pollock, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Devan Chandler Long (Thorfinn)
And then there is Thorfinn, the Viking warrior who has been stuck between the worlds of the living and dead since the early 11th Century, played by Devan Chandler Long. Before he joined the Ghosts cast, Long appeared in both Marvel and DC Comics television programming when he added Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Doom Patrol to his impressive resumé. Other shows that have featured Long include Bosch, S.W.A.T., The Magicians, Sons of Anarchy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and a couple of dozen others, since he started acting in the early 2010s.
This is just the main (both living and dead) members of the Ghosts cast, but there are surely to be more surprises along the way. For more information on all the other new and returning shows hitting airwaves the next few months, check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 fall TV schedule.
It should also be noted that following its special one-hour premiere on Thursday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, new single episodes of Ghosts will air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
