‘Ghosted’ Pilot Review – Has ‘MIB’ Spirit but Needs Something More

Fox’s new supernatural comedy, Ghosted, aired its first episode this past weekend and I have some good things and some not so good things to say about it. It definitely had some bright spots but it also seemed like there was something missing from the pilot episode. Hear me out or should I say read me out?

The series stars Adam Scott (Big Little Lies, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later) and Craig Robinson (This is the End, Hot Tub Time Machine) as former professor Max Jennifer and former detective Leroy Wright. The two are brought into the Bureau Underground, a secret government agency that specializes in paranormal and supernatural occurrences, to solve the mystery of an agent that has gone missing.

Overall, the casting is great. You have Adam Scott and Craig Robinson who make a great duo to center just about any type of comedy around. Adam Scott usually plays roles that has him in a sarcastic role or in the “straight man” role. I’m referring to term used in comedy which describes the comedian (usually in a duo) which plays the more serious one of the two. Think Dean Martin for example, as he was known for being the straight man in probably the most famous comedy duo of Martin and (Jerry) Lewis. The comedian’s reactions to the other are usually what makes more for laughs. The same goes for Ghosted. Although Craig Robinson’s character, Leroy, is the skeptic he also has the more outgoing and “funnyman” personality. The two actors work well together and it makes for quite a bit of laughs.

When it comes to the supporting cast, our heroes are surrounded by Ally Walker (Sons of Anarchy), Amber Stevens West (The Carmichael Show, 22 Jump Street) and Adeel Akhtar (The Dictator). These actors get an decent amount of screen time seeing as it’s a 22 minute comedy but not enough screen time for me to comment on their roles in the show other than the seem like vital pieces in Bureau Underground and I’m sure they will make more of an impact as the series goes on.

Where some of my issues lie are in the story and here are where some spoilers come in. So as I had mentioned before, Max and Leroy are searching for clues to figure out what happened to the secret agent that disappeared. Their investigation leads them into a strange direction, which is good. The two discover that there is some type of robot or alien being. This is a huge part that gives it the Men in Black feel. It does work and sets the series up as an “anything goes” type of series but I feel that there’s a very specific thing that this show needs. It needs a The Frighteners (1996 Michael J. Fox) feel to add the paranormal aspect to the show.

What I would like to see as the show goes on is the two not only interacting with robotic aliens but with ghost as well. After all the it’s in the name. Even possibly have a sidekick on the supernatural side of the spectrum. It can make for even more of an “anything goes” type of feel as well as more humorous situations.

Usually when I watch any series, I give it the rule of 3. Which is my way of saying I give it 3 episodes to catch my attention and see if it can keep me invested for the long haul. The pilot episode did catch my attention more than enough to want to watch the second episode.

I give the pilot episode 3.5 out of 5.