GHOSTED Thin Enough to See Through

Article first published as TV Review: GHOSTED on Seat42F.

Tonight brings the premiere of FOX’s GHOSTED. A disgraced scientist, now book store clerk, who studied the theoretical multi-verse and claims his wife has been abducted by aliens, is kidnapped and partnered with a once-great detective, who blames himself for his former partner’s death and now serves in mall security, by a top-secret organization known as the Underground Bureau. Together, they are tasked to find a top agent who has gone missing. It’s going to take all their skills and more in this paranormal twist on the buddy cop genre.

The lead characters in GHOSTED are Max Jennifer (Adam Scott, Parks & Recreation), the scientist, and Leroy Wright (Craig Robinson, The Office), the detective. Both are brilliant men who have fallen from grace, but not lost any of the things that made them so good in their chosen professions. Max is the believer, and Leroy is the skeptic. It’s sort of like The X-Files mixed with Lethal Weapon mixed Men in Black with a large dollop of I don’t even know what.

Casting Scott and Robinson is the best thing GHOSTED has going for it. Both are vastly funny, almost as if by second nature, skilled and experienced in the art of sitcom. They have terrific timing and solid chemistry. All the best moments from the pilot involve their interactions. They strike the right balance between acting the story and going for the gag, and I find no flaw in their performances.

I also really like the supporting cast. Ally Walker (Profiler, Colony) has a fantastic spirit as the hard-nosed boss, Captain Ava Lafrey. Amber Stevens West (The Carmichael Show) balances things as the sweet, technologically gifted Annie. Adeel Akhtar (The Night Manager) is just plain bizarre as co-worker Barry, a good energy for a show like this. While the focus will likely stay on the partners, these three do make things entertaining when the action shifts back to the workplace, nicely fleshing out the world of GHOSTED.

Where I have to stop heaping praise is when we get to the writing. The pilot contains numerous plot holes or unrealistic stretches. GHOSTED decides to get right into the story as early in the running time as possible, which means the characters don’t have enough time to bond before they have to start acting like a team. There’s a lazy attempt to right this with a 48-hour window Leroy and Max are initially given, but there’s no real effort to stick to that premise, tossed out as soon as it’s convenient. The investigation itself proceeds very weirdly, and the time line doesn’t quite make sense if you stop and think about it. Concepts are introduced and then quickly moved past without explanation.

I wonder about the decision to do this, knowing that going the other way is also risky. Sometimes a series takes too long to set up the premise, or just does it in episode one, which feels very generic. But I feel there has to be a middle ground. Events must feel fluid and natural, not just jammed in. The coincidences, such as a big reveal at the end of the pilot, are even OK in this context. I just want GHOSTED to catch its breath and make sure everything adds up before they jump into filming the episode. Hopefully that happens in subsequent episodes, as there is mega potential here.

I’ll end with another bit of praise, and that’s that the special effects look great. Technology has bounded ahead in recent years to the point where even a broadcast network sitcom can do zany, supernatural and otherworldly stuff and pay for it to look good. I have nothing bad to say about the production design and SFX.

GHOSTED premieres tonight at 8:30 ET on FOX.