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Ghosts: Asher Grodman on Trevor, Season 4 Hopes, UK Crossover & More

Ghosts star Asher Grodman spoke with Bleeding Cool about the hit CBS sitcom, his hopes for Trevor in Season 4, the possibility of a UK crossover, and much more.

Asher Grodman struck sitcom gold in the form of the CBS series Ghosts, the American adaptation from Joe Port and Joe Wiseman of the BBC series of the same name created by Matthew Baynton, Jim Howick, and Laurence Rickard. The sitcom follows a couple: Sam (Rose McIver), a writer, and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), a chef, who purchased an old home at a bargain price due to its need for renovation. After an accident and near-death experience knocks Sam out, she awakens to discover she can see the home's spectral occupants, who continuously haunt the residence through generations. Grodman plays Trevor, a pantless yuppie with a limited ability to influence electronics. From going from show hopping in guest spots to a season four renewal on the spectral sitcom, Grodman spoke with Bleeding Cool about whether there's much room for improv to compliment the show's writing, his favorite Trevor moment, creative cohesion between cast and crew, what he hopes develops with season four, and if there's crossover hopes with the original BBC series that ran from 2019-2023.

Ghosts: Asher Grodman on How Series Nurtures Creativity

Bleeding Cool: Do the 'Ghost' scripts afford you moments where you can do some improv or did you all perform to the page?

Grodman: We're certainly a show that with our writers' room and showrunners, we certainly prioritize what's on the page. A lot of work goes into that and so we want to honor what they're doing. A lot of the cast comes from an improv background, and the rest of us come from a theater background, so we're used to ensemble work and some improv work, and sometimes we bounce things off each other. Things will come up on set, and we'll try stuff occasionally, but more often than we even realize, some improv will get in there. Sometimes a new button to a scene, maybe like our last blow scene, the last joke was saying will emerge, and we're playing and messing around, but we're certainly there. We're not improvising the show where the script is there, the jokes are down there on the page, and that's always the priority. But occasionally, something comes down the pipeline, or the most joyful thing is where we're up there, we're doing the script, maybe improvising a little bit, and then one of the writers is on set and comes up with an idea based on what we're doing, and then pitches and all. We get to play with that sort of script that feels alive that way. There's a little bit of improv we're certainly prioritizing.

Did you have a particular favorite Trevor moment this season of 'Ghosts' or overall?

That's a hard question. I have a lot of moments that I love. Trevor's parents [in the season two episode 'Trevor's Body'] was a real thrill to do because the writing was so good in that episode. In terms of moments, we have some early stuff in episode two where we're all grappling with how to approach Sam and Jay and there's some fun problem-solving stuff, but I find that to be a lot of fun. In that scene at the end of episode two ['Hello!'], she comes in and acknowledges all of us, and there's a line Trevor has the, and something like, "Kill yourself, become a ghost, and get with me, but let's keep it casual." That's a very funny line and him in a nutshell. I'm sure in two minutes I'm going to kick myself because somebody else is going to come to me, but that's fresh in my mind.

I see that you developed quite a bit of rapport with Rebecca's character, Hetty. We also see Trevor grow in these three seasons. What was the biggest surprise you saw in Trevor's growth? How have you changed since the start of the series, as in season three?

We have a lot of guest stars to come on, so we get a sense of the shows. The more you do this, you get a sense of the dynamics that are that are out there. What we have the norm is and it's unusual and lucky for us that this cast gets along and wants to play and create together. We'll go on set and do a blocking rehearsal. You run it a couple of times to get a sense of where you stand, stuff like that, and you leave. At that moment, instead of going to our separate areas, we all come together, try out different ideas and stuff, and pitch ideas to each other. [We ask] "Hey, do you think this is why you think this work is better? Is this better?" There's a great ensemble vibe to this because we're all friends, and that's lucky. I am constantly surprised at how strong this group is. I have so much respect for our crew in Montreal. The show looks amazing. Zoë Sakellaropoulo, who designs all the sets, is a genius, especially this last season when we shot up in Montreal; it's freezing. We're doing a shooting much later than we usually do, like December to March. We can't do any exteriors, especially for a guy who's not wearing any pants. Exteriors are very hard. She's creating these amazing locations all inside and these amazing exteriors that are all inside the studio. She's a genius. Michel St-Martin is our DP. The lighting, the show has such a beautiful and specific look to it so I'm constantly surprised and blown away by the talent of the people that we work with.

The other question you're asking in terms of how we develop stuff, the things that've always surprised me the most are the things where we look back to go forward because there's so much history on the property. We can't leave. We can't touch things outside of us a little bit. Those are all these limitations, and yet, because of that, with that limitation comes an opportunity to go back in time. This season especially plays with getting into the ghost powers. We're going to get into a little bit more history about the house and who's been going around. Everything in that past was a lot of fun and that's where a lot of surprises have come from. Trevor's pants as a prime example of that. I never saw that coming, how he lost his pants. To go back in time to inform the present, That's an exciting thing.

Was there a character or arc you hope the series develops with Trevor in season four?

We got renewed for season four, so I hope we have lots of new things to explore. I'm very grateful and excited for that. It's hard because it's like there are so many…all these actors in this ensemble are so good. If you told me, "You're going to do this whole episode with X, I'd be thrilled." I hadn't worked a ton with Sheila [Carrasco, who plays Flower]. I would love to do that. It's everywhere. I love the stuff I do with Thor [Devan Chandler Long]. I love this stuff I do it with Isaac [Brandon Scott Jones] and Pete [Richie Moriarty]. I'm just listing every name. Rebecca's stuff is so much fun. There was such a history between the two of them. Sasappis' [Román Zaragoza] is so fun. Danielle [Pinnaock, who plays Alberta] is fantastic. I'm just naming everyone [laughs].

It's also fun in that there are certain dynamics we have and groupings that we haven't played out a ton. We'll get groups three or four or something in a storyline and we're still discovering new combinations that we haven't played with in the past. Something that I am eager to see is what happened in the 20 years that Trevor has been dead and what that transition was like.

Has there been any talk about maybe doing the crossover episode with the BBC series side of things?

It would be great. All of us would love to do a crossover. I don't know that [BBC 'Ghosts'] making any more and they're done. We have a chance to have Matthew Baynton [who played Thomas Thorne in the BBC incarnation] on who is fantastic. I'd love to have Simon Farnaby, who plays Julian, who's the British pantsless ghost. All these guys are so great. I don't know if there are any official plans. There are opportunities, and my understanding is that there are moments where we reach out, and our guys reach out to try to see if something can happen. I know we would relish it because we're all huge fans of them.

Ghosts, which also stars Brandon Scott Jones, Danielle Pinnock, Richie Moriarty, Rebecca Wisocky, Davan Chandler Long, Román Zaragoza, and Sheila Carrasco, returns on April 4th and airs Thursdays on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+.

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