Ghosts Season 6's Official Sam Replacement Solves Its Worsening Jay Problem

Published Oct 30, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Mads Misasi is an entertainment journalist and marketing content creator. Before joining the ScreenRant team they wrote for TellTaleTV for 9 years working their way up from contributor to Associate Editor. TV has been a passion of theirs since a very young age. Mads typically watches all of the things, especially dramas and sitcoms.

Warning! Spoilers for Ghosts Season 6 Halloween Special!CBS' Ghosts has built much of its comedy around the unusual circumstances of Sam and Jay's marriage. While Sam can see and communicate with the spirits inhabiting Woodstone Mansion, Jay has spent years living alongside a group of ghosts he cannot see or hear. Their vastly different relationships with the supernatural have created countless hilarious situations, but they've also presented a challenge when it comes to incorporating Jay into the show's larger storylines.

Despite his inability to communicate with them directly, Jay has gradually developed meaningful connections with Woodstone's ghostly residents. However, those relationships have largely depended on Sam acting as an intermediary, leaving Jay on the outside of conversations and situations unfolding in his own home. It's a dynamic that has served Ghosts well, but one that has occasionally prevented Jay from being as involved in the action as the rest of the ensemble.

Fortunately, the introduction of Kyle, another living person capable of seeing ghosts, has provided the CBS comedy with an opportunity to rethink that dynamic without abandoning one of its defining elements. Kyle's growing friendship with Jay creates an entirely new avenue for storytelling, allowing the latter to become more involved in Woodstone's supernatural chaos while retaining the humor that comes from his inability to see what's happening around him.

The two-part Ghosts Season 6 Halloween special demonstrates just how valuable Kyle could become to the series moving forward. With Sam away in Australia, Kyle helps Jay navigate the unexpected arrival of another ghostly spirit at Woodstone, proving that Sam doesn't necessarily need to be present for her husband to participate in the ghosts' adventures. More importantly, their dynamic offers a promising solution to a character limitation that has existed since the show's premiere.

Jay's Inability To See Ghosts Has Always Been A Double-Edged Sword

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Since the beginning of Ghosts, Jay's inability to see or hear the spirits inhabiting Woodstone Mansion has been one of the show's most reliable sources of comedy. While Sam regularly finds herself caught up in the ghosts' personal dramas, Jay is often left reacting to conversations he can only hear one side of. His confusion and occasional frustration have become essential parts of the show's humor, but they've also made it difficult for him to participate in certain storylines.

Despite those limitations, Jay has developed genuine relationships with the ghosts over the years. His friendship with Pete is particularly meaningful, especially given their shared interests and the connection they've managed to establish without ever communicating directly. However, even their strongest moments are complicated by the fact that Jay must rely on someone else to understand what his ghostly friends are saying.

The bigger issue isn't necessarily that Jay can't see the ghosts, but that Sam has complete control over how much of their conversations he gets to experience. Although she generally means well, Sam frequently becomes so invested in the ghosts' problems that she filters information through her own priorities. Whether she's attempting to manage a disagreement or simply distracted by another supernatural crisis, Jay doesn't always receive the full context of what's happening around him.

This dynamic has worked for Ghosts because Sam and Jay's contrasting experiences are fundamental to the show's premise. However, after five seasons, there's only so much the series can accomplish by repeatedly leaving Jay on the sidelines. Giving him the ability to see ghosts would undermine an important element of the comedy, but continuing to depend exclusively on Sam as his connection to the supernatural risks limiting his development. Fortunately, the series has already introduced another possibility.

Kyle Gives Ghosts A New Way To Make Jay Part Of The Supernatural Action

CBS Entertainment

Kyle's introduction to Ghosts has already created exciting possibilities for the series, but the Season 6 Halloween special demonstrates just how valuable his presence could become. With Sam away in Australia working on her movie, Jay finds himself navigating another supernatural crisis without his usual connection to Woodstone's ghosts. Fortunately, Kyle is there to help, and their interactions reveal how much Jay stands to gain from having another person who can communicate with the spirits.

When Jay accidentally breaks a mirror and replaces it with one containing the ghost of Hetty's sister, Margaret, Kyle is the one who alerts him to her presence. What could have become another situation where Jay remained oblivious to the supernatural activity unfolding around him instead, allows him to participate in the discovery. Kyle effectively gives Jay access to information that he would otherwise have no way of obtaining without Sam.

However, Kyle's greatest advantage isn't simply his ability to see ghosts. Unlike Sam, who has spent years developing complicated relationships with Woodstone's ghostly residents, Kyle approaches their conversations without the same emotional baggage. He has less reason to selectively communicate what the ghosts are saying, allowing Jay to receive a more complete understanding of their interactions. This doesn't diminish Sam's importance, but it does demonstrate why having another intermediary could benefit everyone involved.

Perhaps most importantly, Kyle offers Jay something the series has rarely been able to provide: a friend who can share in his experiences with the ghosts without making him feel excluded from the conversation. Their developing friendship allows Jay to take a more active role in Woodstone's supernatural adventures while preserving the comedic potential of his inability to see the spirits himself.

Rather than fundamentally changing Jay's character, Ghosts has found a way to change how he experiences the world around him. If Kyle continues to play a significant role in the series, his presence could help Jay become a more independent participant in Woodstone's unconventional family, making the show's ensemble stronger in the process.

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