Why Ghosts Is Suddenly Haunting Some Local TV Stations

The popular sitcom *Ghosts* returns for a new season on CBS this Thursday. While it may not get as much awards attention as shows like *Abbott Elementary* and *The Bear*, *Ghosts* is a huge ratings success. Last season, it averaged 12.1 million viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched comedy on network television (tied with *George & Mandy’s First Marriage*). It even outperformed streaming hits like *The White Lotus* and *1923*. A show this popular used to guarantee years of reruns on local stations, but the television landscape is different now in 2025.

These days, it’s hard for TV shows to get rerun on local stations unless they were created by Chuck Lorre or originally aired before 2015. However, the team behind the show *Ghosts* – CBS Studios, Lionsgate, and BBC Studios – is exploring the possibility of syndication. Just recently, with no prior announcement, *Ghosts* started airing five nights a week on 13 CBS-owned stations and one station in Chicago. This is currently a trial run; the show is only scheduled to air on these stations for ten weeks, ending in mid-December. The goal is to see if the local ratings are high enough to justify a wider, national launch into syndication, potentially in the fall of 2026, when the show will have around 90 episodes available.

Beyond its solid viewership during prime time, the sitcom *Ghosts* has several qualities that could make it successful in national syndication. Although filmed like a modern single-camera show, it’s written in a classic, joke-filled style reminiscent of traditional multi-camera sitcoms. Each episode generally tells a complete story, which is important for syndication because viewers likely won’t be watching the episodes in order. Plus, *Ghosts* airs on CBS, a network known for comedies that perform well in syndication – even those not produced by Chuck Lorre, like *The Neighborhood*, which has been airing in reruns on local stations since 2022. *Ghosts* is aiming to generate similar demand.

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2025-10-16 23:54