CBS Ghosts: Every Ghost Time Period and Backstory Explained Anew
The Mansion’s Ghostly Family
Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver play Jay and Sam, a young couple who inherit a mansion in upstate New York. The house comes with several supernatural residents, whom Sam can see after a near-death experience.
The eight central ghosts are Thorfinn, Sasappis, Isaac, Hetty, Alberta, Flower, Pete, and Trevor. Other spirits appear in the series, including those in a basement cholera pit, British soldiers in a shed, and Hetty’s husband Elias.
Thorfinn and Sasappis
Thorfinn is a Viking who traveled to North America and was accidentally left behind by his companions. He died in 1007 BC, about 1,000 years after the Vikings’ historic voyage, when lightning struck him on the land where the mansion would later stand. His ghostly ability can make lights flicker.
Sasappis, a Lenape man from the Hudson Valley region, died in the 1520s, roughly five centuries after Thorfinn. The show has not revealed his cause of death, though he often recalls how other spirits met theirs. In life, he loved a woman named Shiki, who is also a ghost.
Isaac’s Revolutionary War Past
Isaac Higgentoot served as a captain during the American Revolutionary War and knew figures including Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. He died of dysentery sometime between 1775 and 1783, before making a lasting mark in history.
Isaac’s ghostly presence makes people smell sewage when they pass through him. He also negotiates with British soldiers who died on the property, including Nigel, whom Isaac accidentally shot and has a crush on.
Key points
- Sam can see the mansion’s ghosts after a near-death experience.
- Thorfinn died by lightning in 1007 BC and can make lights flicker.
- Sasappis died in the 1520s, but his cause of death has not been revealed.
- Isaac died of dysentery during the Revolutionary War.