Summary

  • Ghosts on CBS' Ghosts come from various time periods, forming a unique family. Their deaths range from lightning strikes to diseases.
  • Thorfinn, the oldest ghost, is a Viking who died around the 1020s. Sasappis, a Lenape man, died in the 1520s and loves discussing deaths.
  • Alberta, a jazz singer from the 1920s, was poisoned by her bootlegger boyfriend. Pete, who died in 1985, is a chipper ghost with no unique powers.

CBS' Ghosts features a cast full of spectral characters that each hail from a distinct time period, making fans wonder what order did the ghosts die in Ghosts? Each ghost comes with its own unique backstory and death. Though each of the eight ghosts has a wildly different perspective based on their experiences throughout history, they nonetheless form a sort of family, which is one of the show's greatest charms. After all, being stuck with the same people for all eternity allows for plenty of time to get to know each other. Ghosts stars Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver as Jay and Sam, a young couple who inherit a mansion in upstate New York.

In an adaptation of a BBC show of the same name, the couple discovers the house also comes with several ghostly inhabitants, who Sam is able to see after a near-death experience. These are Thorfinn (Devan Long), Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), Alberta (Danielle Pinnock), Flower (Sheila Carrasco), Pete (Richie Moriarty), and Trevor (Asher Grodman). Although other ghosts feature in the show, such as those in the basement "cholera pit," the British soldiers from the shed outside, and even Hetty's nefarious husband Elias, the main eight are the most fully fleshed-out and will continue to be in Ghosts season 3.

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Thorfinn

Thorfinn with his hands on his waist in Ghosts

Unlike Marvel's Thor from the MCU, with whom he shares a name, Thorfinn is not a god, although he does have some pseudo-lightning powers. The oldest ghost in the show, Thorfinn is a Viking who traveled to North America but was accidentally left behind by his compatriots. The Vikings' historical voyage was about 1000 years ago, meaning Thorfinn died around the 1020s. He died on the land that would one day hold Sam and Jay's house after being struck by lightning, which leaves him with the ghostly ability to make lights flicker. Never one to pass up a good discussion about fishing or fighting wild animals, Thorfinn is a Viking through and through.

Sasappis

Sasappis talking and pointing to something on his left in Ghosts

When it comes to what order the ghosts died in Ghosts, Sasappis is about 500 years younger than Thorfinn, dying in the 1520s. He's a Lenape man, an indigenous group from the Hudson Valley in New York as well as parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Unlike most of the other specters in Ghosts, Sasappis has yet to reveal how he died, but one of his favorite pastimes is reminding all the others of how they met their ends, most of which he was there for.

While this ghost's backstory remains unknown, it is revealed in Ghosts season 1, episode 7 that a woman Sass loved in life, Shiki, is also a ghost, and he tries to get in touch with her. Sasappis is also a big fan of watching TV and often asks Sam and Jay to cook junk food, so he can smell it.

Isaac

Isaac in an open field smiling in Ghosts

A Revolutionary War captain who knew the likes of real-life figures Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, Isaac Higgentoot unfortunately died of dysentery before he could make any lasting historical mark of his own. Killed by the disease sometime between 1775 and 1783, when the American Revolutionary War was taking place, Isaac now has the ghost power to make people smell sewage any time they walk through him.

Despite these circumstances, however, Isaac always maintains his pride, as evidenced when he has to negotiate with the Redcoats who also died on the property back in the day, including British officer Nigel, who Isaac has an obvious crush on despite having accidentally shot him.

Hetty

Hetty looking confused in Ghosts

Sam and Jay's house, Woodstone Manor, was built in the late 1800s by a family of robber barons, and it's this lineage and time period that Hetty hails from. But Hetty has started to gradually let go of her antiquated notions and bigotries as Ghosts goes on. As with Sasappis, Hetty's death is also still a mystery, but given the corruption she was a part of during her life and the vile nature of her husband Elias, she certainly had no shortage of enemies who might have wanted to off her.

There was only one thing known about her death. Hetty was wearing dry clothes and died in heels. As for ghost powers, Hetty hasn't displayed any unique abilities yet but does manage to possess Jay in season 1, episode 10, which is something all ghosts seem capable of.

Alberta

Alberta smiling and raising her arms in Ghosts

A jazz singer from the 1920s, Alberta finally confirms her suspicions in Ghosts episode 9 that she was poisoned by her no-good bootlegger boyfriend. But while Alberta has an unfortunate Great Gatsby-style death, she also embodies a lot of what made the 20s roaring, as well. From her tasseled flapper attire to her lively vocabulary, and from her confident singing voice to her fiery passion for women's rights, Alberta is one of Ghosts' most engaging and fun characters.

Fittingly, her special ghostly ability is that she can be heard humming by the living when she so chooses. And although Alberta offers constant reminders of all the low lives and two-timers she's dated, she may have a romance arc with Pete in store later on.

Flower

Flower smiling and turning back in Ghosts

As her name suggests, Flower is a hippie from the 1960s who was killed by a bear on the Woodstone property after leaving a nearby music festival. If she looks familiar to some viewers, it's because Sheila Carrasco, who plays her, has had brief appearances on other shows like The Good Place and Jane the Virgin. Flower's ghost power is that people who walk through her get high for about an hour, and she herself is often forgetful and off chasing butterflies. But Flower has interesting depth to her character as well, as she was involved in multiple cults and cult-like organizations in her life, and even helped one such group rob a bank.

Pete

Pete and a child smiling in Ghosts

Of all the eponymous characters in Ghosts, Pete's death is the most apparent. Shot in the neck by one of the Scouts from the troop he was leading, Pete met his untimely demise in 1985 and still has the arrow in his neck to prove it. Despite the tragedy of his passing, however, and the later revelation in Ghosts episode 6 that his wife was cheating on him in life, Pete is perpetually chipper in Ghosts. What is Pete's ghost power? While he doesn't possess a unique ghostly ability, Pete's affinity for compromise and teambuilding makes him a crucial member of the ghosts' de facto family and could earn him a shot at romance with Alberta later on.

Trevor

Trevor from the CBS sitcom Ghosts

Trevor is the youngest of the ghosts, whose special power is touching or moving solid objects (with great effort). A spoiled yuppie party boy who died in the late 1990s, Trevor is all about popularity and scoring attractive women. Trevor died when he and his colleagues went to stay in the Woodstone Mansion, and he took some pills with some alcohol while partying. This caused him to overdose, and he died of a heart attack. His friends just dumped his body in the lake and never talked about it again. Only Sasappis originally knew the truth of his death, but Jake fished his head out of the late in "Trevor's Body."

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Elias

Hetty and Elias in Ghosts

Most of the ghosts in Ghosts are kind, funny, and often helpful. However, there is one ghost who was mostly only had a short stint on the show and is none of those things. Elias Woodstone is Hetty's husband (and cousin). While he was alive, his marriage was not good because he was controlling and had several mistresses. His death came when he ended up locked in his vault by its designer after Elias slept with his wife. He died in the vault and his ghost reminded bound to the house. He was trapped in there for a century until Sam and Jay found the vault and opened it, freeing him.

However, something terrifying happened to Elias. He was the only ghost in this house that ever ended up sent to Hell. Hetty gave her dead husband a chance to redeem himself from his past sins, and he refused, saying there is no such thing as good and evil. As a result, she told him to "go to Hell" and he did. Humorously, she made the other ghosts think that was her special power after that.

Crash

Crash in the TV show Ghosts.

There are also some recurring ghosts on the show, and when it comes to Crash and the answer to what order did the ghosts die in Ghosts, it is hard to tell here. From his look, he appears to be from the 1950s, but he could also be younger and just dressed the part. Crash wears a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, and blue jeans, and looks like a James Dean-styled character, which explains the possible era where he died. It is unknown how Crash died, but he was decapitated, so it is possible he was in a vehicular accident. He only appeared in the pilot and later in the episode "Ghost Father of the Bride" in season 2.

Stephanie

Stephanie in her prom dress on Ghosts.

Like Crash, Stephanie is another ghost from Ghosts who only appeared a few times as a recurring specter. She died in the 1980s, and while she was born in the same year as Trevor, she still looks like a teenager since he died a decade later. She was an '80s mean girl who died on Prom Night. Stephanie was the victim of a slasher killer. She and her boyfriend were parking at Woodstone Mansion and were about to hook up when an escaped chainsaw murderer showed up and attacked and killed her. She also has a nickname from the other ghosts, who refer to her as "Attic Girl." She ends up dating one of the Chlorea ghosts.

The Cholera Ghosts

The Cholera ghosts.

In the original British version of Ghosts, there were ghosts who lived off by themselves in the mansion known as the Plague Ghosts. The U.S. version of the comedy series has a similar group, known collectively as the Cholera Ghosts. As their name mentions, they died of cholera, and they all live in the basement of the mansion. There is no telling how many of them there are, but there are three named on the show (Stuart, Nancy, and Creepy Dirk) and three more named in the credits (Nigel, Catherine, and Cody).

These were all people infected with cholera who were placed in the pest house, where they were supposed to get treated, but were left to die by starvation, illness, or suffocation from living in the basement. While not trapped in the basement as ghosts, that is still where they live as it is where they feel most comfortable. These ghosts died sometime between 1832 and 1870, which puts their deaths between Isaac and Hetty.

The British Ghosts

Nigel and Isaac talking in Ghosts

Finally, the British Ghosts don't live in the house. Instead, they live in a shed on the property based on an agreement made after they died in the Revolutionary War. Since they died then, they know Isaac, but they mostly keep in the shed and to themselves. Every few years, they come back up to the main house to redraw the boundary lines, although some ghosts feel it is because British Ghost Nigel does it to flirt with Isaac. Outside of Nigel, the other two known British Ghosts are Baxter and Jenkins.

Nigel is a lieutenant colonel while Baxter and Jenkins are his two officers. As for how these ghosts died in Ghosts, Nigel's death was a terrible accident. Isaac was admiring Nigel from the telescope on his rifle when he accidentally sneezed, pulled the trigger, and killed Nigel, who was reading a book at the time. Isaac later apologized as a ghost 133 years later, and Nigel accepted the apology. In season 2, the two start a romantic ghostly relationship. As for Baxter and Jenkins, they led the fight against the Americans after Nigel's death and died when their army fell in battle.