Ghosted

All the sci-fi intrigue and alien high jinks will give them [Adam Scott and Craig Robinson] plenty of material. But it’s really only window dressing for their comedy, which in the weeks to come could be out of this world.

The script is loose, chatty and casual, but it’s the chemistry between Scott and Robinson that seals the deal on the comedy.

Ghosted could be a very basic case-of-the-week comedy with a few casual laughs, or it could streamline itself into a wild, conspiratorial buddy cop laugh riot. Its stars could certainly sustain either, but only one option would truly be worth recommending. The zanier Ghosted gets, the better.

It could use more laughs, less hand-me-down mythology. Scott and Robinson have a good odd-couple chemistry and the John Carpenter-y synth soundtrack is just right. [29 Sep, 2017, p.55]

Like other Fox comedies, it’s quirky and brash, and decidedly not for young viewers, but it does have an underlying sweetness.

Based on just the pilot, the single-cam has a nice, escapist little atmosphere with elements of horror; it’s hard to tell if that will be enough to sustain it. But fans of both comedians--and fans of spoofs--will likely find enough to keep them amused with Ghosted.

Actually, Ghosted isn't all that bad, even if satirizing The X-Files feels a little bit wet-noodley at this point.

The supernatural action unfolds through special effects like some live-action cartoon, with maybe-aliens literally losing their heads. That matches their Fox Sunday night surroundings--but with sneaky bits of sentiment sprinkled in.

Scott and Robinson are great comic actors and you can already see the start of their chemistry. They're both playing parts that are well within their comfort zones and the '80s genre craziness around them should fit their sensibilities. Eventually. I don't know if Ghosted wants to be more sci-fi/comedy or horror/comedy, but the non-comedy genre registers very weakly so far.

Sort of a comedic “X-Files”--but only mildly amusing--“Ghosted” needs to be funnier and less predictable if it hopes to win over TV viewers with thousands of options.

Ghosted’s cast works hard to sell every ounce of plodding exposition.

It occurs to me that Ghosted hasn’t had a successful test of its equipment. Blame retooling and a packed-to-bursting script for a pilot that’s startlingly low on laughs, but the moments of zippy comic friction between Scott and Robinson are indications that there’s no sense in worrying about it now.

Ghosted includes a few halfway decent special effects, but not much else, en route to the inevitable.