Ghostwriter (2019 TV series)
Ghostwriter | |
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Genre | |
Written by | Luke Matheny |
Directed by | Luke Matheny |
Starring |
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Composers | Erica Procunier Janal Bechthold Sasha Gordon |
Country of origin |
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Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Production locations | Hamilton, Ontario |
Running time | 22–26 minutes |
Production companies | |
Release | |
Original network | Apple TV+ |
Picture format | Dolby Vision HDR |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | November 1, 2019 present | –
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Ghostwriter |
External links | |
Ghostwriter on Apple TV+ | |
Apple TV+ press site for Ghostwriter |
Ghostwriter is a children's mystery television series produced by Sesame Workshop and Sinking Ship Entertainment as an original series for Apple TV+, and premiered on November 1, 2019, coinciding with the launch of the service. It is a revival of the 1992–1995 series of the same name.[1]
Premise[]
Ruben struggles to fit in at his new middle school after he and his mother relocate to live with his grandfather, a recent widower, above the bookstore he owns. Ruben, his classmates Chevon and Curtis, and Curtis's younger sister Donna are at the store one day when they encounter an entity they later dub "Ghostwriter." Ghostwriter communicates with written messages and by creating manifestations of fictional characters, all of which only the four children can perceive. As they become friends and learn to work as a team, Ghostwriter sends them characters from stories with themes relevant to their lives.[2]
Cast and characters[]
Main[]
- Isaac Arellanes as Ruben Reyna
- Amadi Chapata as Chevon Redmond
- Justin Sanchez as Curtis Palmer-Moreno
- Hannah Levinson as Donna Palmer-Moreno
Episodes[]
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 13 | November 1, 2019 | May 1, 2020 | ||
2 | 13 | October 9, 2020 | May 7, 2021 |
Season 1 (2019–20)[]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [3] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 2 | 1 2 | "Ghost in Wonderland" | Luke Matheny | Andrew Orenstein | November 1, 2019 | |
Four children have to come together after a strange ghost starts leaving them messages only they can see. Things get even weirder when a talking white rabbit starts running amok in school. The children try to find the released Wonderland characters, convinced that doing so would satisfy the ghost that's been haunting them. | ||||||
3 4 | 3 4 | "The Jungle Ghost" | Michael Mohan | Lauren Thompson | November 1, 2019 | |
After the ghost asks for help on the bookstore's typewriter, the children find Mowgli and learn that they, too, can understand animals while he's near. Mowgli has run away, along with all the dogs from the shelter. Finding him is the only way to return him to the book, along with learning what secret the stray cat Spinozi knows about Ruben's grandmother. | ||||||
5 6 7 | 5 6 7 | "The Wild, Wild Ghost" | Aprill Winney | Mark Blutman | November 1, 2019 | |
A strange cowboy called the Camarillo Kid has moseyed into town, and he's hiding from a mean cowboy known as Hitch. Hitch is following the children to find the Camarillo Kid, but is he really the bad guy? Or is the Camarillo Kid really not that nice? The kids discover that the characters escaped from a science fiction book instead of a classic western. Now that they have the book, they just need to track down the characters, and figure out what lock fits the mysterious key. | ||||||
8 9 10 | 8 9 10 | "A Sparkly Ghost" | Luke Matheny | Luke Matheny | May 1, 2020 | |
A young girl named Raine gets pulled out of her own book thanks to her powers to see "sparkles", solidified memories of people. The kids use her powers to find out what Grandma was doing back in 1972. Ruben tracks down Fi and asks her questions about his grandmother. In trying to find the inheritance Grandma supposedly got from Aunt Sadie, the boys get themselves trapped inside a sparkle. | ||||||
11 12 13 | 11 12 13 | "Franken-Ghost" | Jonathan Judge | Aminta Goyel | May 1, 2020 | |
During a dress rehearsal as Caliban, Frankenstein's monster confuses Ruben for a real monster. The kids try to convince Dr. Frankenstein that making a friend for The Monster is a good idea. The second monster is wreaking havoc around town, and normal people can see her. How can they get everyone back into the book and fix everything? |
Season 2 (2020–21)[]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [3] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 15 | 1 2 | "The Ghostly Paintbrush" | Melanie Orr | Levi Abrino | October 9, 2020 | |
Reuben's paintings start to materialize in real life. All of the paintbrush's creations are starting to backfire, and the paintbrush is still missing. How can they fix everything? | ||||||
16 17 | 3 4 | "Ghost Cab" | Mars Horodyski | Joanna Quraishi | October 9, 2020 | |
While looking for the characters believed to be released from The Cobalt Mask, a strange cabbie stalls his car across from the bookstore. Learning that Frank is actually a spy, the kids follow him to the end of his route. | ||||||
18 19 20 | 5 6 7 | "The Case Of The Missing Ghost" | Stephen Reynolds | Aminta Goyel | October 9, 2020 | |
Gender-flipped versions of Sherlock and Watson show up at the bookstore, and help narrow down the identity of Mason Briggs. Upset at learning Shirl Holmes is still alive, Watson decides to leave her on her own to solve the case. Holmes and Watson help narrow down the location of Mason Briggs's house as seen from the vision in "A Sparkly Ghost". | ||||||
21 22 23 | 8 9 10 | "Ghost Castaways" | TBA | TBA | May 7, 2021 | |
24 25 26 | 11 12 13 | "The Ghost Writer" | TBA | TBA | May 7, 2021 |
Production[]
Development[]
On September 10, 2019, it was announced that Apple had picked up the revival of the 1992 series Ghostwriter. The series was written and directed by Luke Matheny, and is executive produced by J.J. Johnson, Andrew Orenstein, and Christin Simms.[1]
Filming[]
Principal photography and videography of the series commenced in December 2018, and concluded during Summer 2019. Filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario.[4]
Bonus videos[]
On March 5, 2021, it was announced that a series of bonus videos called Ghostwriter: Beyond the Page, would premiere on April 1, 2021.[5]
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, season one of Ghostwriter has a 100% approval rating, with an average score of 9.5/10 based on 6 reviews.[6]
Accolades[]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Effects Costume. Make Up and Hairstyling | Kristin Somborac, Liz Roelands, Lynda McCormack | Nominated | [7] |
Outstanding Costume Design/Styling | Kristin Somborac | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Cinematography | George Lajtai | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Lighting Direction | George Lajtai | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Children's or Young Adult Program | Luke Matheny, Michael Mohan, Aprill Winney | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Live Action Program | Sean Karp, Noah Siegel, William Preventis, John Sievert | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design for a Live Action Program | J.J. Johnson, Matthew J.R. Bishop, Stephen Curran, Daryl Shail, Nial McFadyen | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Children's or Young Adult Program | Andrew Orenstein, Levi Abrino, Joanna Quraishi, Lauren Thompson, Mark Blutman | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Program | J.J. Johnson, Blair Powers, Christin Simms, Kay Wilson Stallings, Luke Matheny, Andrew Orenstein, Matthew J.R. Bishop, Carla de Jong, Melanie Grisanti, Jordan Geary, Aminta Goyel, Lauren Thompson, Sari Friedland and Mark Blutman | Won | |||
Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directing – Children's Programs | Luke Matheny (for "Ghost in Wonderland, Part 1”) | Nominated | [8] | |
Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Young Actor - Television | Isaac Arellanes | Nominated | [9] | |
Best Young Actor - Television | Justin Sanchez | Nominated | |||
Venice TV Awards | Best Children / Youth Series | Ghostwriter | Nominated | [10] | |
Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards | Children’s | Andrew Orenstein (for “Ghost in Wonderland, Part 1”) | Nominated | [11] | |
2021 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program | Ghostwriter | Nominated | [12] |
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Editing for a Drama or Daytime Fiction Program | Nominated |
References[]
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (September 10, 2019). "'Ghostwriter': Reboot Of 1990s Kids Series Set At Apple TV+". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "Ghostwriter - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. November 4, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ghostwriter - Episodes". Apple TV+ Press. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ "Ghostwriter: The Apple TV+ series that saved Hamilton bookseller". The Hamilton Spectator. Metroland Media Group Ltd. February 11, 2020. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ Meaghan Darwish (March 5, 2021). "Apple TV+ Spring Shows to Include 'It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown' and a 'Ghostwriter' Spinoff". TV Insider. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Ghostwriter (2019): Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Montgomery, Daniel (July 27, 2020). "2020 Daytime Emmy winners: Full list of nominees and winners in all categories". Gold Derby. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (January 6, 2020). "Directors Guild TV Awards Unveil Longform, Documentary, Variety, Reality, Kids 2020 Nominations". Variety. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Evans, Greg (August 5, 2020). "Imagen Awards For Latinx Representation Sets Nominees: 'One Day At A Time', 'I Carry You With Me' On Roster – Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "Winners and Nominees 2020". Venice TV Awards. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "WGC Screenwriting Awards 2020 finalists announced | TV, eh?".
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (May 25, 2021). "Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations Unveiled, Include Posthumous Noms For Alex Trebek, Larry King". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
External links[]
- Ghostwriter – official site
- Ghostwriter at IMDb
- 2010s American children's television series
- 2010s American mystery television series
- 2010s American school television series
- 2019 American television series debuts
- 2020s American children's television series
- 2020s American mystery television series
- 2020s American school television series
- American children's fantasy television series
- American children's mystery television series
- American children's education television series
- American time travel television series
- Apple TV+ original programming
- Reading and literacy television series
- Television series about children
- Television series about ghosts
- Television series by Sesame Workshop
- Television series reboots
- Television shows filmed in Hamilton, Ontario