Ghosts is almost back for Season 5, and Jay’s (Utkarsh Ambudkar) deal with demon Elias (Matt Walsh) makes his future uncertain. After Jay accidentally signed his soul away to the devil, Elias revealed his plan to help Jay achieve critical success with his restaurant, in exchange for claiming his life.
In other words, a predicament any living person wouldn’t want to be in, let alone Jay, who has learned a lot about the afterlife through his wife, Sam (Rose McIver), who can see and communicate with the spirits dwelling in their inherited estate, Woodstone. As teased in Season 5’s premiere logline, Sam, Jay, and the ghosts will attempt to help extricate Jay from the deal with Elias, but how will it go?
“I think the ghosts are happy as hell because they’ve got some drama,” Ambudkar tells TV Insider, adding, “Jay is terrified.” As the star points out, “There’s a ticking clock on his soul before it gets sent to hell, where he will be for all eternity, and I think he’s full of fear. He’s desperately seeking ways to preserve his time in any way he can.”
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That entails being extra cautious when moving about Woodstone and keeping close tabs on whether Elias is sneaking around any corners. “He is desperate,” Ambudkar adds.
While we don’t know how things will work out for Jay quite yet, we do know Ambudkar will step up to the directing plate later this season, which he’s excited to approach. “I’m looking forward to getting a script,” Ambudkar says, “I’ve got to see how much Jay plays in the story, cause that’s gonna be something where I just will have to learn my lines before the morning of, and try and deliver the show that you guys know and love.”
The pressure’s on as Ambudkar points out, “It’s a very specific style, Ghosts. The way we use shots, and which characters are featured when, and how emotional beats play pace-wise… and to cut together what we put on a script into 22 minutes of network television is a real challenge, and I’m excited to have an opportunity to give the Joes something that I hope they love,” he says in admiration of showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman.
“It is an added pressure, which I’m looking forward to, and it’s something I’ve sort of been interested in for a couple of seasons now,” Ambudkar reveals. According to the star, he’s been interested in taking on the job for a while, “as a way to expand my knowledge of the business.”
The actor’s onscreen wife, McIver, memorably directed an episode in Season 4, and we asked if he’s sought out any advice. “I’ve talked to Rose,” Ambudkar says, “and quite frankly, I think everyone works in different ways, and Rose and I… what makes Sam and Jay so great on camera is that Rose and I approach work very differently,” Ambudkar points out. “I was given so much confidence knowing that she did what she does well, and she took that same confidence and approached directing with it.”
Only time will tell what episode Ambudkar will helm, as he’s still waiting on the script, but he surely has plenty of support on the way there. Stay tuned for more on Jay’s arc in Season 5 as well as Ambudkar’s directing as we approach the latest chapter of CBS‘s hit comedy.
Ghosts, Season 5 Premiere, Thursday, October 16, 8:30/7:30c, CBS