Although CBS’s Ghosts is deservedly loved by critics and viewers alike, the hit sitcom’s success may have contributed to another rival show’s swift demise. It is always tough when two competing TV shows or movies stumble on the same central conceit. In 2015, both Scream Queens and MTV’s Scream took a stab at reigniting the self-aware teen slasher craze of the ‘90s. A few years earlier, 2 Broke Girls and Don’t Trust The ***** In Apartment 23 told the stories of young New York heroines who struggled to make ends meet with the help of a cynical, sardonic friend.

In some cases, both dueling shows can succeed alongside each other despite their similarities. However, when CBS adapted the 2019 BBC sitcom Ghosts for an American audience in 2021, the show’s creators may have inadvertently doomed another series. Borrowing its premise from the British series of the same name, CBS’s Ghosts centers on a young couple, Sam and Jay, who inherit a lavish period property. When Sam suffers a near-death experience, she gains the ability to communicate with the property’s plentiful population of ghosts. The ghosts of Ghosts provide most of the hit sitcom’s biggest laughs.

Ghosts And Shining Vale Had Similar Premises

Both Sitcoms Centered On Women Who Spoke To Ghosts

However, a series that debuted less than a year later ended up exploring a jarringly similar premise. CBS’s Ghosts debuted on October 7, 2021, while the Starz series Shining Vale arrived on March 6, 2022. Both Ghosts and Shining Vale starred heroines who spoke to ghosts, but their peculiar similarities didn’t end there. Ghosts and Shining Vale both followed married women who moved to new houses and encountered ghosts there, only for their communication with these ghosts to fundamentally alter their lives. Shining Vale’s sense of humor was darker, but the central conceit remained unmistakably similar to that of Ghosts.

In Shining Vale, Courtney Cox’s author Pat Phelps is caught cheating on her husband, Greg Kinnear’s beleaguered Terry, and this prompts a move to save their family. The discontented recovering alcoholic Pat soon finds herself possessed by the spirit of Rosemary, a sharp-witted homemaker who died in the house years earlier. Although Ghosts changed a lot of details from its British inspiration, one thing that stayed the same was Sam and Jay’s home playing host to numerous specters. Similarly, Rosemary is not the only ghost that Pet encounters in Shining Vale’s two seasons, although she is the most prominent.

Ghosts Was More Popular With Audiences Than Shining Vale

2021’s Hit Sitcom Beat Shining Vale Among Viewers

Since Cox’s character is a frustrated author in a failing marriage who resents her children, Shining Vale arguably has as much in common with The Shining as Ghosts. However, it is important to note that Shining Vale is a comedy, albeit a darker one than CBS’s largely family-friendly sitcom. Both CBS’s Ghosts and Shining Vale mine dark laughs from the unfortunate circumstances of their ghost’s deaths, but Shining Vale takes the plight of its heroine more seriously. Sam and Jay are surprisingly open to Sam’s newfound paranormal powers, whereas Pat struggles with her and Rosemary’s shared ability to communicate.

As a result, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that Ghosts is a bigger hit than Shining Vale. However, it is undeniably striking to see just how much the CBS sitcom outperformed its competitor. Ghosts season 1’s best ratings saw the series gain 6.68 million viewers, whereas Shining Vale’s season 1 peak was a mere 0.228 million. 6.2 million viewers tuned in to see Flower’s return in Ghosts season 3 whereas a mere 0.112 million watched Shining Vale season 2’s highest-rated episode. Considering the involvement of Friends alumnus Cox, these numbers were notably low.

Ghosts’ Source Material Justified Its Critical Success

Ghosts Proved As Popular As Its British Predecessor

While Shining Vale did manage to earn a thoroughly respectable 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this can’t compare to the staggering 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating that CBS’s Ghosts boasts. Critics love Ghosts just like viewers, and this wasn’t a major shock since the show benefited from the UK version of the series testing out its premise for years. In contrast, Shining Vale’s main criticism was its uneven tone. Shining Vale tried to provide a witty feminist spin on The Shining, but this ambitious goal was thwarted by an inability to balance its imperfect combination of scares, social commentary, and broad comedy.

In contrast, CBS’s Ghosts didn’t complicate its appeal by trying to play its horror elements straight. Admittedly, Ghosts’ annoying season finale cliffhanger endings are tense, but even the most sensitive viewers would find it hard to argue that the series is authentically scary. Ghosts is more invested in parodying horror tropes than playing them straight, whereas Shining Vale has an uneasy relationship with the scarier side of the horror-comedy divide. At times, Shining Vale’s horror elements were handled relatively seriously, while at other times, they were a joke. The series lacked the tonal cohesion of its competitor.

Why Shining Vale Was Canceled But Ghosts Was Renewed

Shining Vale Never Won Over Viewers Despite Its Acclaim

While Shining Vale fared relatively well with reviewers, the show was never singled out as a must-watch. In contrast, Ghosts quickly built a sizable audience. This is a must in the age of streaming services when there are more options than ever for viewers and entertainment has to work harder to garner attention and buzz. Shining Vale’s main failure was its inability to balance comedy and horror, while Ghosts borrowed one of the original UK show’s best tricks when the series dropped any horror elements early on. Ghosts had a confident sense of tone compared to Shining Vale‘s unclear style.

It is also worth noting that, when divorced from the context of Ghosts’ success, Shining Vale didn’t fare too badly. 2017’s Ghosted, another paranormal sitcom, lasted only one season compared to Shining Vale’s two outings. Although Shining Vale season 3 won’t happen, the show did garner impressive reviewers and remains fondly remembered among its limited audience judging by its online presence. While Shining Vale might have fared better if the series didn’t arrive so soon after the superficially similar Ghosts, it is still fair to say that both shows succeeded on their own merits despite their differences.