Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Ghostwriter’ On Apple TV+, Where A Group Of Kids Get Messages From Beyond Through Famous Books

In 1992, Sesame Workshop (then the Children’s Television Workshop), along with PBS and the BBC, produced a show called Ghostwriter, that taught reading and writing to kids and had a very diverse cast, especially for the time. It was a pretty big hit, but was cancelled in 1995 because the money ran out. Now, Sesame is back with a new, revamped version of Ghostwriters, and they’ve connected with Apple, who certainly has the money to keep the show going for awhile, if it’s a hit. Read on for more…

GHOSTWRITER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: An overhead shot of a big city, then we see a new and used book store. A beacon of light makes its way into the store and travels along the dusty shelves looking for a book in which to insert itself. Then the light goes out.

The Gist: Ruben Reyna (Isaac Arellanes) is new in town and new to his school. He’s been eating lunch by his locker, but when Principal Fong (Pay Chen) tells him to go to the cafeteria, all heck breaks loose when he gets up. Somehow his skateboard slips, it knocks over the thermos of soup he has, and it causes the middle school’s star basketball player, Curtis Palmer-Moreno (Justin Sanchez) slips and hurts his arm.

Ruben and his mother Amy (Niccola Correia-Damude) have moved back in with Ruben’s grandfather Ernesto (Jay Santiago) to help him run the bookstore since Ruben’s grandmother died. Ruben hates the city; “It’s so loud, I can’t even sleep,” he tells an old buddy over Skype. Not to mention the fact that when he does go down to the creepy store, he has to deal with Chevon Redmond (Amadi Chapata); she lives next door, is a super-overachiever and is as close to Ruben’s grandfather as he is.

Curtis and his little sister Donna (Hannah Levinson) go into the story when the door blows open as they pass. Some mysteriously moving furniture and other moving items gets the four of them in the same room, then in a puddle of spilled orange juice, the word “HELLO” appears. The four of them dismiss what’s happening until the next day at lunch, when they see the words “COME TOGETHER” on a chalkboard in the cafeteria… and they’re the only ones who see it. What then really cements it is when the four of them spot The White Rabbit (Neil Patrick Harris) from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland wandering around.

When Grandpa tells them the phrase “Begin at the Beginning,” which is scrawled in Ruben’s locker, is from that book, Ruben concludes that someone, somewhere is trying to connect with them via Alice. They go to the bookstore, pull down the book and notice all the pages are blank. So the characters from that book are wandering around and only they can see it. How do they get them back in the book?

Our Take: One of two Sesame Workshop-produced shows that debuted on Apple TV+ on its launch date, Ghostwriter is a show that’s much more clever than it needs to be, and that made it a surprising find. Sinking Ship Entertainment produces the show, and it not only gives kids a good introduction to classic and modern books but does so in a way that doesn’t insult their or their parents’ intelligence.

Right off the bat, we know a little bit about the main four characters, and a lot of that exposition is revealed in the “show, don’t tell” way that always makes for a better first episode. Ruben feels out of place, and isn’t quite sure why his grandfather doesn’t want to change the outdated store or even put in new furniture. Chevon grew close to Ruben’s grandparents because she didn’t have any of her own. Donna is always straining to be heard and get out of her older brother’s shadow. And Curtis is smarter than he gives himself credit for. That’s more character development than we saw in the first episodes of the Apple TV+ shows geared to grownups.

But the show’s dialogue is also smart, acknowledging that the kids are intelligent 21st century 12-year-olds that know a lot about the world around them, but the four stars never play their characters as overly precocious. We were surprised at the practical visual effects during the show, like when the kids follow the White Rabbit to the auditorium, where they see the Mad Hatter (Josh Cruddas) at a table full of baked goods, but the CGIed rabbit was also impressive. NPH’s performance as the rabbit adds weight to the first episode, as he strikes a good balance by playing the rabbit as neurotic but not over the top

Finally, the format of the show seems to lend itself well to kids watching; an overall arc about who the ghostwriter really is will carry the season, but the mini arcs involving different books will give kids at least some closure along the way.

What Age Group Is This For?: We’re inclined to say that this is for the 8-and-up crowd, given the arc structure and the fact that there’s some mildly scary stuff. The caveat is that if your younger kid is a big reader, he or she may love this show.

Parting Shot: The gang sees the Mad Hatter — though they have no idea who he is — and he goes, “This. Is. A. Surprise!” Ruben replies, “You’re telling me!”

Sleeper Star: Hannah Levinson steals a lot of scenes as Donna, like when she starts scratching the White Rabbit because she thinks he’s so cute, and he just gives into it.

Most Pilot-y Line: Only on TV would a money-losing, dusty bookstore in a big city remain open. But then again, maybe Grandpa owns the building.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Ghostwriter is a great example of why Sesame Workshop is one of the best creators of kids’ programming out there. They keep shows smart, with clever dialogue and complex writing.

Your Call:

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, FastCompany.com, RollingStone.com, Billboard and elsewhere.

Stream Ghostwriter On Apple TV+