“Ghosts” star Rebecca Wisocky on her character’s plot twist and the show’s success

Rebecca Wisocky, star of the hit CBS comedy “Ghosts,” recently discussed her character’s surprising heritage revelation and the show’s continued success after being renewed for two more seasons.

Wisocky, who plays the ghost of Victorian-era lady Hetty Woodstone, appeared on “CBS Mornings” to talk about a recent episode where her character discovered her Irish heritage — a particularly meaningful revelation since Hetty previously expressed disdain for people who have Irish heritage.

“This kind of character is best when she gets her comeuppance, when she’s proven wrong,” Wisocky said. “She does a Woodstone 180 on this one. That was her horror, to discover that she was Irish. And of course now she’s embraced and become a hibernophile.”

In a surprising twist, Wisocky had actually predicted the development of this story during a previous appearance on the “CBS Mornings.” When shown a clip of her earlier prediction that “Hetty should turn out to be an Irish woman,” Wisocky confirmed she didn’t know it was actually coming. 

“I absolutely didn’t,” she said, praising the writers for creating meaningful conflict for the characters.

When asked about her distinctive vocal performance as Hetty, Wisocky explained, “I approach work in a musical way. The way her voice is written and the cadence and the way she changes her mind in the middle of a sentence, it seemed obvious that she would have this voice that would go all these different places.”

During the interview, Wisocky wore a meaningful shamrock brooch, explaining it was the first gift her father gave to his mother about 70 years ago. 

“I think this is the first time I’ve worn it,” she said.

“Ghosts” has become a rare success story in television, with CBS and Paramount+ recently renewing it for two additional seasons. Wisocky said she is grateful for the support from both the network and fans.

“It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but you can have interesting, sensitive conversations about deeper themes on the show, so we’re real proud of that,” Wisocky said.

“Ghosts” airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS.