It’s a hilarious episode peppered with lovely emotional beats and a big win for Sam and Jay.
you’ve got the option to read our full conversation below.
COLLIDER:You are no stranger to television.
Image by Nimesh Niyomal Perera
With five seasons ofiZombieand four seasons of Ghosts under your belt.
So what made you decide that this was the year to jump behind the camera forGhosts?
MCIVER: Well, it wasn’t actually a decision that was made this year.
Image via Bertand Calmeau/CBS
I’ve been wanting to direct for about ten years.
So it’s really just been a journey to get there.
And it’s a competitive position to be aspiring to step into.
Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
I feel like the stars aligned at the right moment for it.
It was funny to do it the year that I’m also a new mother.
So, it’s a little more daunting just from a schedule perspective for that reason.
Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
It kind of was like poetic justice that it would come about [now].
So it kind of asked my skill set to align for two very different but compatible reasons.
MCIVER:Yeah, exactly!
Image via CBS
Exactly, it really does.
He’s also a friend.
Whether it’s saying to them, Can we take the air out of this one?
Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
or, Can we tighten this up?
or Let’s just barrel through.
And yeah, he was very helpful in that regard.
Image via The CW
Some people like a very hands-on, the boss approach.
Some people like [it] sparse and direct.
I mean, it’s good advice all around, I think, just working on listening and observing.
You mentioned taking the air out, and I think you did that beautifully in this episode.
The whole cast is just bouncing off each other.
So I think that was a really nice experience.
And, watching everybody kind of really dialed in together and supporting the storytelling as a whole.
I think you did an excellent job with that.
You are aware of what everybody else is contributing, but you’re only tuning your own horn.
You become more familiar with it.
It’s a little bit like jumping in the deep end when you first throw yourself in there.
You know the cast so well.
So it can be a lot of surprises on the day and ironing things out.
And everybody’s so creative.
I found that just remarkable and a nice showcase of all of the creativity and ability across various departments.
We were able to kind of figure through some easy fixes and make a couple of plan changes.
I love how much the whole cast and everyone from the top down onGhostsis such a family.
MCIVER: Absolutely, thank you for saying that.
That’s incredibly meaningful because this crew up here is truly remarkable.
And in my directorial position, I’ve got to shout out Michel [St-Martin], my DP.
He is astonishingly good and kind.
He and our first AD, Matt [Jemus] they are deeply creative people.
And I got very lucky with him on my episode, and on this show.
She showed up skiing.
She skied to work yesterday.
I mean, Montrealers are built tough.
And then you see people skiing to work, and you’re like, Okay, yeah.
Theyre cool, they have a great sense of humor, the crew here.
That makes me so happy.
You mentioned the production design of the ’80s set at the travel agency.
Do you have a favorite detail about that set?
It was in a strip mall in Quebec, there’s this functioning travel agency.
And we used a couple of elements.
But yeah, those were cool, all the multiple clocks with the sand.
And the checkbooks, and all of it.
MCIVER: That’s so kind of you.
I mean, so much of it is having actors that really understand the material, too.
And who are willing to even though they know how the episode ends really commit in the lead-up.
And I really love the Power Fiends storyline.
I think they’ve got such a great dynamic on screen.
So, I knew that that would be strong.
It’s the flashbacks, the sequence where [theyre] talking on the bed.
Everyone did such a good job in that storyline.
MCIVER: Oh, cool!
I’m so glad that that resonated with you.
That’s nice to hear.
Four years in, you’re very used to working with this ensemble.
And it was just, as I say, a relief.
It’s so appreciated that everybody was so focused because maintaining focus on a comedy set is hard.
We have such a good time.
It’s where some of the magic comes from.
It’s where the genuine rapport between people and the chemistry comes from.
I tried to have quite a few moments of people looming.
It’s a mafia episode, its Ghostfellas.
And then we have it again in the final sequence, which I really enjoyed playing that with Sheila.
It was such an unlikely character to have Flower looming and intimidating Hetty and Trevor at the end.
This isnt a film.
And yeah, that was that was really rewarding.
MCIVER: Yes, I would love to.
I am very, very, very keen to.
Again, its what I had been wanting to do for ten years.
[Im] grateful for any opportunities.
I would love to pursue it in our show and also on other shows.
That’s some kind of groundwork that I’m starting to plant now.
So from your lips to God’s ears.
That’s awesome.Did you give any of your co-stars the directing bug while you were?
I actually spoke to somebody about this, but nobody’s had the instinct to ask.
It’s a real feat.
And it’s awesome to be able to connect with those people.
I think it makes actors better.
And I think the same for the post-production process.
I think that it’s a valuable thing for people to do.
We certainly got several of our cast now have been shadowing and expressed interest in that.
I love seeing the show through the eyes of someone who’s on the show.
I just think that’s such a unique perspective.
MCIVER: Oh, that’s so cool.
You’re such a great interviewer.
Which Other Ghosts' Lives Might Sam Want To Turn Into Novels?
“I think there’s a huge audience.”
One of the things I love about this show is how good Sam and Jays marriage is.
In this episode, I feel like they’re such a good team.
So I was wondering if you could tease anything about their relationship in the rest of the season?
MCIVER: Yeah, I agree, I think they have just a most remarkable marriage.
And, you know, he is so patient and so endlessly supportive and loyal.
She’s a chronic people-pleaser and the cost that that has on a marriage is no joke.
And that what she is good at, he is not, and vice versa.
I think that after four years you start to mine more and more of that.
It’s like in a relationship after four years you want to discover new elements to that person.
But it’s a good question.
We’ve seen Sam grow a lot this season, with little glimpses into her backstory.
She just seems so much more confident.
I think it’s one of the first times we’ve seen Sam do something for herself.
I really enjoy those moments.
And yeah, I really enjoyed the Anything Goes [number].
I’m curious how that might be unpacked in any future seasons, too.
MCIVER: I think Rebecca.
There would definitely be some good women’s fiction that she could write about Hetty.
Yeah, historical kind of romantic fiction.
Speaking of Sam and Hetty, that’s another of my favorite relationships on the show.
I mean, Sam needs help.
She can’t spare too much more of her time or energy on them.
Hetty certainly has leadership qualities and strong ideas about how things should work.
Ghostshas such a lovely Rolodex of guest stars.
I keep imagining Catherine O’Hara as a Gilded Age Farnsby.
McIVER: Oh, that’s brilliant!
You should work in casting.
That’s so good.
She’d be brilliant in that.
Now that you say that, she’s definitely a choice.
I guess the one thats been top of mind for me is bringing any of myiZombiecast to visit.
They would be fantastic to have in the show.
I know that they’re comedic weapons.
So hopefully something comes of it.
Can you tease anything about their episodes that we can look forward to?
MCIVER: Matt Walsh never brings an easy I mean.
Matt Walsh brings the easiest [energy], right?
He’s so wonderful to work with.
But, Elias does not bode well for the house in general, as we’ve come to realize.
So him returning is not he’s not the ideal guest at the B&B.
And, then yeah, we have Odessa back, who brings such a fresh teenage energy.
She’s so funny.
We love having her.
So, that’s pretty cool.
Lastly, I know you guys are wrapping, like this week, I think?
So we get a lot of familiar faces.
Ghostsairs weekly on CBS every Thursday at 8:30 PM ET.
Stream previous episodes on Paramount+ and stay tuned at Collider for more.
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