Ghost Writer Season 2 Review: A Continuation of This Wonderfully Diverse And Educational Show

Release date: October 9, 2020
Running time: 25 minute episodes (6 total)
Starring: Isaac Arellanes, Amadi Chapata, Hannah Levinson, Justin Sanchez

A reimagining of the 1992 hit series from Sesame Workshop, the modern-day “Ghostwriter” maintains a city-based, multicultural cast, inviting children ages 6-11 to see themselves on screen as they learn to appreciate a range of new and classic literature. In its second season, the series’ young heroes work to save their bookstore and discover the true identity of the Ghostwriter while introducing audiences to fresh tales like “Malia and the Magic Paintbrush” and “The Cobalt Mask,” and familiar literary characters including Dr. Watson of “Sherlock Holmes” fame.

I was a huge fan of the original PBS Ghostwriter series and was excited when the new reimagining was announced.  The original Ghostwriter was way ahead of its time when it came out, with a diverse cast dealing with issues such as racial identity and even to some degree racial profiling.  And it taught valuable lessons about problem solving and literacy.  So I was cautiously optimistic when the new series was announced, but thankfully the show retains much of what made the original show so magical while updating it for a modern time.  The show has a fantastic, diverse cast of characters.  Despite the smaller number of mystery solvers, the cast is still widely diverse in race, gender, interests, and experiences.  It should help a lot of kids find someone that they can relate to and also open them up to new interests and ideas.  And the show kept the focus on books and literacy, while still allowing for some interesting special effects to keep kids interested.

In the second season, the Ghostwriter powers become more interesting as the characters that come alive from the stories can now be seen by anyone and not just the four friends.  It makes the group of mystery solvers deal with some new scenarios while trying to maintain the Ghostwriter secret.  And the film continues to deal with issues that might be relevant to kids, such as hard work vs. quick gains and dealing with family and living situations.  But Ghostwriter does this in a way that is interesting and entertaining to kids.  It doesn't dwell so much on the lessons, but rather lets those lessons come through in the story.  Just like the original, it is not a teaching show so much as a show that can teach kids (and adults) important values and morals.  The series provides a great avenue to be entertained while also giving a way to talk to your kids about some important issues.  

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.

Watch it.

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Ghostwriter Season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ starting October 9.