Sophia Michaels
In the upcoming Paramount+ show “School Spirits,” protagonist Maddie (Peyton List) wakes up one day to find that she is a ghost, trapped in her high school forever. Ghosts are everywhere in the show, and they can see everything, but they can’t leave the place where they died. List herself doesn’t believe in ghosts, believing that the mind can create a reality. Her costar Sarah Yarkin is also a nonbeliever, despite having the “most insane stories” about the supernatural. Nick Pugliese, who introduces Maddie to the spirit world, is open to the idea that ghosts may exist. Kristian Flores, who plays Maddie’s living friend Simon, has never seen a ghost but believes they may be real. Kiara Pichardo, who plays Maddie’s friend Nicole, has lived in a haunted apartment and believes in ghosts. Spencer MacPherson, who plays Maddie’s boyfriend Xavier, has had strange experiences that he can’t explain away. Rainbow Wedell, who plays Claire, also believes in ghosts.
The show isn’t really about ghosts, but rather about what it means to take the steps to try and find your way back to feeling alive. The writers drew from their own experiences with their father’s alcoholism to craft the story, and the idea for “School Spirits” arose from the feeling of being “dead inside.”
