How Trevor’s Twist In Ghosts Season 4 Has Been Four Years Of Waiting Development Explained By Star

Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Ghosts season 4!

Trevor’s surprising storyline in Ghosts season 4 marks a major shift for the character, and according to Asher Grodman, it’s been years in the making. Based on the British series of the same name, the hit CBS comedy follows a young couple who inherit a haunted house, only to discover its spectral occupants come with distinct personalities and unfinished business. Trevor is a 1990s Wall Street party boy who became an audience favorite due to his comedic arrogance and surprising emotional depth, with Ghosts season 4 taking his story in a new direction as it’s revealed he has a daughter.

In a new interview with Collider, Grodman opens up about Trevor’s unexpected reveal, what it means for the character going forward, and why this personal journey could reshape his relationships with the other ghosts in the house. Grodman shared that the idea of Trevor having a child was floated as early as last spring by showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman. The actor explained that while the idea initially appeared to be a comedic one-off, it stuck with the creative team and became a real emotional thread for Trevor:

I knew that we were going to do it, or at least I suspected we were going to do it, in the spring of last year because, our showrunners, Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, invited us to come into the writers’ room if we had thoughts or ideas and to hear what they were thinking, which was so helpful and wonderful. So, they mentioned it to me at that point, just that they were playing with the idea of Trevor having a son or daughter, and I was thrilled.

I remember thinking early on when we did Episode 5, which is the Pete’s Wife episode, when Trevor believes for a hot second that he is a father — the whole DILF episode — I remember when we shot that, thinking, “Oh, well, I guess we’re not going to touch this again for a while,” because it was just a joke, and I just figured we’d let it breathe. But I guess it’s been a while. It’s been four years, so I’m excited.

There’s something fun about it, because who Trevor is is at once completely antithetical to being a parent, but at the same time, he has this, just with the partying and the misogyny and all that kind of stuff, living life for the experience and the joy and the thrills of all that life can offer you, but at the same, and it’s really, I think, one of the core elements of him, he wants everyone to be together and wants his loyalty to his friends and his found family. There is something very social about Trevor that I think does lend itself to being a parent. I’m not a parent, but I would imagine. It’s funny because it kind of sits in Trevor, juxtaposed against parts of him that are really aligned with this and parts of him that are antithetical.

When asked if Trevor would be able to relate to other ghosts like Hetty, Thor, and Pete, who, like his character, had children but never got the chance to fully raise them, Grodman said that he believes “that’ll come down the pipeline”. He noted that while parenthood is a major theme in Ghosts, it’s often approached in a humorously immature way that fits the show’s tone. Check out the rest of what Grodman said below:

Yes, I would imagine that we’re going to play with that and that’ll come down the pipeline. Pete and Hetty did have time. Pete was probably a better father than Hetty was a mother, I would imagine, but maybe not. I don’t know. One of the fun things about the show, of course, is that, at its core, it’s both a show about death and a show about children, because we’re all basically locked in this house. Mom has locked us in the house, and it’s like kids in their rooms. So, processing big things like being a parent, and stuff like that, it also comes with the maturity level of a kid who is left to their own. So, I am sure we will deal with issues of parenthood in the most immature ways possible.

What This Means For Trevor’s Relationships In Ghosts’ Future

Parenthood Could Change Trevor’s Relationships With The Others

Trevor becoming a father opens the door for deeper emotional developments and more layered interactions with the other ghosts in the show. While he’s always leaned into being a fun-loving partyer, this could lead to a more vulnerable side, as Hetty, Pete, and Thor would now be able to find common ground with Trevor that wasn’t possible before. It’s a new lens through which the show can explore how Trevor processes his past and understands what he missed out on, while the other ghosts help him through it, since none of them got closure with their children either.

Grodman’s comment about the “immature” ways the ghosts handle deep issues speaks to arrested development, one of the show’s core themes. While they’re adults in spirit, they’re stuck in one place physically and emotionally. This parental twist could lead to more heartfelt and comedic moments as Trevor tries to figure out what being a father means in the afterlife. Whether it leads to stronger relationships with his fellow ghosts or challenges that push him to mature in his own ghostly way, this storyline promises exciting growth for Trevor that can continue to be explored in Ghosts season 5.

Our Take On Trevor’s Big Ghosts Season 4 Reveal

A Touching Reveal That Adds Depth To The Party Ghost

Trevor becoming a father is the kind of twist Ghosts excels at, as it was surprising, emotionally resonant, and full of storytelling potential. It re-frames much of his past behavior and adds depth to a character who could’ve easily remained as comic relief. Grodman’s enthusiasm for this new plot line shows that this is an emotional turning point for Trevor, and potentially for the whole ensemble. As Trevor comes to terms with his newfound identity, viewers will likely get to see more of his emotional range, and maybe even confront regrets or longings he didn’t know he had.

New episodes of Ghosts air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET and stream the next day on Paramount+.

Source: Collider

Ghosts (US)

8/10

Release Date

October 7, 2021

Directors

Christine Gernon, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Katie Locke O’Brien, Nick Wong, Jude Weng, Pete Chatmon, Richie Keen, Alex Hardcastle, Kimmy Gatewood, Matthew A. Cherry, Cortney Carrillo

Writers

Emily Schmidt, John Timothy, Lauren Bridges, Sophia Lear, Guy Endore-Kaiser, Rishi Chitkara, Julia Harter, Skander Halim, Zora Bikangaga

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  Rose McIver

  Samantha Arondekar

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  Utkarsh Ambudkar

  Jay Arondekar