‘Ghost Hunters’ Grant Wilson and Kristen Luman Detail What Makes A&E Reboot Stand out From Original (Exclusive)

It’s been nearly three years since Ghost Hunters wrapped up its final season, leaving an almost ghostly void among fans itching for a show as cutting-edge and eerie within the realm of paranormal phenomena as the one helmed by the original T.A.P.S. crew. As luck would have it now with the revival renaissance in full force, fans got their wish thanks to A&E rebooting the series after 11 seasons and returning with one of the original team leaders, Grant Wilson.

In an exclusive with PopCulture.com ahead of the series premiere, Wilson and his co-lead investigator, Kristen Luman reveal it’s all about the audience when it comes to how the series differs from its first incarnation and other paranormal shows.

“We recognize the fact that our audience has gotten smarter,” Wilson told PopCulture.com. “They’re kind of ready to move on from is it there or not. They’re ready to take the next step and so, this rendition of it is much more personal, much more humanity in it.”

Wilson adds that while fans will still get a chance to see “interesting buildings and interesting clients,” they’ll still be able to feel immersed in the experience.

“But we’re not satisfied with just a, ‘Oh hey look, we caught a shadow!’ Like, it’s ‘Hey, we caught this shadow and we think it’s this person with a story.’ Honestly, I think the audience deserves that and I think the entities deserve that.”

Wilson discloses that with the A&E reboot, fans are also going to see some new, shiny tech.

“We’re not using any kind of like, homemade tech. We’re using stuff that has a warranty,” he laughed. “Great, amazing stuff, 3D audio and then we have more stuff in the works. So, better tech, new team and just a lot more heart.”

Ghost Hunters co-lead investigator, hypnotherapist and paranormal researcher, Luman adds that it’s all “pretty awesome” that Wilson picked each one of the team members based on their skill set in their day jobs.

“With Daryl [Marston], the contractor working in the home [and] understanding how homes are built and the noises that homes make; also with myself being a therapist with the mind manifest, talking to the paranormal witness,” Luman listed to PopCulture.com.” Mustafa [Gatollari] being the researcher — amazing researcher where he just gets so excited about it, that he finds history no one’s even got to look for. Brandon [Alvis], whom we call the ‘alien’ because he’s so good at tech, it just blows our mind.”

Luman adds team members, Brian Murray and Richel Stratton also play a big role as part of the Ghost Hunters “adventure team.”

“They’re our investigators that will get in there because Brian works building and construction, and so he gets in there with Richel and they’re all about finding those nooks and crannies to get into, no matter how many cobwebs.”

Luman goes on to applaud how “amazing” it is that each has their own specialty to the investigation, which helps to uncover exactly what the team is set out to unearth.

“It makes this able to answer all sorts of questions,” she said. “We really are getting down to the answer of this and I think it’s really amazing and how great for viewers because I’m sure everyone’s asking that in their head, and we actually answer those questions.”

With the show being greenlighted for 20 episodes this season, fans of Ghost Hunters can watch the team debunk or confirm paranormal phenomena Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on A&E.

Photo credit: Justin Bettman / A&E