'Ghosts' Star Richie Moriarty Reflects on the 'Magical' Charm of 'Pete's Wife' Episode (Exclusive)

Since its premiere last fall with fervent acclaim from both critics and fans tuning in each week, CBS's Ghosts has become more than just a breakout hit among audiences. The single-camera comedy boasting sharp writing and a brilliant ensemble cast has averaged more than 8.4 million viewers in its debut season, making it the most-watched freshman comedy of 2021-2022. With the show also being a serious contender for this year's Emmys race in a multitude of categories for writing, performing and directing across comedy, the Joe Port and Joe Wiseman-created sitcom is one series star Richie Moriarty tells PopCulture.com exclusively finds a perfect balance between comedy and warmhearted sentiment thanks to its writing.

"That is a very tricky balance to strike and I think it can come off as mawkish or just overly sentimental if not handled correctly," Moriarty tells PopCulture. "But they really do a masterful job. I mean, in that 'Pete's Wife' episode, I cry too when I watch it and I obviously know exactly what's going to happen. But it brings me to tears and also there's a moment later, Devin's character, Thorfinn, has this moment of Ragnarok. He hears the word Ragnarok and loses his mind, and it always cracks me up."

Moriarty adds to go from an "emotional high to a comedy high so quickly" in writing can be quite difficult, but credits the Ghosts writers — including Port, Wiseman, Josh Malmuth, John Blickstead, Trey Kollmer, Talia Bernstein, Kira Kalush, Emily Schmidt, Lauren Bridges, Rishi Chitkara, John Timothy, Julia Harter and Ian Murphy — for handling the sentiment "incredibly well" in every episode. "It's been really cool to see come together. They've done an awesome job," he said.

While reflecting on the sixth episode of the CBS sitcom's first season, "Pete's Wife," which has also grown into a fan favorite, Moriarty credits the "three-dimensional" layers of his character Pete Martino, the affable Pinecone Trooper leader for being one that really grounds his relation to audiences. "Pete is unique amongst the ghosts, in that he has a living family still. I'm sure Asher [Grodman]'s character, Trevor, also has some living relatives, but we haven't dipped into that too much," he said. "I think just to see so many people consider what happens to my family when they're gone, and I think providing this opportunity to have someone who has passed witness their family moving forward and generationally moving forward, and seeing somebody who's passed get to meet their grandkids."

Moriarty adds that kind of resonance with audiences is one of the most "universal" things that makes the episode stand out. "We've all lost loved ones. We all hope that someone is there watching us and experiencing our life even after they pass. So I think that's what really makes that episode so magical," he said, further crediting director Trent O'Donnell and writer Kira Kalush. "The writing was there, the direction was on point, especially with that moment when he meets his grandson. I mean, the way he manipulates the camera and pushes in on Pete and the music that they added, they did such a masterful job with it and I feel so proud of that episode for so many reasons. But I'm so glad the fans have enjoyed it as well because it was really so fun to do and then so fun to watch and see it all put together at the end."

For more on Ghosts and all things Richie Moriarty, stay tuned to the very latest about the show, news about the cast and everything in between only on PopCulture. In the meantime, relive the first season of Ghosts on Paramount+ and get an exclusive streaming offer here.