In Darby and the Dead, Darby is not like her peers. She can see ghosts. While the rest of her classmates are running around being teenagers and enjoying life, Darby has spent her time helping spirits move on. It has given her a different perspective on life but isolated her from social experiences and made her observant of her classmates. But everything changes for Darby when the mean head cheerleader, Capri, dies in a tragic electrical accident. Now, Darby and Capri must work together to help Capri eventually move on. Their connection allows Darby to understand what is missing in her life.
The ability to speak to ghosts or help find a way for them to move on is not necessarily the most underused plot. Other television shows and movies have portrayed a similar theme with teenage characters or adults as they try to help ghosts deal with whatever keeps them attached to the living world and help them move on. Ghost Whisperer is a prime example of a series that portrays the heartbreak of ghosts trying to get their last message across, which would finally allow them to move on. Julie and the Phantoms uses music as a conduit to have Julie and her three new ghost friends bond and help each other through dealing with what has kept them in Limbo.
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6 Ghost Whisperer
CBS Television Distribution
Melinda Gordon’s ability to see the dead allows her to help others move on. Whether it be solving a mystery or delivering a final message to a still-living loved one, Melinda’s role allows for giving the dead closure and finally moving on to the afterlife. It is a more adult version of a similar story. Melinda and Darby have altered perspectives on life as they help ghosts with unfinished business.
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In both iterations, ghosts have unique capabilities that allow them to be noticed by the living due to their energy abilities, even if they can not be seen. The difference, however, is the emotional stakes and drama elements portrayed in Ghost Whisperer. While Darby and the Dead is mainly a coming-of-age comedy, Ghost Whisperer is a tear-jerking drama as each member of the dead finally gets closure with a living loved one.
5 Boo, Bitch
Netflix
Similarly to Darby and the Dead, the Netflix limited series aligns itself as a comedy. However, in this case, it is not a matter of helping multiple ghosts cross over. For the most part, Boo, Bitch presents itself as telling the story backward, with Erika believing herself to be dead yet still seen and heard by everyone until she moves on. As she tries to understand her unfinished business and finally move on to the afterlife, it is revealed that her best friend Gia is the one who was dead and a ghost only Erika and Gavin can see.
The true story had Gia wanting Erika to experience life. When Gia is finally noticed by her peers in death and appreciated by Erika, it counts as the moment Gia needs to move on. Darby and the Dead includes a send-off moment for Capri as well in the aftermath of her birthday party finally occurring.
4 Julie And The Phantoms
After her mother’s death, Julie finds it challenging to re-ignite her passion for music. It was something they shared, and something Julie could not do without her. At least, not until Luke, Alex, and Reggie appear in front of her. Luke, Alex, and Reggie had been in a band and had died years earlier. But, their mutual love for music connects them, especially when Julie agrees to join their band. Julie is the only one who can see the trio unless they are performing, in which case, they are visible to everyone. Part of the series surrounds the question of what it will take to allow Luke, Alex, and Reggie to move on. However, they also find common ground in Julie, as she has been stuck in her own form of Limbo, and they all help each other find a way to move forward.
3 Teen Spirit
LD Entertainment
When the popular girl, Amber, dies in a tragic accident, she is given a task. If she turns the least popular girl, Lisa, into the Prom Queen, she can move on to Heaven. Throughout Amber’s journey, she discovers a handful of upsetting realities, such as her closest friends not caring that much for her. Lisa is the only person who can see her, and their budding friendship becomes essential to them both as it allows Lisa to grow outside her comfort zone and Amber to move on from Limbo. Like Darby and the Dead, it is an unexpected friendship between the most popular and least popular girls.
2 Never Have I Ever
Netflix NBCUniversal Television Distribution
In the first season of Never Have I Ever, Devi’s grief for her father’s passing shares similarities with Darby continuing to mourn her mother. While they are each trying to move on with their lives, Devi and Darby continually realize they have not found closure and attach themselves to other activities to try and move on. In Never Have I Ever, Devi latches on to Paxton as a dream she can focus on working toward, and after his graduation ceremony, she thanks him for helping her get over her father’s death. In Darby and the Dead, forcibly being involved in the living social world allows Darby to see the world she had been missing. But, her growing connection to Capri even helps Darby finally get closure to her mother’s death when they are reunited, with Darby also getting to see her mother move on.
1 The Good Place
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
In this case, everyone is already dead, so connections to the living world are not entirely the biggest concern. However, The Good Place still emphasizes the sincere wish to improve and move on from their worst decisions and mistakes. It is a comedy with plenty of emotional depth as the central characters strive for human connection, which they never had, and a better sense of self than they ever knew. The final episodes see Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani working to reform others where they had done the work themselves.
