# School Spirits (2023)

> A teen stuck in the afterlife investigates her own disappearance while navigating high school purgatory.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/130374

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: drama, mystery, fantasy
- Created by: Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud
- Network: Paramount+
- Cast: Peyton List, Milo Manheim, Kristian Ventura, Spencer MacPherson, Kiara Pichardo, Sarah Yarkin, Nick Pugliese, Rainbow Wedell
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21057450/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: reflective, sentimental, melancholic, mysterious, warm

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the supernatural teen mystery premise and its sincere take on grief and identity, while season ratings hover around the middle.

## Synopsis

School Spirits (2023-present) is an American teen supernatural mystery drama created by Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud for Paramount+, based on a graphic novel. Maddie, a teen stuck in the afterlife, is the protagonist, played by Peyton List, and she tracks the circumstances of her own disappearance while adjusting to the strange social hierarchy of high school purgatory. Milo Manheim plays Wally Clark, Kristian Ventura plays Simon Elroy, and Kiara Pichardo plays Nicole Herrera, a circle of classmates whose lives entangle with her search. The engine of the show is simple and affecting: each episode pushes Maddie one step closer to the truth, and each step uncovers another secret or lie, so the investigation keeps widening as the stakes grow. The series runs three seasons of eight episodes each, told as one continuing serialized mystery rather than standalone cases. Its setting is a modern American school where the living and the dead share hallways, giving the show a teen-drama texture of crushes, friendships and loyalty. The tone is reflective and sentimental, with melancholy undercurrents about grief and unfinished business softened by warmth and humor. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ghosts and Pushing Daisies will find resonance in its blend of supernatural premise, youthful heart and puzzle-like plotting.

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