Nobody gets “sucked off” in the season finale, but Woodstone may still be short one ghost.

Ghosts season 5 finale ending explained: What does that massive cliffhanger mean for [SPOILER]‘s fate?

Nobody gets "sucked off" in the season finale, but Woodstone may still be short one ghost.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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May 21, 2026 10:01 p.m. ET

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Rose McIver as Samantha and Richie Moriarty as Pete in 'Ghosts'. Credit:

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

- *Ghosts* has once again concluded with a massive cliffhanger.

- The two-part season 5 finale sees Sam, Jay, and their ghosts fighting for the survival of Woodstone Mansion.

- They manage to eke out a win— but it may have come at the cost of one ghost's afterlife.

**This article contains spoilers from the *Ghosts *two-part season 5 finale, "Up The Creek" and "Across The Pond."**

Another crisis has been averted at the Woodstone Mansion— just in time for a tragic development.

*Ghosts* has made a habit of closing each season on a major cliffhanger and season 5 was no exception. The two-part episode put Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) in a tough spot: scrambling to save their home (and livelihood) from being demolished by an evil water conglomerate. The plan involved discovering a long lost princess, hopping on a plane to London, breaking into a museum store room, and enlisting the help of a very pathetic historian. And somehow, they managed to pull it all off.

But it may have been at the expense of one of their beloved ghosts.

Below, we break down how the Arondekars save the day after a trip across the pond… and who they may have sacrificed in the process.

What’s the plan to save Woodstone?

Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver on 'Ghosts'.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

"Up The Creek" kicks off with an unfortunate revelation: Mayor Tad (Justin Kirk) has sold his controlling interest in Woodstone to a cartoonishly evil water conglomerate, Evercreek. Any hope that Sam and Jay have that this isn't terrible news is swiftly destroyed when they learn that the company has a penchant for hostile takeovers and is planning to demolish their home and turn it into a data center… starting in 72 hours.

After pondering solutions, they realize that if Woodstone is designated a historical landmark then it can't be demolished. So they call upon county historian Joe Patterson, who is apparently going through a tough divorce.

Despite all of the history held within Woodstone, getting that designation turns out to be harder than expected. Joe makes it clear that it would take a pretty significant bit of history to make Woodstone worth preserving. Sam immediately puts forth the ghosts, hoping that their deaths on the property might be enough.

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But it turns out that Alberta (Danielle Pinnock)  isn't nearly famous enough to meet the criteria, nobody cares that Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) was across the street during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Pete's (Richis Moriarty) status as a "famous cuckold" gets nothing but an awkward pause.

Then Nancy (Betsy Sodaro) offers a hail mary, revealing that she isn't just some rando who died of cholera: She's actually Princess Adeline Marie Dunham of Bedford, who ran away and ditched her life of royalty to become a commoner. (As Pete puts it, "This whole time, Nancy was fancy.")

How do Sam and Jay pull it off?

Richie Moriarty, Betsy Sodaro and Roman Zaragoza on 'Ghosts'.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Initially, Sam, Jay and the ghosts are hopeful that Nancy's long lost locket will be enough to secure the designation — but Joe points out that while it's period accurate, it could've belonged to anyone. So the team sets out to find a portrait of Nancy wearing the locket — prompting a sudden trip to London.

Before Sam and Jay can leave — along with Pete, the only ghost who can travel — they get a call that Sam's script, *Polar Opposites*, is being pushed into Hollywood development. But before they make it official, the studio wants Sam to immediately send in sequel pitches for how to turn the standalone movie into a trilogy. After all, franchises are all the rage these days.

To avoid a repeat of that time Jay accidentally killed Pete, Sam calls in a favor from Kyle (Ben Feldman), who joins the trip. And don't worry, he's only a little salty about dropping everything for such a bizarre errand.

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When they arrive at the estate, there's some concern that Nancy's portrait was destroyed in The Great Crumpet Fire of 1973 — but a ghost trapped in a suit of armor reveals otherwise, and the trio head down to the archives to find the picture. While Jay and Kyle distract the guard, Pete reunites with Amunhotep (everyone's favorite mummy ghost) and the portrait is discovered! After Amunhotep calls in a swarm of locusts, Jay slips in to snap a picture. He sends it over to Sam and that same day, Joe — who has nothing better to do thanks to his crumbling marriage — declares Woodstone a historical landmark.

Just like that, everything is wrapped up into a neat little bow. Except, of course, for Pete.

What’s happening to Pete?

Richie Moriarty on 'Ghosts'.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

The thing about Pete's special ghost ability is that although he can travel away from the property, he can only do so for a limited period of time. And going across the pond to England marks the farthest distance he's traveled.

During the search for the portrait, Pete notices that his hand has begun to fade. This isn't the first time Pete has begun to disappear amid his travels — it's just that he's always been able to get back home before too much of him can disappear, allowing him to fully regenerate.

As for what happens when Pete fades entirely, that remains a mystery— but season 6 will finally have to reveal the answer.

Pete begins disappearing during the search for the portrait and it doesn't slow down. By the time Jay, Pete and Kyle are back across the ocean and driving home from the airport, poor Pete is just a head. Before they can pull up to Woodstone, Kyle glances back to discover that Pete has fully disappeared. And in typical *Ghosts* fashion, that is where the fifth season concludes.

To make matters worse, it just so happens to be the 1-year anniversary of when Pete and Alberta started dating. So much for their celebration…

What else happens in the Ghosts finale?

Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Rose McIver as Samantha, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Betsy Sodaro as Nancy and Roman Zaragoza as Sasappis in 'Ghosts' season 5 finale.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Aside from the existential issue that is Pete's nonexistence, little else goes wrong. Sam not only sells her trilogy, but manages to impress the studio enough that they will let her stay on as the writer instead of passing it off to* The Devil Wears Prada *scribe Aline Brosh McKenna, as planned. (This is unfortunate for Thor, who outs himself as a massive fan of the fashion film.)

When Evercreek learns that they can no longer turn the mansion into a data center, they dub it "essentially useless." Thanks to the payment from selling her script, Sam is able to buy it back, making her and Jay the owners of their home once again.

The show also teases that since Sam is now gonna spend some time on a Hollywood set, we may get to spend a bit more time with Kyle — the designated ghost-sitter — in season 6.

When will season 6 of Ghosts arrive?

Richie Moriarty as Pete on 'Ghosts'.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

*Ghosts* won't return to CBS with it's sixth season until early 2027. But Pete's fate may be revealed a little earlier than next year. The series is getting two one-hour holiday specials for Halloween and Christmas. Another silver lining? Unlike more open-ended cliffhangers (like Flower's disappearance), the question of Pete's fate will hopefully be answered pretty early on. After all, when Jay and Kyle drive back up to the property, Pete will either reappear... or he won't.

Where can I watch Ghosts?

The first five seasons of *Ghosts* are available to stream on Paramount+.

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Source: “EW Sci-Fi”