Ghosts Season 5 Gets Rid Of Carol After 3 Years Of Waiting

October 16, 2025

6

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ghosts season 5, episode 1.After 3 long years, Ghosts has finally sucked off a spirit in season 5. CBS’ premier comedy is back with a brand new year. Despite the summer hiatus, the sitcom picks up not long after the Ghosts season 4 finale, which saw Elias revealing the devious deal he struck with Jay that would not only kill Sam but also land him in hell.

There’s an expectation that Ghosts season 5 will immediately address Jay and Elias’ cliffhanger. For starters, the show doesn’t have the luxury of delaying resolving the issue because the deal is time-sensitive. This means that Jay’s fate will have to happen sooner rather than later. At the start of Ghosts season 5, Sam and some of the spirits figure out how to save Jay. However, they end up with no concrete plan.

It leaves him with no choice but to accept his fate, sadly. But of course, Ghosts can’t afford to lose Jay, considering that he represents the viewers’ perspective on the show. While the decision to leave him unable to see and/or interact with the spirits of Woodstone Mansion remains divisive, getting rid of that aspect will totally overhaul the show — a risk that CBS doesn’t need to take right now.

Ultimately, however, a few more side quests result in Patience offering himself up for Elias. As it turns out, Hetty’s unscrupulous husband doesn’t need to take Jay specifically. He just needs a soul to bring to hell, and in a moment of clarity and altruism, Patience decides to sacrifice himself. However, just before they leave, Ghosts season 5 pulls another twist.

Ghosts Season 5, Episode 1 Sees Carol Being Sucked Off

Carol looking shocked in Ghosts — Carol in Ghosts U.S.

In a totally unexpected move, Carol takes over and offers herself to Elias. After a series of revelations about her marriage to Pete, she finds herself remorseful for all the wrongdoings she committed while she was still alive. For context, Ghosts revealed that she was cheating on her devoted husband for a while and lied to him about the true nature of their family business — a move that almost costed Jay his restaurant in Ghosts season 4.

Admittedly, it’s a brilliant move to keep viewers guessing until the very end. Earlier in the episode, Jay tries to use the spirit trapper in an effort to trap Elias and effectively cancel out their deal, but that’s hit with a snag when Carol finds herself also in the device. Despite the temptation to just leave her there with him to be disintegrated from existence, Jay decides to pull both of them out.

Somehow, however, this gives Pete’s ex the idea to repent for being absolutely deceiving and selfish during her marriage to Pete. But before she can be brought down to hell with Elias, Carol gets sucked-off — something that Ghosts hasn’t shown on-screen since Sam’s mom was also pulled up in season 1, episode 11, “Sam’s Mom.” While Ghosts season 2 had Ralph, the basement ghost, sucked off, it happened on-screen.

Carol’s Exit Is Good For Ghosts But Confusing For The Show’s Rules

Ultimately, seeing Carol go is the best-case scenario for Ghosts. For starters, her exit keeps the rest of the main cast intact. Admittedly, a bolder choice for CBS is to part with one of the primary spirits in season 5. That said, there’s really no need to take major shake-ups, considering that Ghosts continues to be one of the network’s most-watched series.

Beyond that, getting rid of Carol effectively paves the way for Pete to finally start living his (dead) life. After learning about his ex-wife’s lies, the travel agent ghost attempted to finally seizing the moment, but as an inherently good soul, he was often held back by the thought of Carol. Now, can more freely explore his relationship with Alberta.

The issue, however, with Carol being sucked off is that it further meddles the guidelines of the matter. When Sam’s mom passed on, she was able to deal with her daughter’s grudge about being neglected. Granted that it’s still up for debate if she deserved to be sucked off, at least her repentance had something to do with his husband. Carol’s sacrifice is universal in Ghosts, but primarily, it saves Jay more than anyone.

Carol’s departure suggests that any kind of sacrifice can be the key to being sucked off. However, if this is an official rule, it begs the question why no one from the main Woodstone Mansion ghosts have been taken. After all, some of them have shown selflessness in the past, perhaps in greater magnitudes than Carol.

Will CBS Ever Have A Main Character Ghost Sucked Off?

While Ghosts season 5 has successfully borrowed more time with regard to letting a main spirit getting sucked off, there’s an expectation that one of them will eventually leave in the future. The show has been renewed until season 6, and after Carol’s exit, it’s safe to say that it has until the end of its confirmed year to delay another farewell.

That said, it would be a disservice to Ghosts storytelling to not have any payoff to the show’s very goal. When it started, Sam made it her mission to help all of them pass on. It’s doubtful that CBS will slowly phase out all of them, but it’s vital to the integrity of the show that says goodbye to a couple of them.

Enjoy ScreenRant’s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.

SIGN UP NOW!