On this day April 10, 1989, the supernatural sitcom Nearly Departed premiered on NBC. The show featured a quirky premise centered around a ghostly couple trying to reclaim their home from the living family now occupying it. With only 6 episodes produced and a very short run, the series faded fast but left behind a fun little entry in the world of 80s TV oddities.
Nearly Departed starred Eric Idle as Grant Pritchard, a ghost stuck in limbo with his wife Claire after dying in a car accident. They return to haunt their former house, which is now owned by a new family. Instead of full blown scares, the show leaned into light comedy, misunderstandings, and an odd couple dynamic between the dead and the living. It couldn’t find a steady audience and was canceled shortly after airing just a few episodes.
Fun fact: Nearly Departed was loosely inspired by the classic film Topper, which also featured ghosts meddling in the lives of the living.
Trivia question: What Monty Python member starred in the short lived supernatural sitcom Nearly Departed?
Nearly Departed starred Eric Idle as Grant Pritchard, a ghost stuck in limbo with his wife Claire after dying in a car accident. They return to haunt their former house, which is now owned by a new family. Instead of full blown scares, the show leaned into light comedy, misunderstandings, and an odd couple dynamic between the dead and the living. It couldn’t find a steady audience and was canceled shortly after airing just a few episodes.
Fun fact: Nearly Departed was loosely inspired by the classic film Topper, which also featured ghosts meddling in the lives of the living.
Trivia question: What Monty Python member starred in the short lived supernatural sitcom Nearly Departed?
