The world of broadcast TV has some particular rules when it comes to language. The idea that Ghosts got away with “sucked off” was wild to one particular actor. And to be honest, it was unbelievable to us at first.
The term “sucked off” refers to when the spirits go off to whatever awaits them on the other side of the ghostly world they’re currently in. They are literally sucked up in a blast of light, and considering when most of them died, the term didn’t have any hidden meanings at the time. The original UK version of Ghosts used the same terminology, so it only made sense to keep it going with the U.S. version.
We all know what the term means now. Well, most people will know what the term refers to in today’s world, but it didn’t in the past. However, with that innuendo in there, it was surprising to Brandon Scott Jones, who plays Isaac Higgintoot in the series, that it was kept, according to Gold Derby.
It’s not the only phrase that he’s surprised was added in. Later on in the series, we got the term “jerked off,” and there was also the phrase “go down on us” included at one point. All of these phrases were a lot of fun for all of them to add into the series, and they all have particular meanings for the ghosts. “Jerked off” was used when it came to a poltergeist, while “go down on us” referred to going to hell.
"Can you believe it? We get 'jerked off,' we get 'sucked off,' we get 'go down on us,' like, that's the stuff. It's wild what they can get away with! How lucky are we that we get to do it?" Jones commented.
Remember, broadcast shows have to be either TV-PG or TV-14, which means limited use of swearing and nudity. If this show was made just a few years earlier, the terminology would have likely had to have been switched out with something else, but now it’s just a bit of fun.
Jones’ character is certainly a desperate man, which is something he loves to play. All Isaac wants is to be loved and remembered, and he’s currently trapped in a world that forgot he even existed. Alexander Hamilton has become the man everyone remembers, and Isaac hates that, especially considering the Hamilton he knew in the past.
He also wants to be “sucked off,” which is the goal of all the spirits at Woodstone Manor. He doesn’t want to live this ghostly existence, but he needs to continue learning if he wants a chance for that to happen.
Ghosts will return on Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS in fall 2025.