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"Ghostwriter" (1992)

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22 comments in total

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Worrrrrrrd!, 5 July 2005
Author: thenexthitchcock

Goodness! I remember I used to be obsessed with this show. I had my own little pen I would wear around my neck and I had a notebook. But I had crappy handwriting. (I wonder how long it took all the kids to get that SAME handwriting that was perfect for a kid.) Anyway, I used to act out my own Ghostwriter stories at home. That's insane. I also had a crush on that kid named Alex. That's weird.

This show is about a bunch of kids that wear tacky clothing from the early 90's who try and solve random mysteries with a ghost blob that follows them around spelling words in the air like, "Careful after dark, my children." That's creepy. All the kids have there different interests, like Lenni who likes to write lame rap songs, and Alex who likes to read mystery books, Jamal (It's funny cause his dad was played by Samuel Jackson, cool) who liked to play video games, and Rob who likes to write poetry and hangs out with an odd homeless poet who's called Double T and he follows people asking if he can sell them poems. Wow, that was a mouthful. The kids all enjoy solving these cases and they have Ghostwriter help them to find the clues. One of the funniest characters was that Stoop Dude guy who would always talk to himself. The THABTO one was funny too. All these kids also had the same program on their computers. It was a blank blue screen where they wrote to Ghostwriter. I used to want to program, I used to want to write to Ghostwriter. I was a weird kid.

Overall, this show taught kids cool writing techniques and different codes they could use to foil their friends. But I'll always sing the crazy theme song. GHOSTWRITER!!!! WORRRRRRRRD!!!!

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
high quality show, 16 August 2000
Author: Cindy from Los Angeles

Back when Ghostwriter was on PBS, I never missed an episode, and was disappointed when it went off the air. Now when I catch it on Nickelodeon and Noggin (and educational children's channel), the show is just as good as I remember it. The best thing about Ghostwriter was that it never insulted the intelligence of its viewers, even though its targeted viewing audience was about 7 to 12 years old. Each mystery took four episodes to complete, and the plot was always complex and interesting enough to justify the continuations. It seemed like the writers never cut corners just because this was a children's show. Another great thing about the show was its setting in New York City. It was obvious that the show wasn't shot on some fake urban soundstage in Hollywood. The characters run around the city in an area called Fort Greene, and the community is portrayed in a warm and authentic way. A huge credit to the show was its great young cast. Even though their acting skills weren't great, they each managed to adhere a strong personality to the characters.

Special props go to Joey Shea, who was hilarious as Calvin Ferguson, the smarmy kid who was the de facto arch nemesis of the Ghostwriter team. Overall, the show was always entertaining and funny.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A mystery show for young adults that will never be matched.., 3 October 1999
Author: Luis Montalvan (platinum3x@aol.com) from Paterson, NJ

"Ghostwriter" was a wonderful escape from reality and into the brain-teasing and fascinating lives of a team of young adults. The teenagers were chosen by a friendly spirit (Ghostwriter) who could only communicate through writing. The original team, (starting out with only two members and broadening into about seven to eight members) is chosen to explore the many mysteries, cheats, and other oddities in their home town Brooklyn, NY. The original "Ghostwriter" TV series was a show like no other and captured the attention of many viewers anywhere. There will never be another show like it, may its memory live on in the minds of its faithful viewers for eternity.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best of the 90's, 25 November 2005
Author: bremami from United States

This show was my all time favorite growing up, I'd stay up at 6:00 in the morning just to watch the reruns. I don't remember most of the episodes, because i was so young at the time. But it was one of the best shows of the early and mid 90's. One of my favorite episodes was where the gang contacts a girl and her adoptive brother through Ghostwriter. I must confess, I miss the 90's. They had better shows and let's face it, it was fun being involved in the boy band craze(Backstreet Boys vs. N*SYNC). So anybody who doesn't like Ghostwriter, that's fine, but I really don't understand why you would hate it at all. I give it a 10/10. One of the best.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Ghostwriter: Reading, Writing, and Teamwork, 26 January 2007

Author: erosegem from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In a world awash with unimaginative children's programming, inappropriate dialog, and overly disciplined rules, one show stood out above the rest. "Ghostwriter" fans will always remember the team of six kids who ran around Brooklyn cracking codes and solving mysteries. Some people have teased the show for its early 90's look of colorful outfits, trendy headgear, mild rap music, and brief introduction to the internet. But the show didn't reek of ignorance like some programs of today. The kids were hip in their time but the messages are timeless. While the Ghostwriter team worked on solving mysteries, they also learned about environmentalism, drug abuse, violence, war remembrance, and family feuds.

So who IS Ghostwriter? We don't know. In the pilot episode, a ghost suddenly pops out of a book in the basement of Jamal Jenkins. He's depicted as a bubble that floats around the screen before diving into books or a computer. Ghostwriter cannot hear or talk. It takes Jamal and his friend Lenni Frazer a few tries until they realize he can only communicate through words. Ghostwriter doesn't remember who he is or where he came from but he does want to "protect the children". The enigma surrounding Ghostwriter never went away but the idea of a word-searching ghost caught on. Because Ghostwriter can move from afar, he's able to transmit clues and tips back to the team and their notebooks. He can surf the internet and even time travel.

Ghostwriter may not be able to speak or hear but he can "feel" what's going on at times. In "Get the Message" the team got into a terrible fight and all of the hatred and rage almost erased Ghostwriter forever. But when they need his help, he gladly gives them advice with personal problems. In "Am I Blue", Gaby regrets stealing and lying to buy a costume. She spells out words to Ghostwriter on a Scrabble board describing her problems. In a touching scene, he assists her in writing out an apology letter to her parents.

The acting on the kids' behalf seemed weak at times but let's not forget--this was a children's program. Sometimes over exaggeration is necessary to let the audience know what's going on. As I recently re-watched "Who Burned Mr. Brinker's Store", I felt that the episode was moving rather slowly. But at the age of 10, I was part of the target audience and relieved that they explained the clues carefully even repeated necessary information so I'd catch on. And the kids ARE enjoyable to watch in action: creative, outgoing, different, and enthusiastic. New York is the perfect setting for ethnic diversity and watching them run around the city as their personal territory feels more natural than Hollywood.

Jamal is the unofficial leader of the team. Levelheaded and easygoing, he prefers talking things over instead of fighting. Jamal enjoys science and karate. Lenni Frazer is an aspiring song writer who lives with her father above the Fernandez bodega. The Fernandez siblings are Alex and Gaby. They can get on each other's nerves but they care a lot about each other. Gaby enjoys talking and being in the spotlight while Alex is a detective wannabee, often carrying around a mystery novel. The four of them founded the team in the pilot mystery, "Ghost Story."

The team branched out to more members after Vietnamese-American Tina was able to read the words that Ghostwriter manipulated. Afterwards, the kids established a ceremony to initiate their new members. Tina is an aspiring filmmaker. With her video camera always at hand, the team has managed to catch some interesting footage for their mysteries. She also shares a romantic relationship with Alex. Rob is a quiet eccentric boy (my personal favorite) often writing down poems and stories. He seems to shine better in one-on-one episodes where he can confide in people.

A favorite scene of mine is from "Building Bridges" after a gang member calls Rob a "White Boy". He talks to Jamal and mentions it's the first time he's been called names, "like he was cursing me or something." Jamal understands though he makes a more lighthearted comment on snide stereotypical remarks."I wouldn't want to be called 'Black Boy' even though I am black. Actually, I'm brown," he realizes. "And you..you're pink! That's it! A Pink Guy."

If the Ghostwriter team resembles Sherlock Holmes then Calvin Ferguson is their personal Dr. Moriarty. A boastful straight A student, Calvin is jealous of the team's success and has attempted many times to unlock their secrets. He's managed to realize they've got a supernatural friend (Ghostwriter never reveals himself to Calvin, of course) but the team has successfully stopped Calvin from knowing about Ghostwriter.

One of the hardest challenges for "Ghostwriter" was addressing difficult topics such as violence and drugs in a realistic environment. How do you do that on a PBS kid-oriented show? The brilliance of "Ghostwriter" was to do it through the creative stories and compelling characters. And to do it through writing. As the show progressed, the kids started to hit puberty and peer pressure. In "What's Up with Alex", Alex starts to shirk his responsibilities at home and is tempted to try marijuana because his "cool" friend Kevin uses it. The whole Ghostwriter team is concerned but thanks to their honesty with Alex, he turns down Kevin's offer and helps the team crack a crime ring.

The show took a slight downhill turn when Rob left the team and was replaced by Hector. Nevertheless, over two seasons of successful stories plus "Ghostwriter" books and poster made it a smashing success. When this comes out officially on DVD, I'm reserving my copy of "Ghostwriter", getting a notebook, and writing down the clues because the team will be one the case!!

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Show, 23 January 2004
Author: Anthony from USA

This was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. After recently seeing it on 'Noggin/The-N' i was able to appreciate it a bit more. The mysteries were original, and had good morals to them. Each 'mystery' consisted of 4 episodes. The episodes consisted of the mystery, and another side story about one of the characters. I thought it helped bring along the characters and storyline. One of my favorites was 'Max Mouse'. The ending was kind of a twist that you could predict, but it still ended very well. The Series was very good, but near the end of its run, you could start to feel its aging (especially when they started replacing actors with new ones). Overall, I love this show. It was a great show that I highly reccomend...if you can find it on TV again since it was taken of 'Noggin/The-N'

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Family Show, 20 July 2002
Author: Kitty Pryde from North Carolina, United States

My siblings and I fell in love with the show as did our parents. We ate dinner in front of the television once a week to watch it. In a world were television is full of violence and gore this is important for kids to see wholesome television. I still rent the videos show it to the kids I baby sit.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Very, very good show!, 13 October 2001
Author: (trainer_lr5432100@yahoo.com) from New Jersey

I love this show. It has mysteries along in Brooklyn, New York. But I haven't seen this one episode of Ghostwriter, "What's up with Alex?" This show, in the year 2001, is shown on the network "Noggin". I hope it goes on another network soon so I can see the episode I listed above. The members of the team are: Jamal Jenkins, Lenni Frasier, Alex Fernandez, Gaby Fernandez, Tina Nguyen, Rob Baker, Hector Carrero, and Casey Austin. The team list is shown in the order they saw Ghostwriter.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Cool Show., 3 May 2001
Author: Kun Sun Sweeley (windowsxp2@hotmail.com) from Baltimore MD

I really liked this show. I've seen all the episodes when Ghostwriter was on PBS. Now this year, apparently Nickelodeon has the airing rights to Ghostwriter and its spin off channel Noggin. I've seen Ghostwriter on Nickelodeon today (May 3, 2001) I guess the time was around 6:00 6:30 AM EDT. So anyone who misses Ghostwriter and has cable, see Ghostwriter on Nickelodeon and if your cable provider has Noggin (Nick's educational channel) you can see Ghostwriter on that channel too, check your local TV listings for times and days. This show was one of the best all time coolest mystery show that I've seen and it's a really great show.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
"Hector" on Real World Philadelphia, 12 September 2004
Author: tlboberick from Denver, CO

I loved watching Ghostwriter when I was little. It was a mystery show for kids where this ghost would help solve mysteries by reading clues, and would appear to the kids only as words/text. The idea was great, but I've come to realize the acting wasn't very good.

On another note, I was just watching the premier episode of Real World Philadelphia, and noticed that William "Willie" Hernandez is on it. He is now around 23, and is a personal shopper. He said that his passion, though, is not in shopping, but in the arts. When he was a kid he played Hector on "Ghostwriter." Turned out to be a pretty good looking guy!

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