Series / School Spirits

"What Happened to Maddie?"

School Spirits is a Teen Drama series that debuted on Paramount+ in March of 2023. It stars Peyton List (1998), Kristian Flores, Milo Manheim, Sarah Yarkin, Nick Pugliese, Spencer Mac Pherson, Kiara Pichardo, and Maria Dizzia. It was created by Megan Trinrud and Nate Trinrud.

Maddie Nears (Peyton List) has just died. She is now a ghost glued to the high school she just died in, along with several other students who passed away there over several decades prior. Her connection to the land of the living is her friend Simon (Kristian Flores), who seeks to help in finding out who killed her.

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Tropes:

• Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Xavier takes Claire on a date a few weeks after Maddie's disappearance.
• Accidental Misnaming: To emphasize how much of an outcast Maddie is, at the assembly where the principal is announcing that she's been officially labelled a missing person, several students assume her name is "Maggie".
• Adults Are Useless: A common theme in the show, especially with the local police and the students' parents.
• Afterlife Angst: Maddie experiences this after she dies, as do each of the other ghosts, who all have Unfinished Business.
• Afterlife Tour: Charley gives one of these to Maddie.
• Alcoholic Parent: Maddie's mother is a heavy drinker to the point that she got into a car accident, and Maddie had to cover for her so she wouldn't get put into the system.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Both Maddie and Claire date tall, dark, and handsome "bad boy" Xavier Baxter...at the same time. Nicole Herrera, one of Maddie's best friends, also likes Xavier, causing tension with Claire.
• All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Xavier cheats on Maddie with Claire, a cheerleader.
• Beatnik: Rhonda, the ghost of a girl who died in the early-to-mid 1960s, is one of these.
• Betty and Veronica Switch: Xavier is a brooding bad boy, though he seems popular enough, while Wally was a popular jock, though his position doesn't mean much now that he's dead. Xavier cheated on Maddie with one of the popular girls, suggesting he resents his outcast status, while Wally is probably the nicest character in the series. Wally does have the handicap of being dead, which initially seems to be in his favor, until it turns out Maddie isn't. Then there's the slight implication that Simon could be Maddie's Cheryl Blossom.
• Boy Meets Ghoul: Gender-inverted with Maddie and Wally. Over the events of Season 1, Wally reaches out to Maddie to help cheer her up in spite of her dismal circumstances, having fun with her at Field Day, and getting to know her better at the big Homecoming game. This leads to Wally asking Maddie to be his Homecoming date "as friends", to which Maddie agrees, much to Wally's excitement. Maddie gets embarrassed when Wally accidentally interrupts a conversation with Rhonda, in which Maddie asks her if ghosts can have sex, to which Rhonda slyly confirms 'yes'. Despite Maddie spending much of the dance feeling jealous over Xavier taking Claire as his date, and thereby disappointing Wally, Maddie apologizes to Wally. This prompts Wally to word vomit, upon which Maddie gives him a "Shut Up" Kiss. Wally develops romantic feelings for Maddie, and gets jealous when Maddie recalls fond memories with her best friend, Simon, when he cooks her last meal to help her remember her death.
• Big Man on Campus: Wally, one of the ghosts who died in 1983, was this when he was a living student at Split River High School. Not only was he a jock and the star of the football team, but he was voted Homecoming King, albeit prior to his Surprisingly Sudden Death during the big Homecoming football game before the dance.
• Bittersweet 17: Maddie was just 17 or 18 years old, and in her senior year of high school, when she died.
• Brainless Beauty: Xavier makes a self-depreciating joke about being one.
  Maddie: You're stupid. You're lucky you're cute.
  Xavier: What the Lord deny in brain, He deliver in beauty.
  Maddie: And boy, did he deny.
• Breakfast Club: Maddie, Wally, Charley, Rhonda, and Dawn.
• The Breakfast Plot: Self-explanatory. The entire TV show is a homage to The Breakfast Club (1985).
• Broken Bird:
  • Maddie, who has spent most of her life taking care of her mother, an addict with violent mood swings.
  • Rhonda, who reveals to Maddie that she was murdered in the 1960s by her guidance counselor, Mr. Manfredo.
• Bury Your Gays: Charley, the ghost of a gay teenager from 1990s, died of anaphylactic shock after accidentally eating French fries cooked in peanut oil. Much to his regret, he forgot his Epi Pen that day.
• Bus Crash: A group of band kids died after their bus crashed on campus. Their ghosts still practice routines.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Wally when he tries to explain his feelings to Maddie.
• Childhood Friends: Maddie and Simon.
• Closet Gay: Charley, when he was alive in the 1990s.
• Coax Them Out of the Closet: Emilio, Charley's boyfriend, attempted to do this when Charley was still alive. Things did not end well.
• Cruel Cheerleader: Subverted with Claire, who is initially portrayed as mean, but later becomes sympathetic.
• Cry into Chest: Maddie takes comfort in Wally's arms during a particularly emotional moment.
• The Cynic: Rhonda. When she reveals how she died, her cynicism is justified.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Maddie; Rhonda; and, in a later reveal, Mr. Everett Martin, a science teacher, and Janet Hamilton, his student, who both died in the same fire in 1958.
• Dead Person Conversation: Simon thinks that he is Talking to the Dead until he realizes that he can actually converse with Maddie, who is now a ghost.
• Despair Event Horizon: Maddie reaches this in Episode 8, "Madison's Body", when she finally accepts her death.
• Disappeared Dad: Maddie's father died of unknown causes when she was a child.
• Disappears into Light: When Dawn finally moves on, she disappears, causing the lights to flicker.
• Drinking the Kool-Aid: Nobody knows how Dawn died, so Charley suggests that "maybe she drank the wrong Kool-Aid". Dawn later reveals that she died from accidentally electrocuting herself.
• Endearingly Dorky: Wally, but only when he is around Maddie.
• Everyone Can See It: Wally having a crush on Maddie is obvious to everyone but Maddie, especially Rhonda.
  Wally: Okay, okay, let's just... everybody... Rhonda...let's take a breather.
  Rhonda: How are you not pissed right now?
  Wally: I'm p...I am pissed, Rhonda. I'm just...I'm trying to make sense of it all. This is very new to me. I don't know how I feel...
  Rhonda: Trying not to lose it in front of your crush?
  Wally: Okay, you don't have to be mad at me, Rhonda. I didn't do anything. Be mad at him.
  Rhonda: I am mad at you.
  Wally: [embarrassed] Okay, [well], you said you wouldn't bring that [the crush stuff] up again!
• Evil Teacher: Originally implied to be Mr. Anderson, but later revealed to be Mr. Martin.
• Family of Choice: All of the ghosts who are trapped for an eternity at Split River High School, especially Wally, Charley, and Rhonda. They later adopt Maddie into their support group.
• Fearless Undead: Subverted with Charley, who still swelled up when he ate peanuts as a ghost.
• First Kiss: Maddie and Wally share theirs in Episode 6, "Grave the Last Dance".
• Five-Man Band: Maddie, Wally, Charley, Rhonda, and Dawn become this over the events of Season 1.
• Forced Out of the Closet: Emilio accidentally outed Charley to his parents when Charley was still alive.
• Foreshadowing:
  • When Dawn crosses over, the lights flicker off and on, and the other characters feel a chill. They note that this didn't happen when Janet crossed over. Turns out, it's because she's still around.
  • Simon and Maddie joke around about how it's a good thing that the latter is a ghost instead of a zombie. Turns out, Maddie is technically both - her original body has been possessed by another ghost, Janet; and the Maddie we've seen is her spirit form (which is still a ghost).
• Friendly Ghost: Wally, Charley, and Dawn. Rhonda is a bit more aloof.
• Friend Versus Lover: Simon vs. Wally. Simon hates "jocks" like Wally, and feels jealous and insecure that Maddie agreed to go as Wally's date to the Homecoming dance; Wally, in turn, feels jealous and insecure due Maddie's closeness with Simon. Both have romantic feelings for Maddie, which will likely come to a head in Season 2.
• Gasoline Dousing: Rhonda douses part of the football field in gasoline during Field Day.
• Gay Best Friend: Maddie and Charley.
• Gayngst: Charley has a lot of this, both in life and in death.
• Ghost Amnesia: Maddie initially cannot remember how she died, or who killed her.
• Grand Theft Me: Maddie didn't die. Janet's ghost stole her body, and used it to escape the school.
• Granola Girl: Dawn, the ghost of a girl who died in 1972.
• Haunted Headquarters: The TV show is set in Split River High School, a haunted learning institution (c. 1952).
• Ignorance Is Bliss: Wally suggests that it might be better if Maddie doesn't remember the details of how she died.
  Wally: Maybe it's a good thing that you don't remember everything, m'kay? Sometimes, I wish I could forget.
• I'll Pretend I Didn't Hear That: Maddie says this when Simon asks her why she chose to date Xavier, and not him.
• I See Dead People: Simon is the only living person who can see and hear Maddie. However, she is the only ghost he can see and hear.
• I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: Wally jokes to Maddie that he was glad that he died wearing comfortable clothes, because otherwise, he would have been stuck wearing garish, out-of-fashion 1980s shoulder pads.
• Jacob Marley Apparel: Ghosts match the appearance of the moment they died, including their clothes.
• Just Friends: Maddie and Simon, though Simon secretly harbors romantic feelings for Maddie.
• Late Coming Out: Charley doesn't come out as gay until after he dies and becomes a ghost.
• Lets Wait Awhile: In a flashback, Maddie and Xavier decide to postpone Their First Time, but Maddie dies a virgin.
• Lipstick Mark: Xavier gets one of these when he takes Claire to the Homecoming dance as his date.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch: Claire Zomer, the captain of the cheerleading squad.
• Lovable Jock: Wally Clark, one of the ghosts, was a football player in 1980s who died from a broken neck after a "misplaced tackle" on the field during the big Homecoming game in 1983. He is probably the kindest ghost at the school, and Rhonda describes him as "part-boy, part-Golden Retriever".
• Love Makes You Dumb: Wally whenever he is around Maddie.
• Manly Tears: Wally cries after watching Ghost (1990) for the first time during the ghosts' movie night.
• Memory Trigger: Maddie has several of these, usually prompted by realizing something isn't quite right.
• Momma's Boy: Wally, who re-enacts the same Homecoming game that killed him in 1983 every year to please his mother, who wanted him to win a college scholarship through playing football when he was alive.
• Multiple Demographic Appeal: While it’s set around 2023, the spirits that Maddie meets died in various eras from The '50s to the early 2000s. It seems designed to appeal to multiple generations.
• Mundane Afterlife: Maddie and the rest of the ghosts are trapped in Split River High School for eternity, until if, or when, they move on. The ghosts keep themselves entertained through various activities, such as movie nights.
• Must Not Die a Virgin: Since Maddie already died a virgin, she asks Rhonda if she can lose her virginity as a ghost instead, and is implied to be considering having her "first time" with Wally, a fellow ghost..
• My Beloved Smother: Wally's mother when he was alive, which may have inadvertently caused his death.
• Near-Death Experience: One of the girls on the swimming team nearly drowns, but is saved by Claire.
• Nice Guy: Wally, in a subversion of the Jerk Jock stereotype.
• Our Ghosts Are Different: Maddie asks what ghosts can do and the show itself plays with several ghost tropes. Ghosts supposedly can't communicate with the world of the living, but Maddie can. They also supposedly can't possess anyone, but the season finale reveals that they can steal people's bodies and push the original owner's spirit out, which is why Maddie is a ghost in the first place. They generally can't affect the living world, but they can create copies of objects they touch. The ghosts are also glued to school grounds and cannot leave.
• Outdated Outfit: As the ghosts are stuck wearing whatever clothes they died with, all of them have this, except for Maddie. Each ghost's outfit matches the time period that they lived and died in.
• Out of the Closet, Into the Fire: Charley unexpectedly died not long after his boyfriend, Emilio, accidentally outed Charley to his parents.
• Parental Neglect: A common theme among several characters, including Maddie, Xavier, Claire, Nicole, Rhonda, Charley, and Wally. Many of the teenage characters experienced emotional neglect from their parents.
• Parental Obliviousness:
  • Maddie's mother is completely oblivious to the emotional needs and wants of her daughter.
  • Charley's parents were completely oblivious to the fact that their son was gay.
  • Nicole purposefully keeps her parents oblivious to her failing to get into art school.
  • Wally's mother is implied to have Selective Obliviousness towards her son not really liking football.
• The Peeping Tom: Charley, who enjoys spying on other teenage boys as they shower in the locker rooms.
• Police Are Useless: The Split River Police Department is not just useless, but potentially corrupt.
• The Pollyanna: Wally, who has somehow still remained cheerful and optimistic after 40 years of being trapped in the school as a ghost.
• Pool Scene: Self-explanatory. Wally, Charley, and Rhonda hang out by the pool, reminiscing about their lives.
• Power Trio: Wally, Charley, and Rhonda, prior to Maddie arriving in the afterlife.
• Pretty Boy: Xavier and Wally, the latter of whom Rhonda calls "Dead Astaire".
• Pun-Based Title: Every episode title is a pun and a Shout-Out.
  • "My So-Called Death" — My So-Called Life
  • "The Fault of Our Scars" — The Fault in Our Stars
  • "Dead and Confused" — Dazed and Confused
  • "Ghoul Intentions" — Cruel Intentions
  • "The Twilight End Zone" — The Twilight Zone
  • "Grave the Last Dance" — Save the Last Dance
  • "Séance Anything" — Say Anything...
  • "Madison's Body" — Jennifer's Body
• Purgatory and Limbo: The ghosts are implied to be in a Purgatory-like state on Earth. As seen when Dawn moves on.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Simon, Nicole, Xavier, and Claire.
• Real Men Cook: Wally cooks food for Maddie. Unfortunately, he seems to be a little rusty in that department.
• Secret Relationship: Charley and Emilio had one when Charley was alive, on account of being two gay teens in the 1990s. After Charley's death, Emilio later comes out as gay and marries another man.
• Selective Obliviousness:
  • Maddie is selectively oblivious to the fact that her best friend, Simon, has feelings for her.
  • Wally's mother is implied to be selectively oblivious to her son really not liking football.
• The Sheriff: Xavier's father, Sheriff Baxter. He seems more concerned with his upcoming re-election campaign and public reputation than the disappearance, and possible murder, of his son's girlfriend.
• Shout-Out: The show nods to the pop culture of the various time periods the spirits came from.
  • Wally mentions that he "misses Debbie Gibson", a popular teenage singer-songwriter in the 1980s.
  • Rhonda calls Wally by the nickname "Dead Astaire", referring to Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987).
  • "Steppin' Out" by Joe Jackson (1982) plays during the Homecoming dance, which Wally dances to.
  • Emilio plays "Crash Into Me" (1996) by Dave Matthews Band for Charley during their meet-cute flashback.
  • Rhonda, a Beatnik spirit, loves Jack Kerouac (1922 - 1969).
  • In the living world, the English class discusses Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
• "Shut Up" Kiss: Maddie gives one to Wally after the Homecoming dance, which he returns.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Maddie with Wally, after Maddie learns that Xavier cheated on her with Claire.
• The Snark Knight: Rhonda, who, aside from Mr. Martin, is one of the oldest ghosts present at the school.
• Spooky Séance: Lampshaded with the "reverse séance", which Dawn conducts to help Maddie recover her memories. Instead, Dawn ends up recalling how she died from an accidental electrocution in 1972, and after being comforted by Maddie, her spirit moves on to another plane of existence.
• Stern Teacher: Mr. Martin, who is sometimes harsh towards the other ghosts, but claims to care about them.
• Stop Saying That!: Wally has a tendency to say "huh" whenever he learns new information.
  Wally: Huh.
  Maddie: Can you please stop saying 'huh'?
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Claire, who alternates between sweet and seductive, and sarcastic and sardonic.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Xavier, who befriends Simon, Nicole, and Claire while helping to hunt down Maddie's killer.
• Take That!: Charley asks how Dances with Wolves won multiple Oscars.
• That Came Out Wrong: Wally says this during an Open Mouth, Insert Foot and Verbal Backspace moment while first meeting Maddie, all while distracted by the cute.
  Maddie: Look, I can't really chat right now, because I've got some holes in my memory to fill.
  Wally: Well, hey, that's why I'm here. I can totally help you fill your holes.
  Maddie: (Beat) Excuse me?
  Wally: Oh... um... okay, I obviously did not mean it to come off that way. In my head, it was a more metaphoric, 'I can help you figure things out if you need it'.
• Theatre Phantom: Mina, the ghost of a girl who was killed by a falling stage light in 1987.
• Theory Tunnel Vision: Simon deals with this when looking for clues as to who killed Maddie.
• Through His Stomach: Wally tries to impress Maddie by cooking for her, but the result is less than ideal.
• Think Happy Thoughts: Wally encourages Maddie to do this to help her come to terms with her death, as well as a Survival Mantra when dealing with her feelings of grief and loss.
• "Too Young to Die" Lamentation: Maddie has one of these.
• Tormented Teacher: Mr. Martin, who tells the other ghosts that he died in a science lab fire in 1958 that he feels personally responsible for, which is why he founded the afterlife support group.
• Two-Timing with the Bestie: Xavier cheats on Maddie with Claire, her former childhood best friend.
• Troubled, but Cute: How Maddie views Xavier.
• Troubled Teen: Maddie and Xavier.
• Unexpected Virgin: Maddie. Rhonda calls her "Cherry Pop" due to this.
• Virgin-Shaming: Rhonda makes a few jokes about Maddie being a virgin when she died.
• We Used to Be Friends: Maddie and Claire.
• Whodunnit to Me?: Maddie spends much of the first season trying to work out which of the people in the surprisingly busy basement the day she died - her boyfriend, the girl he was cheating on her with, the janitor, her mother, her favorite teacher, her other best friend - killed her. In the first season finale, she learns the answer is no one. Another ghost stole her body, which is still alive.
• Will They or Won't They?: Maddie and Wally after the events of Season 1.
• You Can See Me?: Maddie goes unnoticed by everyone as a ghost, until she is finally seen by Simon.