‘Ghost Hunters’ Returning on Discovery+ With Familiar Faces

Ghost Hunters is coming back. But not that Ghost Hunters, the original Ghost Hunters. But not the original Ghost Hunters, per se, but actually Ghost Nation, just as Ghost Hunters. But some of the other Ghost Hunters might show up, maybe.

If that sounds as confusing as a paranormal investigator trying to break down exactly why ghosts can walk through walls but also slam doors, we totally understand. Let’s break it all down.

Discovery+ announced today that the streaming service has given the green light to a revival of “the series that started it all” when it comes to paranormal reality programs, Ghost Hunters.

“Original team leader Jason Hawes and Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango and Shari DeBenedetti are taking back the paranormal reins in epic haunted locations,” Discovery+ wrote in a press release. “And don’t be surprised to see some familiar faces and special guests join the team on the hunt in this all-new version of the hit series.”

So, while all four cast members had previously been on Ghost Hunters – we’ll get into that in a bit – they’ve most recently been the cast of Travel Channel’s Ghost Nation, which just aired its second season on both the network and on Discovery+. Hawes, Gonsalves and Tango starred in Season 1, with DeBenedetti joining them in Season 2.

Hawes is the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, which was featured in the original Ghost Hunters series on Syfy from 2004-2016. TAPS co-founder Grant Wilson starred on the program as well; Gonsalves was a cast member throughout the program’s entire run, with Tango joining in 2005 and DeBenedetti joining in 2016. Along the way, numerous other investigators took part in the series, with many going off into spin-offs or even their own separate paranormal series.

Wilson left the original Ghost Hunters in 2012, but he returned to host a new iteration of the program on A&E in August of 2019. He led a cast of all-new investigators, while Hawes, Gonsalves and Tango debuted their Ghost Nation program on Travel Channel in October 2019.

When we broke the news a few months ago that Ghost Hunters wasn’t coming back to A&E, it appeared that was the end of the franchise. But you can’t keep a good Ghost down.

Pilgrim Media Group (then Pilgrim Films) produced the original Ghost Hunters run as well as the Wilson-led revival, and will produce this new version as well (Ping Pong Productions produced Ghost Nation).

“Fans are obsessed with the Paranormal & Unexplained hub on the new streaming platform,” said Matthew Butler, general manager, Travel Channel. “Bringing back Ghost Hunters with their favorite cast members is a thrill. And fans who want to remember why this show is a classic can watch seasons from the original series – they are available now on Discovery+.”

The 13 one-hour new episodes will stream later this year.