New ‘School Spirits’ Sneak Peek Sees the Living and the Dead Collide [Exclusive]

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The living and the dead are coming face-to-face in Collider's new exclusive sneak peek from this week’s episode of School Spirits. Now halfway through the sophomore season of the Paramount+ series, audiences are catching up with Peyton List’s (Cobra Kai) Maddie Nears, as she continues her quest for answers alongside the other souls trapped inside Split River High School. Last season left audiences on a massive cliffhanger after it was revealed that a spirit known as Janet had possessed her body which, although it provided an answer, really only led to more questions. This season, the ghostly gang has been spending much of their time tracking down Janet, but today’s exclusive first look takes a step from the main plot.

In it, we see Kristian Ventura’s (Gray Matter) Simon, leading Claire (Rainbow Wedell), Xavier (Spencer MacPherson), and Nicole (Kiara Pichardo) into the auditorium. There, on the stage, several chairs are set up in a triangle, with the photos of three of Maddie’s fellow ghosts placed on each one. Simon is the conduit between the living and the dead, as he’s able to talk with Maddie, who can’t be heard or seen by the other living students. Taking a close look at each of the images, Simon, Claire, and Nicole introduce themselves to Wally (Milo Manheim), Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin), and Charlie (Nick Pugliese), each of whom can fully hear and see everything the trio says and does.

After two years away, it’s been nice for viewers to reconnect with the characters — of both the living and dead variety — in School Spirits. Along with the returning cast, the follow-up season also includes a handful of new faces, such as Zack Calderon (The Wilds), Miles Elliot (The Amazing Spider-Man), Ci Hang Ma (Presto! School of Magic), and Jess Gabor (Shameless).

What Critics Have To Say About ‘School Spirits’ Season 2

After the success of the first season, it’s good to see that the follow-up continues to live up to the hype, reminding fans why they fell in love with the YA series in the first place. On Rotten Tomatoes, the title has an overwhelmingly positive critic rating of 83%, while audiences boosted it a little higher to 89%.

Collider’s Kelcie Mattson also gave the sophomore installment a stamp of approval, writing:

“School Spirits' second season hasn't lost its edge when it comes to the surprising intensity with which it approaches its themes. No, this isn't Euphoria, thank goodness, but certain moments continue to land like a blow to the solar plexus – fittingly so, for a series about teenagers who perished tragically young and endured deep emotional wounds during their too-short time on this earth. The characters' individual pains feel legitimized rather than exploitative, and thanks to School Spirits' earnest utilization of the quirky charms prevalent in teen dramedies, the proceedings avoid nosediving into excessively melodramatic tedium.”

Check out our exclusive first look at this week’s episode of School Spirits above and stream the first four episodes of Season 2 now on Paramount+.