The Ghost and Molly McGee

**The Ghost and Molly McGee** is an American television series created by Bill Motz and Bob Roth.

It focuses on a grumpy ghost named Scratch who is eternally cursed to be in the presence of polar opposite Molly McGee, a cheerful tween.

The series premiered on Disney Channel on October 1, 2021 and aired for one season until July 9, 2022.

## Plot

In the Human Realm, 13-year-old optimist Molly McGee arrives in her new hometown of Brighton, only to discover that her new house is already occupied by a grumpy ghost named Scratch. Scratch curses Molly in an attempt to scare her away; however, this backfires, forever binding him to her. After a rocky introduction to Molly's family, Scratch and Molly form a tentative friendship. Shortly thereafter, in the Ghost Realm, the level of misery in Brighton decreases slightly; the Ghost Council's Chairman notices this.

While initially antagonistic toward her, Scratch opens up to Molly with time, and their friendship strengthens.

In the second season, Scratch is named the new Chairman of the Ghost Council while a new ghost hunting family, the Chens, moves in across from the McGee's, and they have to keep the existence of ghosts a secret from them while trying to maintain their friendship.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Ashly Burch as Molly McGee
* Dana Snyder as Scratch
* Jordan Klepper as Pete McGee
* Sumalee Montano as Sharon McGee
* Michaela Dietz as Darryl McGee
* Lara Jill Miller as Libby Stein-Torres

## Episodes

See Also: List of The Ghost and Molly McGee Episodes

## Production

The animated series was first conceived by co-creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth in 2007. The two of them had worked at Disney for years, with their first ever script being an episode of Darkwing Duck. At the time, the series was known as The Curse of Piper McGee and initially focused on the titular girl's family moving to Transylvania where she was cursed by a vampiric ghoul simply named the Count. This version of the show was initially first pitched to Nickelodeon who passed on it. After fourteen years, the duo had completed work on Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures when Disney signed them an overall deal. They re-pitched the series, with the new title of The Curse of Molly McGee, where it got a positive response this time.

On July 23, 2019, Disney Channel greenlit the series, which was to be produced by Disney Television Animation, and executive-produced by Motz, Roth, and Steve Loter. On September 24, 2020, Ashly Burch and Dana Snyder joined the series in its lead roles. The same day, the series was retitled The Ghost and Molly McGee.

The crew used several songs as inspiration from the series. Motz released a playlist featuring those songs throughout 2020 and part of 2021.

## Release

The Ghost and Molly McGee premiered on Disney Channel on October 1, 2021. The first five episodes of the series were added to Disney+ on October 6, resulting in episodes 3-5 being released prior to their televised premieres. The first episode was uploaded to YouTube on October 2, 2021. The second season premiered on April 1, 2023, with the first five episodes of the season being released on Disney+ the following day.

## Reception

### Critical Response

Kate Robertson of Stuff described the main characters as a pair forming an "unlikely friendship" who help each other evolve, describing Molly as "an optimist who just wants to make the world a better place" and Scratch as a "pessimist who hopes for the worst," and stated that the series is "funny, charming and an all-round joy to watch." Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars and depicted it as a "funny ghost-girl buddy story... with mild ghoulish scares." She also stated that younger kids will be spooked when ghosts transform, but older kids will not, stated that ghosts are "a bit rough around the edges" and there is some cartoon violence. However, she stated that human characters act in a more positive manner, stated that the show's protagonist, Molly, is a "great role model", compared the series to Monsters, Inc. but called it a "charming, sweetly spooky animated series."