‘Ghost Hunters’ Fans Want the ‘Old’ Jason Back
There is a wealth of paranormal reality TV shows available on television. From shows that detail haunted locations to innovative documentary-style shows with a colorful cast of characters, there is no lack of spooky content for every avid paranormal aficionado.
One of the biggest paranormal shows of all time is Ghost Hunters, a series that, for many, redefined what a ghost-centric television show should look like. Although the show ended its historic run in 2016, it has recently been renewed for a revival — although missing some of the older cast members.
Recently, some fans on Reddit discussed one of Ghost Hunters‘ original stars, and how much he has changed over the years.
When did ‘Ghost Hunters’ premiere on television?
When Ghost Hunters debuted on television in 2004, the premise was totally original. A team of amateur paranormal investigators, who worked as plumbers during the day, would set out to explore various haunted locations at night.
The team, known as The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) would utilize high-tech equipment in order to try to record any instances of paranormal activity at the sites that they visited.
The two lead investigators, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, were front and center in the early years of the show. They met with property owners prior to the haunted stakeout, learning as much as they could about the history and circumstances of the haunting. Therefore, many fans felt as though they were on a journey right along with the TAPS team.
Ghost Hunters achieved almost instant popularity, and many viewers tuned in weekly to uncover the latest haunted phenomena.
‘Ghost Hunters’ was recently revitalized
During its original run, Ghost Hunters spawned several popular spinoffs, including Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy. However, the original series remained far and away the most popular.
Over the years, the style of the show shifted somewhat, from a docu-soap show that often featured intimate footage of Hawes and Wilson’s personal lives to a more documentary-style format.
In October 2016, Ghost Hunters ended its first, historic run. While fans were disappointed, they didn’t have long to wait before some good news came of it, and the series was officially revived in early 2019, albeit with a shakeup in the cast and crew.
Jason Hawes, the co-founder of TAPS, did not appear in the new series revival. Furthermore, the revival doesn’t reference TAPS at all, although it frequently makes mention of older episodes or instances of haunting that had been captured in the show’s previous seasons. Instead, Hawes went on to work on his own project, Ghost Nation, a show completely unrelated to Ghost Hunters.
Fans noticed a huge difference in Jason Hawes
Ghost Nation is doing well on the Travel Channel, and Jason Hawes is clearly living his best life. However, some fans are still nostalgic for the way things were. Recently, some fans took to Reddit to discuss how different Hawes seems on his new show compared to his persona on Ghost Hunters.
As one poster stated, “I’ve noticed Jason is more ready to say “haunted” now, rather than give rational explanations. One of the reasons I loved the old Ghost Hunters was because they went to great lengths to debunk and find explanations.”
Another fan pointed out that “his personality just seems different. He seems very bland now, like all the personality was drained from him.” Many seemed to agree that it could come down to Hawes being older and that he might not love his work as he did in the past.
Reddit fans also complained about the slow pacing on Ghost Nation and the “boring” story points. While Hawes might always be a rock star in the world of spooky TV shows, he definitely seems to have lost some of his signature sparkle.
