A&E rebooting Ghost Hunters as part of paranormal push

The Hollywood Reporter

The Syfy paranormal reality show that aired from 2004 to 2016 is returning on Aug. 21 thanks to a 20-episode order from A&E, which has also obtained the rights to all 230 past episodes. The Ghost Hunters revival is part of a slew of new paranormal series, including Trey the Texas Medium, special The World’s Biggest Ghost Hunt, and reboots of Psychic Kids and Celebrity Ghost Stories. The original series averaged as much as 3 million viewers per episode during its heyday. Ghost Hunters investigator Grant Wilson will return for the reboot.“Paranormal worked really well for us in the past,” Elaine Frontain Bryant, A&E Networks' executive vice president and head of programming, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It feels like it’s a time in the country where there’s a trend for people to be spiritual without being overly religious. I think paranormal programming can feed that, while being entertainment-forward.” Bryant adds: “We’ve ensured it’s going to please the die-hard fans. The show is about helping people. The original Ghost Hunters could have been on A&E back in the day. A lot of A&E programming is about searching for the truth and emotional closure. And you could say that for a lot of these shows.”