The creators of the hit CBS comedy "Ghosts"are expanding their undead universe with a new vampire comedy.
As USA TODAY's exclusive reveal of the first trailer for "Eternally Yours" proves, executive producers Joe Portand Joe Wiseman are raising the comedic stakes with a series that blows the coffin lid off of passionate vampire love.
"We all know those scenes in 'Twilight' where Bella [Kristen Stewart] desperately wants to be turned into a vampire," Wiseman tells USA TODAY of the classic YA vampire movie franchise. "We thought it's funny that people don't think about the long-term consequences of coming together forever and sticking together through the centuries. It can be pretty annoying."
The "Eternally Yours" trailer shows Liz (Allegra Edwards)
before being made undead, just loving the little cough coming from her vampire lover Charles (Ed Weeks) during a 16th-century make-out session.
"Charles, I want to wake up to that throat clear till the end of time," Liz says sweetly, before Charles passionately takes the life-transforming bite out of her neck.
Fast-forward five centuries later to modern-day Seattle, and Liz is forever banging her head hearing her husband's persistent little cough. The two cannot get divorced due to vampire law, so they settle into routine life with their coven – daughter Emma (Helen J. Shen) along with hunky vampire Jesse (Parker Young) and Jesse's unknowing human wife Phyllis (Rose Abdoo).
Things really start to bite when Emma meets a non-vampire guy, Max (Jaren Lewison). It's a bloody shame she has a secret vampire family.
"Well, life is tough, and then you continue to not die," an exasperated Charles tells his daughter.
Parker Young). (Bottom row, L-R) Phyllis's sons Henry (Shylo Molina) and Mort (Tristan Michael Brown).
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'Ghosts' creators wrote 'Eternally Yours' first. The throat-clearing annoyance is real
Port and Wiseman actually wrote the first "Eternally Yours" script a decade ago before "Ghosts." The vampire concept helped the duo land executive producing job for the supernatural comedy "Ghosts," now heading into its sixth season – starring Rose McIver as spirit-seeing Samantha and Utkarsh Ambudkar as her non-spirit-seeing husband, Jay, who run a haunted B&B.
CBS finally greenlit "Eternally Yours" in 2021 amid the haunting "Ghosts" success.
"It's a dream that you can pull a script out and resurrect it," says Port. "It's still taken re-imagining and rewriting, but it's not like this script came out of nowhere."
The pages are partially infused with inspiration from the decades-long writing relationship between Port and Wiseman. The duo started working on the comedy "New Girl" and have worked together for 26 years.
"My wife wants to be clear that 'Eternally Yours' is not based on our marriage, and loves that it's more based on my writing relationship," says Port. "My personal pet peeve is actually [Joe] Wiseman clearing his throat. I never found it adorable, but it did get worse over the years. That very same thing is what annoys Liz about Charles 500 years later."
"I sometimes have acid reflux, and sometimes I get accused of making that throat clearing sound on purpose," Wiseman admits. "We've been stuck together for 26 years, so that was sort of the inspiration."
Weeks, best known as Dr. Jeremy Reed in the Fox/Hulu comedy series "The Mindy Project," was a natural for the throat-challenged head of the vampire household. "Ed Weeks was the voice in our head writing this," says Port.
Edwards was a natural for vampire-wifey Liz, especially after showing her comedic chops guest-starring as Donna, a spirit wrongly accused of killing her husband, on "Ghosts."
New vampire rules in 'Eternally Yours'
"Eternally Yours" allows for a new undead world with rules being revealed and adapted from the longtime vampire canon. The coven scream together at the TV while re-watching "Twilight." ("Go for the werewolf!" Liz yells.) Vampires can drink blood, in this case purchased off Craigslist from a human (who doesn't ask a lot of questions). And they need to be invited into a new home. More universe rules will be revealed as the season progresses.
"We learned a good lesson from 'Ghosts.' We don't have to establish every single vampire rule from the get-go," says Port "It's fun learning about and expanding different elements of the vampire world as we go."
The vampire world even allows for the unholy possibility of a "Ghosts" and "Eternally Yours" crossover.
"Unlike ghosts on 'Ghosts,' vampires can leave the property, and they do go on vacation," says Port. "Maybe one day these vampires might stay in a certain haunted Airbnb."
How to watch 'Eternally Yours'
"Eternally Yours" premieres Oct. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Eternally Yours' shows vampire love bites in CBS 'Ghosts' expansion | Exclusive
