The School Spirits cast discusses season three, the shocking season 2 finale, and what viewers can expect next, in this interview.
School Spirits season 3 is just around the corner, with the first three episodes hitting Paramount Plus on January 28th. The season 2 finale ended on what is arguably the biggest cliffhanger to date: Maddie may be back in her body, but Simon has become trapped on the other side after entering Mr. Martin’s scar. The best friends have been able to communicate even after Maddie began haunting Split River High, but whether that line of communication will stay open remains an unanswered question.
According to the official synopsis, the new episodes will plunge the characters “into a deeper, darker mystery as the veil between worlds grows dangerously thin, delivering twists that challenge everything they thought they knew.” With Wally potentially crossing over, Xavier and Nicole discovering they’re in a You’ve Got Mail–style situation, and Mr. Martin’s motives growing even more puzzling, season 3 has no shortage of storylines to explore.
Ahead of the premiere, Mama’s Geeky caught up with cast members Nick Pugliese, Sarah Yarkin, Jennifer Tilly, Josh Zuckerman, Spencer MacPherson, Kiara Prichardo, Rainbow Wedell, Miles Elliot, and Ci Hang Ma to chat about that shocking finale and what viewers can expect when the show returns.
The Living Will Feel Simon’s Absence In School Spirits Season 3
Q: If you were a ghost, and you could move one item in the school to mess with people, what would it be?
Spencer MacPherson: I would move a piece of chalk into the chalk eraser, and then when the teacher goes to erase, they draw on the chalkboard.
Kiara Prichardo: I would hide the key to somewhere important.
Rainbow Wedell: Like the principal’s key?
Kiara Prichardo: Yeah, principal’s key, or the vending machine key, or something crazy that they’re like, “Wait, I need this to work.”
Spencer MacPherson: We’re all kind of making their lives really difficult. Rainbow, let’s see what you do.
Rainbow Wedell: I would want to move where the water fountain nozzle is, so then it always sprays somewhere different.
Sarah Yarkin: I’d move the front door.
Nick Pugliese: Yeah, I was going to say the whole space.
Sarah Yarkin: I would move a Whole Foods inside of it. So I could eat.
Nick Pugliese: It’d be something with one of the teachers. Like, I move their class book or something. So then they’re like, where do I put it?
Sarah Yarkin: Nick, that’s a great plot line, where’d my book go? It’s good that you’re not writing on the show.
Miles Elliot: I feel like I’d take all the food out of the vending machine. That would suck. You show up to school and there’s no food.
Ci Hang Ma: I think I would levitate the vending machine off the ground for several seconds for people to actually see. And then drop it.
Q: We’ve got to talk about the season 2 finale, because I think it shocked me more than the first finale. You no longer have Simon on Team Human. How does it feel to go into season 3 with that separation?
Spencer MacPherson: I feel naked and afraid. I mean, he was my rock, and I feel lost.
Rainbow Wedell: There’s definitely something missing going on to set, and him not being there, and then we would pass each other and be like, “Whoa.”
Kiara Prichardo: And we would wave all sad and missing each other.
Rainbow Wedell: And it definitely changes the group dynamic in the show as well.
Spencer MacPherson: But we have Peyton, and that’s a win.
Q: I am all for the Nicole and Xavier…relationship? Romance? I don’t know quite what it is, but I’m here for it. What is it that made them able to open up to one another only because they didn’t know who they were talking to?
Kiara Prichardo: I think it was kind of like that show where they get to know each other behind a wall.
Spencer MacPherson: Love is Blind?
Kiara Prichardo: Yeah, Love is Blind. Where you kind of connect with them for who they are and not how they look. But in this case, it was more so like, “Wait, no, this person is my best friend’s ex, and I’m her best friend.” And I think I could say for the both of us, they wouldn’t do that to Maddie. And I don’t think he would do it again.
Spencer MacPherson: Yeah, I think my track record’s a little dicey. So Xavier probably appreciates having the friend and the confidant. But he’s got to work on himself.
Kiara Prichardo: Even though Nicole knows that his favorite movie was Princess Diaries.
Q: Claire had a lot of realizations about Maddie last season. What is their relationship going to look like now that she’s back?
Rainbow Wedell: It is amazing having her back. They had a past, and then they didn’t speak for a long time, so being able to resolve that—and then they became friends without ever speaking, because Maddie was a ghost. They built this friendship, but she could never see her. So actually having those conversations was really good to rebuild that friendship even stronger now.
Q: Lastly, the season 1 finale was mind-blowing, the season 2 finale was even more mind-blowing. How are people going to feel after season 3?
Rainbow Wedell: It’s the most mind-blowing. You’re definitely on the edge of your seat the entire time.
Kiara Prichardo: Yeah. On a scale of one to ten, if season two was an eight, this is a ten.
Spencer MacPherson: It’s awesome. Just as a fan of the show, I can’t wait to watch it all cut together.
Josh Zuckerman Hopes Viewers Will Feel Sympathetic Towards Mr. Martin
Q: If you could move one object in the school as a spirit, what would you move to mess with people?
Josh Zuckerman: Toilets? I would move toilets.
Jennifer Tilly: I guess so. People would be very disturbed if they went into the stall and there was nothing there.
Josh Zuckerman: Or maybe they’re really in a rush, and then they run in there and then they do their business, but they realize there’s nothing.
Jennifer Tilly: I was going to say I would move the school bus because I think it would be very exciting to see the school bus flying through the air. Especially since there was a terrible school bus accident in previous episodes. The bigger the better when it comes to telekinesis.
Q: What were your reactions when you saw that Simon was going to join the spirit world at the end of season 2?
Josh Zuckerman: I mean, I had more and more and more questions, which is how we feel kind of after every episode. But I have more questions. I have more questions when we’re reading it. I had no idea what the answer was. Why was Simon in there? And how did he get in there? And where do we go from here? The actors are just as curious as the viewers as to where we’re going to go.
Jennifer Tilly: I love a good cliffhanger. And I think the thing about this script is you have no idea what is going to happen next. And you have no idea where the writer’s fertile imagination is going to take you. And anything can happen because the writing is so fresh and unexpected.
Q: Jennifer, your character is new this season, so what was your first impression of her when you read the script?
Jennifer Tilly: When I first read the script, I thought, “There’s something very sinister about Dr. Hunter-Price.” I know she was just kind of taking charge, but I thought, “There’s something about the way that she talks and the way that she talks down to Principal Hartman, that very nice Principal Hartman, that she’s really not a very nice person.
And then obviously, as the season progressed, I found out my initial inclination was right. And she’s really slightly evil, as well as being greedy, narcissistic, and a bad mother. So these are all the things that are near and dear to my heart. I love to play characters like this.
Q: Mr. Martin is such a complicated character. I could not figure out how I felt about him in season 1. How has your opinion of Mr. Martin changed as you filmed over the years?
Josh Zuckerman: I’ve become increasingly sympathetic to Mr. Martin as we learn more and more about his backstory. I hope that everyone feels the same way. He is really at the center of a lot of questions that viewers will have.
And it’s really fun to kind of tie everything together that’s happened with the answers that we’re getting in season 3. I think we’ve really enjoyed people not being sure whether he’s a good guy or bad guy or what his motivations are. But everything ties in together really nicely and honors his story and kind of plays into everyone else’s dynamics, as well.
Be sure to check out our full interview with the School Spirits cast.
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Rachel has been professionally screaming about TV for a decade. Most recently, she served as the Network TV Host at Screen Rant, where she spent five years conducting interviews and reporting on the latest in film and television. Based in Los Angeles, Rachel is dedicated to asking the questions fans most want answered (because she probably wants them answered, too). She hopes to help keep appointment television alive by celebrating the shows that have viewers excited to turn on their TV at 8pm.