Before It Returns for Season 3, Catch Up on Milo Manheim's Supernatural Streaming Drama

There are two types of TV binges during winter: the creepy shows that make the long nights spookier or the cozy ones that dampen the chill. Paramount+'s School Spirits delivers the best of both worlds. Blending teenage drama with a supernatural whodunnit, the two released seasons hit all the right beats to send chills down your spine and warmth in your heart. With Season 3 on the way, there isn't a better time to catch up with Maddie's (Peyton List) ghostly antics, as the central mystery around the school's haunting deepens.

School Spirits follows a group of people who died on the school grounds and are stuck on the premises until they "cross over" to the other side. When Maddie dies, she and her newfound friends try to uncover the truth behind her death, as she is the only spirit with no recollection of her final moments. Additionally, she has a unique ability to speak with her alive best friend Simon (Kristian Ventura), complicating their journey to discover the truth even further.

'School Spirits' Delivers the Coziest Supernatural Murder Mystery

When you think of a group of dead people hanging out, the first show to come to mind would be Ghosts. One half of School Spirits is essentially a high school version of Ghosts, where the relationships between characters are rich, and the drama is hilarious. But this is wrapped in the prerequisite teenage angst, sarcasm, and wryness that crawls along high school hallways, even in the afterlife. Turns out, ghosts are not exempt from coming-of-age milestones, as Maddie is still ribbed about her crush on a certain jock, Wally (Milo Manheim), and friendship drama can still span across life and death.

Where School Spirits wildly departs from the sitcom feel of Ghosts is its murder mystery, which remains at the forefront in the first season and evolves into something more sinister in the second. The series contains surprisingly frightening scenes, ones that creep up on us with ominous red lights and echoes of high-pitched screams. These spookier components work with the coming-of-age tale, dramatizing ideas of forming your own identity, realizing adults aren't infallible, and navigating the endless cycle of loss and change.

By melting coziness and spookiness together, School Spirits perfectly encapsulates the teenage experience. Even if you're past high school, you'll be able to appreciate the rollercoaster of larger-than-life (and death) emotions that run amok in adolescence. The highs are rummaging through a costume box for your first prom, and the lows are watching your mother mourn you, each as charged and meaningful as the other. School Spirits manages to make ghostly haunts comforting, murders humorous, and lifelong friendships tragic.

Catch Up on 'School Spirits' Teenage Drama Ahead of Season 3

We can't have School Spirits without the ghosts stuck in a perpetual state of raging hormones at the school, and the performances are what make the show's dual-tone approach so inviting. Each ghost is from a different time, including Wally's classic '80s jock, the shy Charley (Nick Pugliese) from the '90s, who was bullied for his queerness, the '60s apathetic and eye-rolling Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin), and the '50s understanding chemistry teacher, Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman). Each also has their own tragic backstory, like snapping their neck just before reaching a touchdown or being preyed on by their guidance counselor. It makes for a vibrant and eclectic group whose awkward interactions and unlikely friendships are impossible not to root for.

At the center of this is Maddie's heart-aching romance with Wally, in which List and Manheim share palpable and light-hearted chemistry together despite the fact that they come from different eras and social groups. The only bond that potentially rivals that is Maddie's friendship with Simon, one filled with tragedy, love, and loyalty that we could only dream of in a best friend. With these two relationships being Maddie's tethers between the worlds of the dead and the living, we're exposed to an emotional tug-of-war that List pulls off with all the teenage melodrama and wit she can muster.

School Spirits is the best companion for a cool winter's night, one that will leave you unsettled and then envelop you in a warm, relatable hug. When you reach the cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, you won't have to wait long as the third season is right around the corner, preparing to flesh out these characters' fates while expanding the supernatural mysteries around the strange conditions of this school's limbo.