Ghosts delivered a cliffhanger in the final moments of Season 5 in the 2025 TV schedule with the arrival of some mysterious entities, and fans unfortunately have a long wait before resolution comes in the 2026 TV schedule. That said, co-showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman did tease something that won’t spoil any cliffhangers: the arrival of Young Sheldon vet Iain Armitage. While Ghosts and the first Big Bang Theory spinoff are certainly very different shows, the bosses shared why the actor’s arrival at Woodstone will be fun for Young Sheldon fans as well as regular Ghosts viewers.
News initially broke back in early December that Iain Armitage, a big Ghosts fan himself, had manifested himself a guest role on the sitcom for the new year. According to Joe Port, the showrunners were as invested in casting the young actor as he was in coming on board in a role. Speaking with TV Insider, Port said:
He’s a long-time, very supportive fan of the show. We’ve been looking for a way to get him on the show, and so we were fortunate that that worked out.
So, how exactly has it finally “worked out” for the former CBS star to make his return to the network for Ghosts, for an episode that will air nearly a full year after the Young Sheldon finale? Early details were that he would be playing a heightened version of himself rather than a new character, similar to what Mayim Bialik – another veteran of the Big Bang Theory TV universe – did on NBC’s Night Court.
The fictionalized version of Iain Armitage was said to be participating in a high-stakes poker game. Joe Port shed some more light, saying that he’s “sort of the celebrity of our Molly’sGame-type poker game that we have going on.” If you’d asked me if I ever expected Ghosts to go in a Molly’s Game direction with the teenage Young Sheldon star at the center, I certainly wouldn’t have predicted it!
This isn’t an episode designed for Molly’s Game fans, however. Co-showrunner Joe Wiseman weighed in on how Armitage’s appearance on Ghosts will come across to Young Sheldon devotees, saying:
I think everyone should tune in. It’s a fun way for him to sort of play a comedic version of himself, but I think fans of both shows would enjoy seeing him.
Unfortunately, fans of both shows are in for a wait before seeing Iain Armitage playing “Iain Armitage” on Ghosts, and not just because the sitcom won’t return to CBS’ primetime lineup until late February. While the episode featuring the Young Sheldon alum was filming in December, it’s not scheduled to air until April 16, 2026. Considering how much of a fan Armitage is of the spooky sitcom, hopefully there will be some fun behind-the-scenes posts as the episode approaches.
Ghosts series regular Danielle Pinnock already posted a throwback to her own guest appearance on Young Sheldon. Take a look:
Danielle Pinnock and the rest of the Ghosts cast will finally return to CBS on Thursday, February 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET, following Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage as usual. The long break is presumably due to the Winter Olympics taking over primetime during most of February, but fans at least don’t have to worry that the delay will affect the odds of a sixth season.
Ghosts was renewed for both Season 5 and Season 6 earlier this year. As the wait continues, you can revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
