Getting Spooky with the ‘School Spirits’ Cast

School Spirits is back, and the stakes have never been higher. Picking up after the shocking events of the Season 1 finale (“Madison’s Body”), the sophomore season of Paramount+’s YA drama centers on teenage Maddie Nears (Peyton List) as she continues to navigate “high school purgatory.”

With the help of her friends — both living and dead — she attempts to unravel an even more complex mystery that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew. As if adolescence wasn’t tough enough already!

The series is created by Nate and Megan Trinrud, with Thomas Higgins (13 Reasons Why) and showrunner Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Bridgerton) serving alongside the duo as executive producers. List is also a producer. In addition to List, it stars Milo Manheim (Wally Clark), Nick Pugliese (Charley), Sarah Yarkin (Rhonda), Josh Zuckerman (Mr. Martin), Spencer MacPherson (Xavier Baxter), Rainbow Wedell (Claire Zomer), Kiara Pichardo (Nicole Herrera), and Kristian Ventura (Simon Elroy).

“The second season feels relentless in a really good way — it has you on the edge of your seat,” Zuckerman tells The Nerds of Color. “It’s not just for shock value. It furthers the audience’s relationship to these characters and their journeys.”

Season 2 also continues to develop the budding romance between Maddie and Wally, a pairing that quickly became a fan-favorite last season. However, don’t expect the road ahead to be easy for these two.

“Their relationship is taken to a whole other level,” List teases. “There’s a lot of fun scenes between the characters, and I’m excited for people to see them.”

“Every aspect of the show gets deeper and more layered and more nuanced,” Manheim adds. “As Season 2 goes on, [Wally’s] love gets stronger, but his confusion [also] gets stronger and his frustration grows. It’s a paradoxical situation, if you will.”

To celebrate the new season, the NOC chatted with the School Spirits cast about their reactions to that twist in the Season 1 finale, all the new characters and dynamics introduced this season, and their own real-life paranormal experiences. Watch the full interview below: