School Ghosts Explained: Who Killed Peyton List’s Maddie Nears?

After decades of TV murder mysteries involving teenage girls, it’s virtually impossible to come up with a story that hasn’t been done before. But the Paramount+ series “School Spirits” attempted the impossible with its eight-episode first season, which follows high school student Maddie Nears (Peyton List) as she adjusts (or refuses to adjust) to the purgatory school she attends. is sent to the hereafter. The show’s supernatural premise already makes it pretty unique, but the season 1 finale also ups the ante with a big reveal: Maddie never really died.

Although this twist was foreshadowed in previous episodes, “School Spirits” leaves audiences hanging with the finale. It leaves just enough information to make fans scream, “What?!” without actually delving into the dark details surrounding Maddie, a ghost named Janet, and the chemistry teacher turned therapy group leader Mr. Martin. Below we’ve decoded the big moments of the final,…