A haunting return to Split River High
Late January saw Split River High come back to life — in a spectral way — as Paramount+ released Season 3 of School Spirits. The Megan and Nate Trinrud-created series resumed a year after its last cliffhanger, picking up Peyton List’s Maddie Nears in the wake of escalating supernatural stakes. The new season promised fresh mysteries, new faces (including Jennifer Tilly in an antagonistic turn) and a darker, more overtly horror-leaning tone.
The premise, in case you missed it
School Spirits launched in 2023 as a genre blend of teen drama and supernatural mystery. Its core conceit:
- Maddie Nears (Peyton List) is a teenager who dies under suspicious circumstances and becomes trapped in the liminal space of her high school.
- The series follows Maddie and other stuck souls who form a support group while unraveling the circumstances of their deaths and the rules that bind them.
- By the end of Season 2, Maddie had managed to return to her body, but several character fates remained unresolved — threads Season 3 aims to pick up.
The show’s mix of adolescent storytelling and ghostly suspense positioned it as a tonal cousin to shows that blend youthful drama with genre elements.
Season 3 rollout and tonal shift
Season 3 opened with a three-episode premiere that initially drew viewers and briefly pushed the show into Paramount+’s Top 10. Critics and many fans noticed a deliberate shift toward more explicit horror across those episodes. That evolution is echoed in reviews that praise the series for expanding its palette from emotional teen stories to scarier, higher-stakes supernatural set pieces.
Key production credits:
- Creators: Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud
- Notable directors: Hannah Macpherson, Brian Dannelly, Max Winkler, Oran Zegman
- Writers: Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud, Oliver Goldstick, Nandita Seshadri
- Series debut: March 9, 2023
- Rating/Genres: TV-MA; Mystery, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural
School Spirits is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Viewership: a promising start, then a steep drop
Despite the strong opening, the series’ visibility on Paramount+ declined quickly after the premiere week. Data compiled by FlixPatrol shows School Spirits vacating the platform’s global Top 10, supplanted by long-running hits such as South Park, Tulsa King, and Yellowstone. The series remains present on some U.S. lists, but its global footprint has diminished since the initial surge.
Because new episodes are released weekly, the show will continue to bring viewers back each week through its Season 3 finale on March 4 — but whether that pace can rebuild broad chart momentum is uncertain.
Critical reception remains strong
Audience and critic sentiment has stayed largely positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the series maintains a high approval rating (91% reported), reflecting broad appreciation for its blend of emotion and genre play. In Collider, Jasneet Singh scored the first three episodes 8/10 and noted the show’s effective pivot toward more overt horror:
“In the first three episodes, School Spirits Season 3 is clearly gearing up for some kind of supernatural chaos, and its approach thus far has been effective. For a series that prioritized teenage stories through a supernatural lens, it’s a bold move to strike out into more overt horror, but it’s working in the show’s favor. If the series continues down this path, Season 3 could potentially become the strongest and scariest installment yet.”
Why viewership might be slipping — and why that doesn’t end the story
Several factors can influence a serialized series’ chart performance, and none alone proves a program is failing:
- Competition: Established franchises and long-running comedies/dramas routinely dominate streaming charts, making it harder for newer series to maintain top positions.
- Release strategy: Weekly episode drops create a different viewing pattern than binge releases; initial bursts may be followed by quieter weeks between episodes.
- Niche positioning: School Spirits’ hybrid of teen drama and horror appeals strongly to a certain audience but may not achieve the broad crossover that tops global charts.
None of these considerations undermines the creative case critics are making: the show appears to be growing into a bolder, scarier iteration of itself, which could strengthen word-of-mouth as the season progresses.
The outlook: can School Spirits rebound?
With positive critical response, a committed core audience, and weekly installments leading to a March 4 finale, School Spirits has multiple avenues to regain momentum. If the serialized mystery heightens and the horror elements pay off, late-season episodes — and post-finale conversations — could broaden the show’s reach. For now, it’s a series with strong reviews and a shrinking chart presence, but also with time to convert critical acclaim into sustained viewer engagement.