Netflix‘s new Ghostbusters TV show may try to replicate a successful Star Wars series. The upcoming animated show is an attempt to expand the iconic supernatural comedy franchise.

What Star Wars series is the Ghostbusters TV show trying to be like?

The Ghostbusters franchise is currently in need of a major revival to attract both longtime and new fans. It seems that the upcoming animated Netflix TV show, Ghostbusters: Night Shift, may do so in much the same way that the hit Star Wars animated series Clone Wars did, several years ago.

During an interaction with The Hollywood Reporter, the makers of Netflix’s Ghostbusters TV show discussed the challenges their project has to tackle to pull off something that The Clone Wars has already done for Star Wars.

Jason Reitman, who is the executive producer on the series, has promised that it will fit into the overall Ghostbusters timeline. “It’s only important if you’re concerned about space and time,” he said. “Night Shift is very specifically set within the larger context of the Ghostbusters stories. You’ll be able to watch the movies, come into the show, watch more movies and never miss a beat. It all links up.”

Similar to The Clone Wars, which introduced new elements for Star Wars fans, it appears the animated Ghostbusters series may do something similar. Rather than relying solely on nostalgia, it aims to give viewers something new to discover. Reitman added, “Audiences who already love Ghostbusters, they’re about to see a version of the story they’ve never seen before. And for anyone who’s never watched any of Ghostbusters, I can’t imagine a better entrance to the franchise.”

Starting in 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars went on to entertain fans of the space-based franchise for seven seasons. The series also introduced a set of new iconic characters such as Ahsoka, Captain Rex, and General Grievous. Many of these characters later appeared in live-action Star Wars projects while establishing new connective tissues in the franchise’s lore.

What The Clone Wars did so well was that it bridged the gap between George Lucas’ prequels and the original trilogy. That’s what Ghostbusters: Night Shift needs to do. It will try to fill the gap between Ivan Reitman’s 1980s original Ghostbusters films and the recent sequels, including Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Gil Kenan’s Frozen Empire.

Ghostbusters: Night Shift will premiere at some point in 2027.