"Ghost of a Chance" is the first segment of the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated series based on the Garfield and U.S. Acres comic strips, Garfield and Friends. It originally aired on CBS on November 7, 1992 along with another segment titled Revenge of the Living Lunch!.
Plot[]
One night while watching TV, Garfield, Jon and Odie watch a program where experts theorize about a meeting place where all the ghosts in the world meet to figure out where to haunt. Garfield, not believing in what the program claims, changes the channel.
Meanwhile, in a unknown castle, a meeting of ghosts takes place, with the Ghost General asking for McCraven's presence. In response, McCraven, a small timid ghost, appears claiming that he is still scaring. A larger, more intimating ghost named Diablo then interrupts. Diablo claims that because of his small statue and timid personality, McCraven has not scared anyone at all. Wanting to keep his job, McCraven asks the general to give him one more chance, which he is granted.
Flying down into town, McCraven wonders if he can scare a cat; he ends up in Garfield's house. As Garfield looks in the kitchen for a snack, McCraven tries to scare him while he is eating. Garfield barely notices him and only asks him to pass the ketchup. Sobbing in defeat, McCraven sighs that he cannot scare anyone. Diablo then appears prove that he can be scary.
Going to bed, Garfield feels sorry for McCraven, stating that it takes more than Jon's cooking to scare him. Diablo then appears and scares him and Odie out of the house. He then scares Jon out of the house via phone call and claims the house as his own. Jon contacts the police and tells him in vain about the ghost. Jon is shocked at the result. Wondering how to get Diablo out of the house, McCraven appears, wanting to get rid of Diablo as well, as he is out of a job. When McCraven says the only way to defeat a ghost is to outscare him, Garfield gets an idea.
Back in the house, Diablo has just finished redecorating the house in his style when there is a knock on the door. He recognizes it as Garfield who tells him to turn on the TV to his "favorite show". He turns it on to the Buddy Bears and then Binky the Clown, both of which Diablo finds scary. Garfield then asks to put on more shows, causing Diablo run away. Grabbing Jon's portable TV, Garfield chases Diablo throughout the house with different television shows playing until he finally comes out of the house. Diabolo gives McCraven his job back before flying away. With his job and Garfield's house back, McCraven is still about not being scary to anyone. Garfield is delighted to help with the situation.
The next morning, Jon has finished cleaning up Diablo's mess. Although he does not know what actually happened, he is glad that the ordeal is over, claiming they will not see any ghosts for a while. Meanwhile, Garfield looks outside, where McCraven scares Herman Post with the portable television from Garfield.
Trivia[]
- At one point, Garfield considers hiring the Ghostbusters, only to realize that their show was cancelled.