Travel Channel

There’s nothing like hunting for the dead on a show that is live — and that takes us to one of the country’s most legendary spooky cities — Salem, Massachusetts — on the Travel Channel’s “Haunted Salem: Live,” a four-hour paranormal lover’s dream stakeout on Oct. 4.

Led by a team of the network’s biggest paranormal experts — Katrina Weidman and Jack Osbourne (“Portals to Hell”), Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and Chip Coffey (“Kindred Spirits”), Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey (“Ghost Brothers: Haunted Houseguests”), Dave Schrader and Cindy Kaza (“The Holzer Files”) — the immersive event will investigate the ghostly activity at three historic locations tied to the infamous Salem Witch trials.

And the coolest part? Through an on-location, live video stream, fans can monitor the activity on Travel Channel’s Facebook live feed and comment and tell the investigators, “Look out behind you!” and “Uhhhh… did you hear that?” if they feel inclined to help.

Also Read: Ghosts, Spirits and Spooks Take Over the Travel Channel for 'Ghostober'

“If there’s any place that has echoes of the past, it would probably be Salem,” Weidman told TheWrap. “On top of that, even just going off of eyewitness accounts, a lot of people have had paranormal experiences for centuries in Salem. So, is that all in their mind? Is it something more tangible? There’s a lot of debate about that, but I think the fact remains that for a very long time it’s really captured people’s imagination.”

Described as one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria in American history, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 19 of them (14 women and five men) were found guilty and executed by hanging in 1692-1693. An additional man was crushed to death for refusing to plead guilty and at least five more died in jail.

“We’re coming there to conjure up [spirits],” Coffey says. “This is a city that is deep and rich in history and, not all the history is like a pleasant, fun, happy kid’s dream. There’s that sad and supernatural connection in Salem. It’s… I don’t want to use the word funky, but I’m gonna use the word funky. There’s funky energy there.”

Also Read: Travel Channel Sets 'Ghostober' Lineup That Includes the Real 'Conjuring' House - Watch a Bone-Chilling Teaser (Video)

Locations around town being investigated include the Ipswich Gaol, where prisoners condemned to die for practicing witchcraft were held; the Proctor House — home of John Proctor, the first man accused and hanged for practicing witchcraft; and Rockafellas, the site of the original meeting house where over 150 people were accused and ordered to stand trial for practicing witchcraft.

The live-interactive element gives the viewer a chance to feel a part of the investigation. “We’ll have millions of extra eyes watching along who can let us know if anything is happening in the background,” Bruni, who will be investigating the Proctor House with Berry and Coffey, said.

Osbourne adds, “Everyone is along for the ride, which is kind of cool. I also think it pulls back a bit of the naysayers because they get to sit there and watch it as it’s happening. You know, we don’t fake stuff. I always find [that being live] is a great tool to kind of cut through a lot of the naysaying.”

All that may be true, but there are concerns that are more, shall we say, human.

“The downside is Katrina and I are going to have to be on our best behavior,” Osbourne joked. “Katrina and I tend to swear like pirates.”

“Haunted Salem: Live” airs Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT on Travel Channel.

Here Are 12 of TV's Best Halloween-Themed Episodes (Photos)

Since it's the spookiest time of year, TheWrap has rounded up some of TV's best Halloween-themed episodes (in no particular order) for your post-trick-or-treating binging.
NBC/Comedy Central/CBS
"How I Met Your Mother": "The Slutty Pumpkin"

The slutty pumpkin is a stand-out episode of Halloween-themed television, not only because of its adherence to the holiday, but because it became a piece of "HIMYM" lore, referenced throughout the sitcom's nine seasons and even inspiring a later Halloween episode titled "The Slutty Pumpkin Returns."
CBS
"Friends": "The One with the Halloween Party"

Who can forget Chandler's pink bunny costume a la "A Christmas Story"? or Ross's potato -- sorry, spud-nik -- outfit? And, yeah, Sean Penn was in this episode, too. All these things plus Rachel freaking out about her maternal instincts puts this episode in the Halloween history books.
NBC
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine": "Halloween III"

Of all of BK99's Halloween-themed episodes, an office poll brought the third incarnation to the top. In the 99th precinct's third annual Halloween Heist, the teams shake things up by looking for the same object for bragging rights and the title of Amazing Detective Slash Genius.
NBC
"The Office": "Halloween"

Though "The Office" has several Halloween-themed episodes throughout its nine seasons, the fifth episode of Season 2 was the first and remains a standout. Michael has to choose one person to lay off, and Jim and Pam try to get Dwight hired somewhere else.
NBC
"Community": "Epidemiology"

A zombie outbreak set to an endless loop of ABBA's greatest hits is all we need to say about this one.
NBC
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": "Who Got Dee Pregnant?"

Things got really scary for the boys at Paddy's Pub when they found out Dee was pregnant -- and suspect one of them could be the father.
FX
"Buffy": "Halloween"

Before getting deep into its dark Season 2 storyline, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" aired what is arguably the best of the series' three Halloween-centric episodes, simply titled "Halloween." The plot centered around the majority of the residents of Sunnydale all being turned into real-life versions of the costumes they were wearing. This included Buffy, Xander and Willow, who became a Victorian noblewoman, army sergeant and ghost, respectively. Don't worry, Giles, Cordelia and Angel found a way to work it all out in the end.
20th Century Fox
"South Park": "Hell on Earth 2006"

When Satan throws a members-only Halloween party in Los Angeles, Butters summons the ghost of Biggie Smalls. Late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin also shows up. It's an unforgettable night.
Comedy Central
"Glee": "Rocky Horror Glee Show"

The McKinley High Glee Club put on a production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" that even Sue Sylvester couldn't sabotage. Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf, both in the original 1975 movie musical, also make cameo appearances.
Fox
"Boy Meets World": "And Then There Was Shawn"

While this episode didn't air around Halloween, the homage to slasher films is good enough for us to allow it to make the list. Also, that janitor is plenty spooky enough for Halloween.
ABC
"Dawson's Creek": "The Scare"

It's Friday the 13th, and while Dawson is busy playing practical jokes on everyone, a serial killer is headed to Capeside. Let's just say things get creepy in the episode, which is a spin on Wes Craven's 1996 "Scream."
WB
"Roseanne": "Boo!"

This was the first Halloween-themed episode for the ABC sitcom back in 1989, and kicked off an annual tradition for the series. In this episode, Roseanne and Dan compete to see who is the spookiest and Roseanne tries to get Becky into the Halloween spirit.
ABC

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Because you need something to watch after all that trick-or-treating

Since it's the spookiest time of year, TheWrap has rounded up some of TV's best Halloween-themed episodes (in no particular order) for your post-trick-or-treating binging.

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