“I see dead people” may be a cliché and a punchline now thanks to M. Night Shyamalan, but it’s also been an irresistible hook for movies. From Patrick Swayze loving Demi Moore from grave in Ghost to Eva Longoria yelling in the abominable Over Her Dead Body, ghosts have a way of making their presence known in all kinds of comedy. The latest entry into this grave kind of comedy—OK, OK, bad pun, I know—is Ghost Town, the first feature starring vehicle for British Office star Ricky Gervais.

The first trailer for Ghost Town is now available at the movie’s official site, well in advance of its September release date. Gervais is in a familiar role as a regular schlub who is also kind of a jerk, a dentist who delights in inconveniencing others for his own benefit. But when he dies for seven minutes during a surgery and is brought back to life, he has the inconvenient ability to see dead people, all of whom want him to do them a favor. Prominent among them is a guy played by Greg Kinnear, who wants to keep his ex-wife/widow (Tea Leoni) from marrying a jerk.

The cast looks great, the jokes are funny, and I’m a sucker for on-location New York City filming. If you’ve worn out your DVDs of the British Office, Ghost Town might be a good bet for this fall.