The Good Place
"It is one of a kind and cannot be duplicated." That’s what the Doorman tells a demon-turned-good-guy about the otherworldly key that will unlock the portal to earth in the Season 3 premiere of NBC’s The Good Place. But it could also be said about the show itself, a true marvel on network television, full of humor, heart, and intelligence.
Superficially about where we go when we die, The Good Place is really about what it means to live a good life. Or as the end of Season 2 puts it, “What do we owe to each other?”
Season 4 – the final season – of The Good Place will premiere on September 26th, and the third season was just loaded onto Netflix. If you haven’t watched it before, basic storyline spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 lie ahead. You should absolutely watch The Good Place (the thirty-minute show, including commercials, also has short seasons, so it’s a quicker-than-usual binge). Now you just need to decide if you will read this review before or after you’ve caught up on the show.
When the series begins, we meet Eleanor (Kristen Bell, as fantastically sharp as we’ve ever seen her), as she wakes up in the good place, greeted by the architect of the heavenly neighborhood she will live in for an eternity. She is introduced to her soulmate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper) – everyone has a soulmate in the good place – and soon puts two-and-two together: the universe has made a mistake and confused her with another Eleanor. She’s not supposed to be in the good place. (One tip-off: every swear word she tries to say is replaced with a rhyming, innocuous one.)
Eleanor hides the mistake until she can’t any longer, and then she enlists the help of Chidi. He agrees, but only if she’ll take ethics lessons with him. As they study together, they grow closer and share the burden of keeping her secret from the neighborhood’s architect, Michael, who is played by the incomparable Ted Danson. Two other residents – Jason and Tahani – are involved in most storylines in this first season, and by the end of the thirteen episodes, you learn the biggest twist of an already twisty show: the architect Michael is actually the demon Michael. The good place they know is actually a new sort of bad place he’s created just for these four humans. Holy mother forking shirtballs!
Here’s the thing – this plot might sound convoluted and maybe even contrived. It’s anything but. The Good Place is one of the smartest, if not the smartest, shows on television, with so many philosophical references, puns, and other witty asides, each episode begs for a repeat viewing. But creator Mike Schur threw in another compelling reason to watch: characters you really care about and who really grow to care about each other.
Many fans wondered how The Good Place could possibly top the reveal of the first season, and it did so by coming back and making each episode in Season 2 its own cliffhanger of sorts. As the characters try to outsmart Michael, they also continue to study philosophy, and eventually – due to a higher demon Michael is trying to thwart – Michael himself joins their motley crew and begins his own evolution into goodness. By Season 3, he’s fully in the good-guy camp.
The Good Place is never preachy, but it is always thought-provoking. The writers haven’t tipped their hand on which philosophy they think is the ultimate pass into heaven, but they do demonstrate week after week that the personal evolution we each should be striving for is improvement in how we treat others and how we treat ourselves.
(And I haven’t even mentioned the brilliance of Janet, a sort of Alexa-come-alive AI who inhabits the good place and helps the residents with anything they need. At first Janet seemed to only be there to help propel the plot and punchlines, but played by D’Arcy Carden, she quickly became one of the emotional centers of the show.)
I didn’t think it was possible to laugh like this while reflecting on my own weaknesses, especially while sitting on my couch. But The Good Place has done just that – entertained me more than most and enlightened me more than most. I can’t wait for what its final chapter has in store for its characters and viewers.
There are too many think-pieces on what makes The Good Place so good to share just one, but I would recommend listening to the official podcast of the show. Hosted by Mark Evan Jackson – whose performance as Shawn on the show deserves its own write-up – each episode of the podcast breaks down each episode of the show. You’re treated to how the actors felt about and prepared for scenes, and the philosophies and jokes the writers shared while working.
Creator Mike Schur also worked on Brooklyn 99 and Parks & Recreation, so he knows a lot about the study of the pursuit of goodness. (He’s famously one of the most admired television producers in Hollywood.) He also played Mose Schrute – Dwight’s cousin – on The Office. Yes, this man created the best show on television…
The Good Place airs on NBC. Seasons 1 to 3 are on Netflix, and I watch it weekly on Hulu.
