I’m not one to binge-watch shows. I have the attention span of a walnut (meaning I don’t have one at all). But of course, the weekend before a big exam, a Netflix comedy caught my attention and absorbed all my time. Sorry, schoolwork, but there’s a new sheriff in town. In fact, there’s a new town altogether. Its name? “The Good Place.”
What
“The Good Place” is a fantasy-comedy from the mind of Michael Schur. You may be more familiar with his work on “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” three shows for which he served as a writer.
“The Good Place” takes place in—you guessed it—the Good Place, where 322 individuals who lived philanthropic and selfless lives on earth can spend their post-mortem days in peace. Our protagonist, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) spends the first episode touring the neighborhood, sampling frozen yogurt and receiving praise for her lifetime dedication to impoverished children in third-world countries. Once she enters her modernist house, she meets her soulmate—Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), a former professor of ethics. Everything seems perfect by the end of the pilot.
Except, it turns out the Eleanor that we’ve been following around is a selfish alcoholic with sociopathic tendencies. What’s worse, her presence in the Good Place is tearing apart the fabric of the frozen yogurt-loving milieu.
Not wanting to be found out and sent to the Bad Place, Eleanor enlists Chidi’s help in learning how to be a better person through the power of ethics.
Who
The cast of characters, which is made up of veteran and first-time actors, provides the show with fantastic depth that many fantasy comedies don’t quite achieve. Eleanor’s tour guide and the head of this Good Place is Michael, played by “Cheers” bartender Ted Danson. Michael’s right-hand “not-a-girl” and “not-a-robot” is Janet (D’Arcy Carden), an omniscient AI whose purpose is to make everyone’s experience in the Good Place perfect.
Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto) and Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) round out the cast as Chidi and Eleanor’s neighbors and foils. Where Jianyu is calm and silent, Chidi is stomach-churning nervousness and babbling anxiety. And, where Tahani is gracious and selfless, Eleanor is self-destructive and selfish.
Why
“The Good Place” isn’t your everyday sitcom.
Okay, I’m sure you’ve heard that a lot with a bunch of different shows, but you have to trust me on this one.
Unlike most comedies, which use conflicts to raze and rebuild relationships in perfect 30-minute segments, “The Good Place” features an overarching plot that adds just a drop of drama to the show’s extravagant humor. Each episode patches up one issue, yes, but five more unravel in its wake. And when you get to the end of season one… let’s just say, you should avoid spoilers until you’re all caught up. Video essayist Ideas At Play explains it best (without spoilers, too) in his video, “How THE GOOD PLACE Redefines the Sitcom.”
So if you’re still on the fence about whether or not the show is worth your time, check out Ideas At Play’s video. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find out that “The Good Place” can become your Good Place.
Where
New episodes of “The Good Place” air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. (EST) on NBC. You can catch seasons one and two on Netflix.