In my mid-teens I discovered my interest in philosophy. It’s not something I’ve pursued much, but I make sure to dip my toe into philosophical thought every now and again to keep my mind active. It was quite the surprise then when my girlfriend suggested we watch The Good Place, a show I had vaguely heard of in online discourse, that I found what felt like a comedy show created just for my philosophical nerdy side.
Although the premise of the show evolves significantly over its four seasons, The Good Place starts out with the death of Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) and her arrival in ‘The Good Place’, a peaceful afterlife for those who have shown strong moral fibre and a desire to help their fellow man. Eleanor is placed in a neighbourhood with people who have a lot in common with herself by Good Place architect Michael (Ted Danson), Eleanor befriends philanthropist and socialite, Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil), and Buddhist monk, Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto), as well as being introduced to her soul mate, ethics professor Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper). There’s only one problem, Eleanor isn’t a good person, and she’s been put in the Good Place by mistake. When it’s revealed that Jianyu also doesn’t belong, instead being a petty criminal by the name of Jason Mendoza, Chidi agrees to help the two of them become better people so that they may earn their spot in the Good Place. But when the Good Place starts malfunctioning, Michael begins to suspect that some of the residents may not be who they say they are.
Although the premise of the show evolves significantly over its four seasons, The Good Place starts out with the death of Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) and her arrival in ‘The Good Place’, a peaceful afterlife for those who have shown strong moral fibre and a desire to help their fellow man. Eleanor is placed in a neighbourhood with people who have a lot in common with herself by Good Place architect Michael (Ted Danson), Eleanor befriends philanthropist and socialite, Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil), and Buddhist monk, Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto), as well as being introduced to her soul mate, ethics professor Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper). There’s only one problem, Eleanor isn’t a good person, and she’s been put in the Good Place by mistake. When it’s revealed that Jianyu also doesn’t belong, instead being a petty criminal by the name of Jason Mendoza, Chidi agrees to help the two of them become better people so that they may earn their spot in the Good Place. But when the Good Place starts malfunctioning, Michael begins to suspect that some of the residents may not be who they say they are.
The Good Place is forking hilarious (you’ll get it if you’ve seen the show) and is by far one of the best comedy shows I have ever seen. The first season alone is arguably one of the best seasons of a TV show I’ve ever watched, and whilst I feel the overall quality of the show does slightly deteriorate after the midpoint of Season Two, it’s still extremely high quality for the entire fifty-three episode run.
I’m not usually one for American comedies as it usually devolves into seeing who can shout the stupidest thing the loudest to make up for a general lack of talented scriptwriters, but The Good Place manages to earn its often loud and stupid humour by having the context to the joke be incredibly intellectual and philosophically complex. Bringing forth genuine ethical quandaries such as the widely known and studied ‘Trolley Problem’ but having it be debated by people who are either too dumb to understand it, or too cruel to care. You don’t have to be well versed in ethical studies to get the jokes either as everything is always presented to you as though this will be your first time encountering it (with some things the show presents being the first time I had encountered such thought experiments), then you’ll have time to figure out your own opinion on what you think is the right thing to do but the punchline lies in how Eleanor and Jason in particular would solve these kinds of problems. Its dumb humour executed with intelligence, and the entire series bases all of its comedy around that idea. Whilst it may not always be ethical problems our characters come up against, rest assured that behind every crude sexual innuendo is something genuinely smart.
The ever-evolving nature of the narrative keeps it from becoming stale too quickly either because every few episodes the writers throw a spanner into the works, which is usually both incredibly funny, and often entirely unpredictable. You’ll likely have a lot of questions when the show gets off the starting blocks, but before long you’ll not only have answers to all of those questions, but you’ll have entirely new ones to keep you coming back. It’s all wrapped up nicely with a wonderful finale that gives justice to each of the characters you’ve grown to know and love over the course of the show. So, it’s even better to know that you can start this show with the knowledge that there’s a definitive end point, and it’s a great one too.
I’m not usually one for American comedies as it usually devolves into seeing who can shout the stupidest thing the loudest to make up for a general lack of talented scriptwriters, but The Good Place manages to earn its often loud and stupid humour by having the context to the joke be incredibly intellectual and philosophically complex. Bringing forth genuine ethical quandaries such as the widely known and studied ‘Trolley Problem’ but having it be debated by people who are either too dumb to understand it, or too cruel to care. You don’t have to be well versed in ethical studies to get the jokes either as everything is always presented to you as though this will be your first time encountering it (with some things the show presents being the first time I had encountered such thought experiments), then you’ll have time to figure out your own opinion on what you think is the right thing to do but the punchline lies in how Eleanor and Jason in particular would solve these kinds of problems. Its dumb humour executed with intelligence, and the entire series bases all of its comedy around that idea. Whilst it may not always be ethical problems our characters come up against, rest assured that behind every crude sexual innuendo is something genuinely smart.
The ever-evolving nature of the narrative keeps it from becoming stale too quickly either because every few episodes the writers throw a spanner into the works, which is usually both incredibly funny, and often entirely unpredictable. You’ll likely have a lot of questions when the show gets off the starting blocks, but before long you’ll not only have answers to all of those questions, but you’ll have entirely new ones to keep you coming back. It’s all wrapped up nicely with a wonderful finale that gives justice to each of the characters you’ve grown to know and love over the course of the show. So, it’s even better to know that you can start this show with the knowledge that there’s a definitive end point, and it’s a great one too.
It's tough to pin down a particular performer who stands out as the best because they’re all so good. But I would say my favourite character was Janet (D’Arcy Carden), an artificial intelligence that assists with any problem a Good Place resident might have. Because she is essentially a computer, Janet comes out with some of the best jokes because she says it as she sees it, and Carden has some of the best timing and facial expressions to match. Her character also undergoes some crazy transformations over the series, and it was always exciting to see what the creators would come up with next (Disco Janet, am I right?).
With just fifty-three episodes and each of them lasting around twenty minutes (save for the Season Two premiere and Season Four finale which are double length episodes), The Good Place never overstays its welcome, and its perfect for binging. It’s digestible, and it goes down easy. Honestly, it’s been one of the best viewing experiences I have had for a TV show in years.
The Good Place isn’t just good, it’s genuinely amazing. I loved every second of the show and it’s the kind of show where I can just go straight back to the first episode and enjoy it all over again (as well as likely see things in a whole new light that I know how things end up). Whilst it’s definitely sad that it was over and done with so quickly, I also love that it never stuck around long enough to lose its sheen. Every single episode is a knockout, and how many TV shows can claim that? If you’ve not seen The Good Place yet I cannot recommend it enough. So, grab a seat, get your thinking caps on, and have a great big belly laugh at some moral and ethical issues!
With just fifty-three episodes and each of them lasting around twenty minutes (save for the Season Two premiere and Season Four finale which are double length episodes), The Good Place never overstays its welcome, and its perfect for binging. It’s digestible, and it goes down easy. Honestly, it’s been one of the best viewing experiences I have had for a TV show in years.
The Good Place isn’t just good, it’s genuinely amazing. I loved every second of the show and it’s the kind of show where I can just go straight back to the first episode and enjoy it all over again (as well as likely see things in a whole new light that I know how things end up). Whilst it’s definitely sad that it was over and done with so quickly, I also love that it never stuck around long enough to lose its sheen. Every single episode is a knockout, and how many TV shows can claim that? If you’ve not seen The Good Place yet I cannot recommend it enough. So, grab a seat, get your thinking caps on, and have a great big belly laugh at some moral and ethical issues!