The Good Place: An Analysis
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In this installment of Nightmare Masterclass, I'll be talking about a sitcom on NBC called The Good Place. This is a show with a very strange premise, especially for a major network like NBC.
Ostensibly, this is a show about this thing we call the “afterlife,” you know, the idea that after our bodies die, our souls persist in some ethereal realm. Specifically, The Good Place is about the afterlife of Eleanor Shellstrop, the show's protagonist, played by Kristen Bell. After her untimely demise, Eleanor is delightfully surprised to find herself in the so-called "Good Place." It’s not quite the Judeo-Christian notion of heaven that we might immediately call to mind due from frequent depictions in pop culture, though it is presented to Eleanor as a positive environment that she’s earned by living a good life.
Though Eleanor quickly learns that there's been a bit of a mix up. It turns out that she doesn't actually belong in the good place. In fact, she’s really kind of a terrible person, as evidenced by various flashbacks of her time on earth. An entity called Michael, played by Ted Danson, is the designer and manager of the Good Place. Over the course of the first season, Eleanor attempts to hide her immoral tendencies and become a better person with the help of Chidi, a recently deceased professor of ethics and moral philosophy, played by William Jackson Harper. She also interacts with other residents, including Tahani and Jason, played by Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto, respectively.
Sounds like a solid comedic premise, right? Well, I would say that the show is a bit more complex than your run-of-the-mill network comedy. And there might, I daresay, be something quite interesting lurking beneath the surface of this quirky little half hour show.
References and Additional Reading/Viewing:
No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre: https://archive.org/stream/NoExit/NoExit_djvu.txt
How Many Seasons The Good Place Showrunner Has Planned, According To Kristen Bell https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1635110/how-many-seasons-the-good-place-showrunner-has-planned-according-to-kristen-bell
Room photo by Felipe Micaroni Lalli (CC-By-SA)
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