STARS: 5/5 stars
What happens when we die? This topic has been debated — sometimes contentiously — for centuries. NBC’s “The Good Place” takes a light-hearted, quirky approach to this age-old question that is sure to have you laughing the entire time.
The show follows the crude, yet oddly likeable Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell, after a grocery parking lot incident gone awry results in her death. She is told she has arrived at “The Good Place,” a utopian afterlife to reward only those who lived exceptionally altruistic lives on Earth.
However, there’s a catch: she must be there by mistake. The architect of the neighborhood, Michael (Ted Danson) thinks Eleanor is a humanitarian activist when in reality she lived a relatively selfish life.
In the first season, mysterious events begin occurring in the supposedly perfect society, like the formation of a sinkhole and a trash thunderstorm. Eleanor, thinking she’s to blame for these mishaps, begins ethic lessons with her friend Chidi who was an ethics professor in his past life, in hopes of earning her place there.
Despite their differences, the two develop a close friendship along with their two neighbors, Tahani and Jianyu, as all four of them try to make sense of why such bizarre events keep occurring in their neighborhood.
These events come to a climax toward the end of the season, leading to a huge plot twist in the finale which causes viewers to question everything they have watched previously.
Now the show is in the beginning of its second season and accommodating for this game-changing twist has required some skilled maneuvering on the writers’ part. However, they have succeeded in doing so in a way that is both captivating and relatively easy to follow.
The show is the brainchild of several of the same writers and creators as “Parks and Recreation,” and this influence is evident, as “The Good Place” is filled with the same quick wit and eccentric lovable characters that made “Parks and Recreation” such a cultural phenomenon.
“The Good Place” is the perfect way to fill the void in your heart in the post “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office” era. The show has a far more convoluted premise than its comedic counterparts, but if the writers are able to sustain it, there’s no doubt the show will earn a comparable following.