Review: The Good Place Season 1 Is Nothing Groundbreaking, But It Certainly Is Different
- Oct 29, 2017
- 2 min read
Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in The Good Place, to a message saying "Welcome! Everything is fine". But everything is not fine in The Good Place, and it's Eleanor's fault.
See, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) is told by the architect Michael (Ted Danson) that only the best of the best get into The Good Place. She has a house designed to be perfect for her, containing a TV on which she can replay all her memories. But the house isn't for her, the memories aren't hers, and Eleanor realises she doesn't belong there.
She enlists the help of her "perfect soulmate" Chidi (William Jackson Harper) to help her become a better person and earn her place in The Good Place, or risk eternal damnation in The Bad Place. But chaos erupts and all signs point to Eleanor. With the help of neighbours Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Buddhist monk Jianyu (Manny Jacinto) as well as the friendly AI Janet (D'Arcy Carden) to get things back under control before she is discovered.
The Good Place is an incredibly unique sitcom, given that it's set in paradise where people can fly, a magical AI can instantly appear to produce any item or piece of information one could possibly want, and everyone is dead. But it's also a show about ethics, which is a really strange subject for a sitcom to focus on. It's sugary-sweet frozen-yoghurt topping barely hides a far more bitter premise, given that Eleanor is trying to avoid eternal damnation where the majority of people, good and bad, reside.
Being a serialized sitcom means that every episode ends on a cliffhanger. Some of them are pretty standard "surprises" but there are a bunch of plot twists and shocks that prevent the show from ever getting boring. Suffice it to say, if you're interested in watching the show, never watch ahead and always avoid spoilers.
Heavy-hitters Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are excellent leads for the show, and new faces Jamil, Carden, Harper, and Jacinto round out a perfect comedic main cast. If you're interested in philosophy, sitcoms, or you're just looking for a fun time, The Good Place Season 1 is a great place to start.
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