The Good Place Surprises With Intelligent Creativity

When ads for the premiere of The Good Place began to first run, I dismissed it as some middle-America-quirky-sitcom that normal people might think was funny, but that I just wouldn't quite "get" - meaning, I wouldn't get why anyone would want to watch it.  Refreshingly, I proved myself wrong when I decided to binge watch the first nine episodes on Hulu.  The TV show wastes no time in setting up the premise: Kristen Bell's character, Eleanor, has died and wound up in "the good place."  It's sort of like heaven, except apparently the world's religions have only gotten about 5% right about the afterlife.  This, she learns from her neighborhood's architect, who welcomes her into his office much like a shrink going out to the waiting room to fetch a new client for an initial evaluation.   She also learns that a stoner kid from Calgary got about 92% right while tripping on mushrooms in the 1970s.  He launched into a rambling dialogue while talking to a friend that absolutely shocked the beings in heaven who, apparently, are always eavesdropping on us.   

As the story unfolds - and I won't spoil any more for those who have yet to check it out - the surreal scenario remains just light-hearted enough not to offend the devoutly religious but also witty enough to entertain those who feared clichéd cheese.  The reasons for people ending up in "the bad place" are often the annoying pet peaves we have with our peers of today.  For instance, things like posting about the bachelor or bachelorette on facebook are the equivalents of sins, and virtues are things like maintaining your calm in traffic jams.  However, what makes the show great are the many creative ways in which its creator and writer, Michael Schur, works with the basic premise.  It is intelligent and accessible at the same time.  At first, characters appear like gross caricatures, yet over time the viewer learns of the many subtleties and "grey" areas of each individual's conscience.  The series remains funny enough to be called comedy, but creative enough to still hold the attention of contemporary listeners accustomed to darker entertainment.  -CLINT SABOM  [Clint Sabom also runs a blog and podcast on spiritual themes at The Graveyard Cowboy.]

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy

Created By: Michael Schur

Starring: Ted Danson, Kristen Bell