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TV Show Reviews
"The
Good Place" review by Suzanne
9/15/16
Premieres Monday 10/9 September 19 and then moves into its
regular Thursday spot
This show is hilarious. It literally makes me laugh out
loud...as well as giggle and gasp. It's quirky without being
too annoying. It has likable characters. It's a total
fantasy and silly, but you can relate to the characters. It
also surprises, and sometimes the humor comes from the
unexpected things that happen. Now, everyone's sense of
humor is different, so I can't say whether you will like it
or not, but give it a try because it's worth it.
Kristen Bell (star of "Veronica Mars") plays Eleanor, a
woman who's led a very selfish, mediocre life and suddenly
finds herself in a sort of heaven. She's dead but in a
pseudo-reality constructed by an ancient guy named Michael.
This is his first chance to build a community there, and
he's apparently made a few mistakes. (This part of the show
reminds me a little of "Drop Dead Diva") The people in
"The Good Place" are supposed to be the cream of humanity -
people who've lived their whole lives helping others and
doing good, not bad. Eleanor is not bad, but she's never
done anything for other people, so she has to hide this fact
from Michael and everyone else, or else risk going to "the
bad place."
Each of the people there are assigned their "soul mate,"
so Eleanor's is this ethics professor, a somewhat dull and
nervous guy named Chidi. Chidi reluctantly agrees to
help her learn to be a better person. Their next-door
neighbors are a woman named Tahani (Jameela Jamil), and her
soulmate Jianyu (Manny Jacinto). There's also a gay couple,
and a virtual helper named Janet. Tahani can be
somewhat insuffereable, but her character is supposed to be
that way, so it mostly works.
We learn some amazing things in the first few episodes,
so I look forward to seeing what else happens. Not everyone
is as good as they seem (besides Eleanor). I hope they
do answer more questions, such as why everyone else goes to
"the bad place." Perhaps Michael didn't make any mistakes
and the whole thing is a test of some kind? Or perhaps
whoever's really running it is testing Michael? We'll
see....
Kristen Bell is an amazing actress who can make even this
selfish witch sympathetic. Ted Danson is always great.
Michael is a fun, silly character. They all do a great
job and I just love the four episodes NBC let me watch ahead
of time. I hope you will enjoy it was much as I do. I'm
definitely adding it to my list of shows to watch regularly.
If you loved the show "Selfie," you may like this one. I
think it's a lot funnier than "Selfie," personally, but I
see a lot of similarities. I think the show has the whimsy
and twisted humor of shows like "Dead Like Me" and "Pushing
Daisies." Make sure you check it out!
MORE INFORMATION:
Trailer
From executive producer Michael Schur (“Brooklyn
Nine-Nine,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Master of
None”) comes a smart, unique new comedy about what
makes a good person. The show follows Eleanor
Shellstrop (Kristen Bell, “House of Lies,” “Veronica
Mars”), an ordinary woman who enters the afterlife,
and thanks to some kind of error, is sent to the
Good Place instead of the Bad Place, which is
definitely where she belongs. While hiding in plain
sight from Michael (Ted Danson, “CSI” “Cheers”), the
wise architect of the Good Place (who doesn’t know
he’s made a mistake), she’s determined to shed her
old way of living and discover the awesome (or at
least the pretty good) person within.
Helping Eleanor navigate her new surroundings is
Chidi (William Jackson Harper, “Paterson”), her
kind, open-hearted “soul mate” who sees the good in
people but finds himself facing quite a dilemma; her
seemingly perfect new neighbors, Tahani (Jameela
Jamil, “Playing It Straight”) and Jianyu (Manny
Jacinto, “The Romeo Section”); and Janet (D’Arcy
Carden, “Broad City”), the go-to source for any and
all information in the Good Place.
In addition to executive producing, Schur also
serves as writer and showrunner. David Miner
(“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “30 Rock”), Morgan Sackett
(“Parks and Recreation,” “Veep”) and Drew Goddard
(Oscar-nominated writer of “The Martian”) also
executive produce. Goddard directed the pilot.
“The Good Place” is produced by Universal
Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment.
Please visit the official show site at
http://www.nbc.com/the-good-place
Facebook:
Facebook.com/NBCTheGoodPlace
Twitter:
@nbcthegoodplace
Hashtag: #GoodPlace
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – Jan. 13,
2016 – Two-time Emmy Award winner Ted
Danson and acclaimed actress Kristen Bell have
been cast in NBC’s new Michael Schur comedy
series “Good Place.”
Bell plays Eleanor, a woman from New
Jersey who comes to realize that she hasn’t been
a very good person. She decides to turn over a
new leaf by learning what it actually means to
be “good” or “bad,” and then trying to make up
for her past behavior.
Danson plays Michael, who, through an
unlikely set of circumstances, comes to be
Eleanor’s guide through her self-designed
self-improvement course.
Danson is widely known for his iconic role
as bartender Sam Malone on the 28-time
Emmy-winning NBC comedy “Cheers.” Over the
course of the show’s historic 11-season run,
Danson was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning
twice. He was also nominated for eight Golden
Globes and won twice.
Besides “Cheers,” Danson has made his mark
on several other acclaimed comedies, including
HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Bored to
Death.” On the drama side, Danson was three-time
Emmy nominated and Golden Globe-nominated for
his role on the FX series “Damages.”
Most recently, he is coming off his role
as a Minnesota state trooper in the critically
applauded FX drama “Fargo” and also recently
starred in CBS’ “CSI.”
Bell has extensive television experience,
most notably the lead role in the popular drama
“Veronica Mars,” which ran from 2004-07. She has
many other TV credits, including “Deadwood,”
“Heroes,” “Party Down,” “Gossip Girl,” “Parks
and Recreation” and “House of Lies.”
On the film side, Bell recently starred as
the voice of Anna in Disney’s box office hit
“Frozen,” which grossed more than $400 million
at the domestic box office. She also brought her
Veronica Mars character to the big screen as
well as having co-starring roles in “Get Him to
the Greek” and “Safety Not Guaranteed.” She’s
also set to co-star in the upcoming film
“Chips,” based on the popular 1970s NBC series.
NBC ordered 13 episodes of Schur’s “Good
Place” last August during the network’s TCA day.
A two-time Emmy Award winner, Schur has
one of the most fertile minds in comedy. His NBC
series “Parks and Recreation” remains one of the
best-reviewed comedies in the history of
television.
Schur is currently executive producer of
the Universal Television-produced series
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which won a Golden Globe
for outstanding comedy series in its first year
of eligibility. He is also an executive producer
on the Netflix comedy “Master of None,” produced
by Universal Television and starring Aziz
Ansari. Schur has written and produced for other
seminal series, including “The Office” and
“Saturday Night Live.”
“Good Place” will be produced by Universal
Television, 3 Arts Entertainment and Fremulon.
Schur and David Miner will executive produce.
Day & time:
Thursdays (8:30-9 p.m.
ET/PT)
Season premiere:
September 22, 2016
Sneak preview:
Monday, September 19
(10-11 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring:
Ted Danson, Kristen Bell,
William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny
Jacinto, D’Arcy Carden
Executive producers:
Michael Schur,
David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Drew Goddard
Directors:
Drew Goddard (pilot),
Michael McDonald, Beth McCarthy-Miller,
Payman Benz, Tucker Gates, Trent O’Donnell,
Tristram Shapeero, Dean Holland, Morgan
Sackett, Linda Mendoza, Lynn Shelton,
Michael Schur
Co-executive producers:
Aisha
Muharrar, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producers:
David Hyman, Joe Mande,
Megan Amram
Staff writers:
Andrew Law, Demi
Adejuyigbe, Daniel Schofield
Casting director:
Allison Jones
Production designer:
Dan Bishop
Director of photography:
Barry
Peterson (pilot), David Miller
Editors:
Colin Patton, Matthew Barbato
Origination:
Los Angeles, CA
Produced by:
Universal Television,
Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment
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