What happens to us when we die? Is there life beyond the grave? If there really is an afterlife, what does it look like? Is there a good place made for good people and a bad place for bad people? Then, who gets to set the criteria for getting into the good and bad places? The Good Place is a comedy series that pleasantly reimagines the afterlife, a mystery that will never be solved.

The Good Place starts with a scene where Eleanor Shellstrop arrives in an afterlife paradise called The Good Place. Eleanor, who has lived her whole life selfishly, realizes that a system error must have mistakenly sent her to the good place and another (good) Eleanor to the bad place. Her struggle to stay in The Good Place develops into a great adventure for her and three other main characters ━ Chidi Anagonye who was a former professor of moral philosophy, Jason Mendoza, a DJ from Florida, and Tahani, a brilliant hostess and socialite from England ━ in their search for good and evil - and morals.

Essential, Heartwarming Life Lessons

In dealing with moral issues, the series not only focuses on commonplace ethics but also investigates an alternate point of view on conventional ideas regarding morals. For instance, the fact that the characters are told that most prominent philosophers have been sent to the bad place goes against people’s expectations. This gives people an opportunity to think about whether some of their famous ethical and moral positions might have some drawbacks that have not been paid much attention. For example, Chidi is described as someone who causes his friends and family distress with his mulling over every small decision that he makes.

While this sitcom introduces some new viewpoints, it still investigates the basic yet essential nature of good and evil based on the main characters’ behaviors. When the four main characters are faced with the task of becoming a better person, they start to intentionally display behaviors that are commonly regarded as good. However, they receive minus points for these acts, reinforcing the important message that the essence of being a good person does not lie in the actions themselves, but rather in the motives behind them. Small, trivial kindnesses and concern for others are sufficient as long as you have good-hearted motives.

This sitcom stands out because it does not try to fit every character into a certain mold. Rather, it focuses on showing the diverse attributes of human beings. Characters exhibit both positive and negative sides, and the subtle depiction of these personalities sometimes looks very similar to our own lives, so it is easy to empathize with the characters’ situations and deeply embrace them.

Enjoyment in Between

One of the charms of the series is the meme culture shared by fans of the sitcom. The four characters, each with their own unique personality, combine to create hilarious scenes, sometimes with light jokes and puns, which liven up the atmosphere of the series. For instance, drunk Eleanor does not remember her soulmate Chidi’s name: “You are a nice person, Chidi… Ariana Grande.” Moreover, since this series is set in the afterlife, characters from *The Bad Place*, who love to boast about the horrible and ridiculous methods of torture that they have come up with, also show up. Whimsical humor hidden within the scenes provides an abundant source of funny GIFs.

The visual effects and sound effects appropriate for the setting of the afterlife adds to the fun of watching the series. There are various imaginative objects, people, or even animals that appear with the help of subtle computer graphics: a baby elephant made of pure light, a chowder fountain, rainbow lights coming from a character’s mouth, and so on. Furthermore, the sound effects fit so well with each scene, increasing the overall immersion level.

In Search of The Good Place

Through their efforts to learn and practice moral actions, the main characters actually start to show some changes. Michael, the designer of the Good Place mentions, “I was just trying to prove that humans could torture each other. Instead, they helped each other, and got better.” People tend to help one another and they get better and happier by doing that. These people are exactly who the series thinks should be found in a good place.

The very different backgrounds of the characters, including their personality, job, and race, is also not a coincidence. People from all different environments meet, try to help each other without prejudice, and form beautiful relationships. They try to embrace each other as they ask questions about what viewpoints and attitudes are required to form long-lasting relationships. Seeing this, viewers may eventually recognize that they can make the current world that they are living in a good place.

After all the effort put into belonging to The Good Place, will the characters finally succeed in staying there and living happily forever? Or, will they end up being tortured in unimaginable, horrible ways? Regardless of whether it is a good ending or a bad ending, one thing is sure. Watching this sitcom is an invaluable opportunity to enjoy light jokes and to spend time contemplating yourself, your life, and your death in a philosophical way. Who knows, this series may make your world the good place!

Television Series Information

Title: The Good Place

Genre: Comedy, Philosophical Fiction, Fantasy

Director: Michael Schur

Number of Episodes: 53

Release Date: September 19, 2016

Starring: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson