Friday, September 30, 2016

The Good Place (TV): Highly Recommended

The Grinder, The Crazy Ones, Almost Human, Bunheads, not to mention Firefly — Katie-Bar-The-Door and I have a gift for falling in love with television shows the rest of the world doesn't. I have this deep abiding fear that NBC's brilliant (brilliantly nuts!) comedy The Good Place is so very, very good it, too, will join the list.

If you love me, don't let that happen.

The gist of the series? Kristen Bell (star of Veronica Mars, that Disney movie and a bunch of ads on television) is dead and, thank heaven, she's gone to the good place. Except, oops, heaven made a mistake and she most certainly doesn't belong there. Got to keep fooling the amiable dunce (Ted Danson) who runs the place.

Helping her pull off the deception is the guy who's supposed to be her soul mate (but, of course, isn't) (a terrific William Jackson Harper).


It sounds like the set-up for a tedious one-note joke, but it isn't. Each episode goes to an unexpected place, creating an ever-deepening mystery, while exploring the concept of what it means to be good and why being bad is often so much more interesting. The writing is sharp and witty, and the acting is pitch-perfect. Genius.

It airs on NBC, Thursday nights at 8:30 (Eastern). Tomorrow evening (Saturday), NBC will be running a Good Place mini-marathon to give you another chance to catch up. I highly (highly!) recommend that you seize the opportunity.

It's been a hard year for Katie and me — don't make us suffer another tragedy. Watch The Good Place. Watch it now!

3 comments:

mister muleboy said...

Any series with a Buddhist EDM DJ, sinkholes, and K. Bell is a winner in my book. Adding T. Danson to bring cluelessness to life is just icing.

Two Thums Up!

Yvette said...

Oooh, never heard of this one, MM. In fact I thought Ted Danson was starring over at one of those CSI shows or CVI or whatever on CBS. I'm confused.

I don't have a television, but I'll bet I can watch THE GOOD PLACE on my computer. Right?

Mythical Monkey said...

I don't have a television, but I'll bet I can watch THE GOOD PLACE on my computer. Right?

Yes, you can! at both nbc.com (for free) and hulu (if you have hulu). I'd recommend you start from the beginning -- by episode 4, with the introduction of the Buddhist monk/EDM DJ, I'm hoping you'll be hooked.