Why 'The Good Place' Is One of the Best Shows on Regular TV

There are so many bad TV shows that for some reason have not gotten cancelled yet. No, I won’t bother naming any names in this one… My point being, it is a rare occurrence and a wonderful thing to find such an outstanding show. The show I am referring to, currently on its’ third season, is The Good Place. The creator of The Good Place, Michael Schur, has also worked on some cult favorites, like Parks and Rec, The Office (my favorite!) and he’s done some work on Black Mirror as well. His new show is set in Heaven. The story is about a woman who ends finds out on her first day that she does not belong and somehow the "higher ups" have confused her with someone else. This woman is named Eleanor Shellstrop and is played by Kristen Bell. Kristen Bell does a fantastic job and is not her normal Rom-Com character as I have seen her before.

As the episodes and seasons progress the show gets better. And yes, I understand this sounds like a show about Heaven and boring things, but it isn’t… so, for the sake of wanting to convince everyone to watch this show from the start (available on Netflix) I will not include any spoilers and hope that you have not heard any! Even if you have heard some, I still believe it is worth the watch! Anyways, the show is very plot heavy and many of the episodes end on cliffhangers like season finales usually do. It has kept my attention and kept me coming back for more. I started watching the show after it’s first season and watched on Netflix. I ran through the first season so quickly because the story was that good! I usually try not to binge watch, but I could not resist! The show is very funny but also very inspiring, a combination that is genuinely hard to find. Many of the characters are lovable or a "love to hate them" kind of way and either are fun to follow!

The actors you’ll recognize of the main characters are Kristen Bell, Eleanor, and Ted Danson who is named Michael. The rest of the actors are relatively unknown, which I love, and very good at playing their characters. That is another thing that has become very rare, everyone on a show being good at their job. Every actor on this show believes what they are conveying, and you will too once you watch it. The show is a bright spot in today’s very negative world but not in the way that you’d expect! The show is quite unpredictable (another hard thing to find in any source of entertainment) and very fun to watch.

When I suggest TV shows, I usually tell people to just watch the first three episodes and if you don’t like it, well then you probably won’t like the show at all. In this case, I would implore you to watch the whole first season but if you are hard pressed to do that, then watch six episodes. Because even though I think the show is fantastic the sixth episode is where it is at! The sixth episode is so amazing that if it does not make you want to keep watching to follow the story, well then, don’t! Don’t because if you feel it’s not striking a nerve of curiosity then it probably is not for you!

The show is positive, inspiring, funny, and educational at times too! Everyone should be watching for the sake of enjoyment in television. AND who doesn’t want to see Ted Danson back at it again?! I mean that guy is a treasure! He has a great smile and a warm personality which carries through to his character on the show… most times! So, on a one of your Netflix binges, search for The Good Place and press play, I highly doubt you’ll regret it!