NBC’s quirky, metaphysical comedy “The Good Place” has been quite the rage ever since its terrific first season took the sitcom world by a storm. It was rightly advertised as a non-workplace sitcom with an unusually ambitious and rather strange premise. Kristen Bell, starring as Eleanor dies, finds herself in a non-denominational, morphed version of “traditional” heaven reserved for only those who led flawless, the most selfless and ethical lives. The comical premise is that she wasn’t a saintly person on earth and so ended up in the so-called “good place” by a mere mistake. The story develops as she avoids being sent to “the bad place,” hiding her authentic personality and improving herself in the afterlife.
All Good Things About “The Good Place”
Michael Schur’s creation is incredible yet straightforward television, creative right from its first season. It acts as a catalyst in redefining what all can come under the purview of a typical network “sitcom,” while also showcasing the capacity to evolve and bloom in brilliantly unexpected ways. The scope of The Good Place has widened exponentially throughout, but always in a careful, planned, calculated, and collected manner. Things that might’ve seemed inconsequential initially fell into place in the different seasons eventually. Ending after just the fourth season is sad, but it is also the right decision. Viewers can bid the show adieu and remember it as a comforting series that didn’t diminish itself by overstaying its welcome. The Good Place, hopefully, will continue to be a pristine work of comedy genius from start to finish, which is the rarest of things on TV.
Here are a few significant “forking” details for you to remember the show by and things you might’ve missed:
1.
Not sure if this has been noticed on here before but Eleanor’s lucky numbers before she dies are the same as the neighbourhood number from TheGoodPlace
2.
In the Season 3 premiere of The Good Place, Jason’s Dance Crew performs a show based on his near-death experience. His crew’s jumpsuits are based on Bruce Lee’s in ‘Game of Death’. from TVDetails
3.
[SPOILERS] In The Good Place S04E08, Michael makes the argument that Phoebe from the show Friends would have made it into The Good Place. In S04E12, when the main cast finally arrives at The Good Place, they meet Hypatia of Alexandria, played by Lisa Kudrow, who also played Phoebe on Friends. from TVDetails
4.
[SPOILER for The Good Place S04E04.] You can tell the secret about Janet by her thumb placement. Good Janet always has her right thumb in her left hand. For Bad Janet it is left thumb in right hand. from TVDetails
5.
In "The Good Place" s1e10 there is a scene from Chidi when he was alive where he is holding a menu from a restaurant named "Eating Nemo" from TVDetails
6.
While they’re playing out the Trolley Problem (S02:E05) they zoom by a theater showing "Strangers Under a Train" and "Bend It Like Bentham." Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the father of modern utilitarianism, the philosophy Chidi had just been discussing. from TheGoodPlace
7.
It took me three rewatches to figure out that Eleanor’s favorite food is a shrimpies because her main flaw is being shellfish, and you are what you eat. from TheGoodPlace
8.
The demons from The Good Place can be seen drinking Snake Juice, the alcohol Tom Haverford comes up with on Parks and Recreation. Both shows were created by Mike Schur. from TVDetails
9.
In The Good Place, the calendar has the days in a weird order since they explained time is not linear in the afterlife from TVDetails
10.
Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office, was in the newest episode of The Good Place and uses a version of Michael Scott’s mug from TVDetails
11.
I’ve watched S1E1 at least 4 times now, never noticed the flowers in the foreground… from TheGoodPlace
12.
In The Good Place (S3E11) Michael describes Douglass Lerpiss buying a tomato at Food and Stuff, a reference to Ron Swanson’s favorite store in Parks and Rec, another Michael Schur show. from TVDetails
13.
Small detail I noticed: In season 1, Michael jokingly states that Eleanor’s biggest fault was that she couldn’t find a hairstyle that framed her face perfectly…by the end, she changes her hairstyle to a center part. from TheGoodPlace
14.
Sorry if this has been posted before, but I was rewatching and just noticed that in 1×12, Michael wears Janet’s outfit when he’s trying to serve drinks like her. from TheGoodPlace
15.
The Good Place’s Season 1 finale reuses the set used in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode "Windbreaker City" from TVDetails
16.
First time I rewatched I paused and read all of these. The level of detail in TGP across the board is amazing from TheGoodPlace
17.
I just noticed Janet and Jason’s anniversary date! from TheGoodPlace
18.
In The Good Place, Eleanor foreshadows the ending of season 1 in the first episode when wondering how her parents might be tortured in the bad place from TVDetails
19.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how the vault Tahani opens in front of Jason in Australia is from the same company that made the vault in which Jason died? from TheGoodPlace
20.
Has anybody else noticed that the ‘Neutral Pronoun’ used in ‘The Good Place’ is She/Her. from TheGoodPlace
21.
If you listen closely to when Janet plays a clip from The Bad Place you can hear someone screaming "The bear has two mouths!!" which I think is a really cool detail from TheGoodPlace
22.
On my third rewatch, just noticed the Pirates of the Caribbean 12 billboard in bad Janet’s void. from TheGoodPlace
23.
On my third watch through when I noticed Jason’s shirt in the finale has a wave! from TheGoodPlace
24.
So impressed with all the detail that went into this show (from Adam Rowe’s TikTok) from TheGoodPlace
And finally!!!…
25.
The Good Place S4E13, Michael’s apartment is number 322, the same number of people selected to live in the Good Place neighbourhoods, according to the pilot from TVDetails
What are some of the details that blew your mind??
Share this with fellow ‘The Good Place” fans and compel them into binge-watching this masterpiece again!!
