Essay Sample about The Good Place Series

The good place is a witty fantasy- comedy series, created by Michael schur. He is well known for his work on many comedy shows such as "the office", “parks and recreations”, “Brooklyn nine-nine and more. The plot revolves around an afterlife in which humans are either sent to "the Good Place" or "the Bad Place" after death. All humans are assigned a numerical score based on the morality of their behavior in life. Those with the highest scores are sent to the Good Place, where they enjoy eternal happiness with their every wish granted, guided by an artificial intelligence named Janet, while the rest are tortured for eternity in the Bad Place.

When Eleanor Shellstrop finds herself in the afterlife, she's both relieved and surprised that she's made it into the Good Place. But it doesn't take long for Eleanor to realize she's there by mistake. She hides in plain sight from the Good Place's architect, Michael, and his all-knowing assistant, Janet. Her seemingly perfect neighbors, Tahani and Jason, and open-hearted soul mate, Chidi, help her realize that it's never too late to change. With the help of her new friends—and a few enemies—Eleanor becomes determined to shed her old way of life in hopes of discovering a new one in the afterlife. She learns to sacrifice, tell the truth, be a better person and perseveres in the end, she becomes a leader and learns to step in when no one else had the courage to.

The reason this show stands out from any other philosophical show is that it is relatable and has normal, flawed people at the center, just trying to be better rather than driving home the concept of a “perfect person” or “perfect behaviour”. Not only does it send a very positive message, but it’s delivered in a way such that it doesn’t become too overbearing while not compromising on the message they want to send, making it very appealing for younger audiences. It focuses on learning from your past mistakes and pointing out the fault in your character and using the information to better yourself rather than simply feeling guilty.

The entire cast has done an absolutely wonderful job in portraying their characters. Kristen Bell, who played the protagonist, Eleanor shellstrop, managed to depict the immense character development while hanging on to the core humane values. While most television shows try to create a narrative that change is easy, the good place is far more in touch with the complexities of real life with the entire cast highlighting all the ups and downs.

The last season of the show focuses more on fulfilment and learning to be content with how you lived while also accepting what it means to be human, which is the perfect ending to a wonderful show, seeing all the characters achieving what they want and being content with their life’s work.