The Good Place trivia: 63 amazing facts about the comedy TV series

The Good Place was a fantasy comedy TV series created by Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC and is considered one of the best sitcoms.

The series ended after its fourth season and it has gained a huge following and critical acclaim. So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about it.

1. The Good Place is an American fantasy comedy television series
2. It was created by Michael Schur
3. The series aired from September 19, 2016 to January 30, 2020 on NBC
4. It focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who arrives in the afterlife and is welcomed by Michael (Ted Danson) to “the Good Place”, a highly selective Heaven-like utopia he designed, as a reward for her righteous life
5. However, she realizes that she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect behavior while trying to become a better and more ethical person
6. William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto co-star as other residents of “the Good Place”
7. Also, D’Arcy Carden stars as Janet, an artificial being who assists Good Place residents
8. The Good Place has received critical acclaim for its writing, acting, originality, setting, and tone
9. In addition, the first season’s twist ending and the show’s exploration and creative use of ethics and philosophy have been positively received
10. The recognition earned the series a Peabody Award in 2019
11. The series has won two Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form for the episodes “The Trolley Problem” and “Janet(s)”
12. In December 2018, NBC renewed the series for a fourth and final season
13. The final season has its premiere on September 26, 2019
14. The show’s final episode aired on January 30, 2020
15. The series is set in an afterlife in which humans are sent to the “Good Place” or the “Bad Place” after death: all humans are assigned a numerical score based on the morality of their conduct in life
16. Only those with the very highest scores are sent to the Good Place
17. There they enjoy eternal happiness with their every wish granted, guided by an artificial intelligence named Janet
18. All else experience an eternity of torture in the Bad Place
19. In the first season, amoral loner Eleanor and small-time criminal Jason believe that they have been sent to the Good Place incorrectly
20. Eleanor’s assigned soulmate, Chidi, a moral philosopher, attempts to teach them ethics so they can earn their presence there
21. Jason’s soulmate, wealthy socialite Tahani, attempts to help Michael, the kindly designer of their neighborhood, deal with the chaos apparently caused by Eleanor and Jason’s presence
22. Eventually, Eleanor realizes that the four humans have actually been in an experimental Bad Place all along, chosen by Michael to torture each other emotionally and psychologically for eternity
23. In the second season, Michael repeatedly erases the humans’ memories to try to restart their psychological torture, but they figure out the truth each time
24. Eventually they persuade him to take their side and attempt to get them into the Good Place for real
25. Michael appeals their case to the eternal Judge, who rules that the humans may be returned to their lives on Earth, with no memory of the afterlife, to attempt to prove their moral development
26. Back on Earth in the third season, the group participates in a research study led by Chidi and his colleague Simone
27. Once they learn the truth about the afterlife, they try to help others improve their moral behavior
28. Eventually they discover that no one has been admitted to the Good Place in centuries
29. They propose that the points system is fundamentally flawed and set up an experimental simulated Good Place to test their thesis that humans can develop morally with proper support
30. In the final season, the year-long experiment eventually proves that humans can show moral improvement in the afterlife
31. The group institutes a new system whereby deceased humans will earn their way into the Good Place by passing tests of moral development
32. To avoid becoming numbed by the ennui of eternal bliss, humans may choose to exit the Good Place and peacefully end their afterlife
33. In the final episode, Jason, Chidi, and Eleanor eventually choose to exit
34. Tahani becomes a designer of afterlife environments
35. Michael is allowed to be sent to Earth to live as a human
36. NBC issued a press release on August 13, 2015 announcing it had given the then-untitled show a 13-episode order based purely on a pitch by Michael Schur
37. On January 12, 2016, it was announced that Kristen Bell and Ted Danson had been cast in the lead roles for the series
38. The first synopsis of the show was also released, stating that the show was set to revolve around Eleanor designing her own self-improvement course with Michael acting as her guide
39. Bell has stated she was aware of the first-season finale twist when she signed onto the show
40. William Jackson Harper was cast as Chris on February 11, 2016, though the character was renamed Chidi
41. Jameela Jamil was cast as Tessa on February 25, 2016, and her character was renamed Tahani
42. On March 3, 2016, Manny Jacinto was revealed to have been cast as a “sweet and good-natured Jason” whose “dream is to make a living as a DJ in Southern Florida”
43. On March 14, 2016, D’Arcy Carden was cast in a series regular role that was announced as “Janet Della-Denunzio, a violin salesperson with a checkered past”
44. Writer Megan Amram later admitted that this was an intentional hoax
45. The final premise for the show, including the afterlife element, was ultimately announced on May 15, 2016 when NBC announced its schedule for the 2016–17 TV season
46. The series’ setting and premises, as well as the serialized cliffhangers, were modeled on Lost, a favorite of Schur’s
47. One of the first people he called when he developed the series was Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof
48. Critics have also suggested resemblances to 1960s surreal TV show The Prisoner in its isolated, rule-bound setting
49. In several international territories, the show is distributed on Netflix
50. The first season was released on September 21, 2017
51. Episodes of subsequent seasons became available within 24 hours of its U.S. broadcast
52. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 92%, based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 7.74/10
53. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Kristen Bell and Ted Danson knock it out of the park with supremely entertaining, charming performances in this absurd, clever and whimsical portrayal of the afterlife”
54. On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 78 out of 100, based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”
55. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a rating of 100%, based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 8.95/10
56. The site’s critical consensus reads, “By voluntarily blowing up its premise, The Good Place sets up a second season that proves even funnier than its first”
57. On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 87 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”
58. On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a rating of 98%, based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 8.35/10
59. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Charming and curious as ever, The Good Place remains a delightfully insightful bright spot on the television landscape”
60. On Metacritic, the third season has a score of 96 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, indicating “universal acclaim”
61. On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has a rating of 100%, based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 8.33/10
62. The site’s critical consensus reads, “A wild philosophical ride to the very end, The Good Place brings it home with a forking good final season”
63. In 2019, The Good Place was ranked 69th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century