The Good Place

 Back to TV as a topic, in this case a show which recently wrapped up its fourth and final season on NBC and shown on Netflix.  And yes, it has an especially morbid subject matter: the afterlife. 

Several people die, and wind up in “The Good Place”, a euphemism for Heaven, Paradise, or whatever you want to call the afterlife where you go if you lived a good and moral life.  Which strikes these people as odd, as while none of them were candidates for “The Bad Place”, none of them were particularly nice either.  Eventually, by the end of season 1, we find out what’s going on, and over the next three seasons the characters navigate the politics of the afterlife.  The humorous part about it is that the people ostensibly running this whole shebang don’t seem to have it properly organized.  Millions of years and countless departed souls, and only now – with the assistance of these helpful, if imperfect souls – are they finally getting the whole thing sewed up properly. 

I don’t want to spoil anything for people who haven’t seen it, so I’ll try to keep my description brief and modest, though those of you reading this who have seen the show will know what I mean.

Eleanor (Kristen Bell, aka “Anna” from “Frozen”) (second from right in the above picture).  Garden variety selfish girl from Arizona, easily the least ethical of the group and the most puzzled as to her arrival.

Chidi (William Jackson Harper) (far right in the above picture).  A Senegalese philosophy grad student who cannot seem to make any decision.  He’s initially assigned as Eleanor’s soulmate.

Tahani (Jameela Jamil) (far left in the above picture).  An Indian girl, very tall, but also very vain – she can’t help name dropping.

Jason (Manny Jacinto) (second from left above).  From Jacksonville, FL, a big fan of Blake Bortles and none too bright. 

Michael (Ted Danson) (not shown).  The Angel assigned to watch over them.  His role changes as the situation does, but he remains sympathetic throughout, and eventually chooses to become mortal.

Janet (D’Arcy Carden) (center above).  Michael’s assistant, magically capable of granting wishes instantaneously, but needs a bit of help to get clues.  She has an evil twin.

The Judge (Maya Rudolph) (not shown).  Oddly, she isn’t God, but does have ultimate authority over the afterlife.

Shawn (Mark Evan Jackson).  Michael’s boss and frequent nemesis.

Ethics and morality are front and center here, plus the ultimate choice given to achieve – irrevocably – pure oblivion, or absolute death and peace of mind.   The bigger issue is that the souls in question achieve the prerogative to redeem themselves in the afterlife.   All four major characters are fairly young, none died of old age after living a life full of ups and downs and the ability to change ways after middle age became apparent.  Of course that also applies to children and babies who die well before they have the opportunity to develop a coherent moral system.

Since all of us are mortal, all of us ultimately will have to deal with the issues raised in what is otherwise a network (NBC) situation comedy.  That in itself makes the show remarkable, but I found it consistently enjoyable.  Now we’ll see what happens, won’t we?