The Good Place (season 1)

The Good Place (season 1)
Region 1 DVD cover art
Starring
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 13
Release
Original network NBC
Original release September 19, 2016 (2016-09-19) – January 19, 2017 (2017-01-19)
Season chronology

The first season of the fantasy comedy television series The Good Place, created by Michael Schur, aired between September 19, 2016, and January 19, 2017, on NBC in the United States. The season was produced by Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Universal Television.[1]

The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a recently deceased young woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is welcomed by Michael (Ted Danson) to "The Good Place," a heaven-like utopia he designed, in reward for her righteous life. Eleanor realizes that she was sent there by mistake, and hides her morally imperfect behavior (past and present). William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and Manny Jacinto co-star as other residents of the Good Place, together with D'Arcy Carden as an artificial being helping the inhabitants. Each of the episodes are listed as "Chapter (xx)" following the opening title sequence.

Cast

Main

  • Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop, a deceased saleswoman from Arizona who entered an afterlife utopia called "The Good Place" seemingly after being mistaken for a human rights lawyer by the same name.[2]
  • William Jackson Harper as Chidi Anagonye, a deceased ethics professor who was born in Nigeria and raised in Senegal, supposed to be Eleanor's soulmate. Reluctantly, he had hoped to meet a soulmate he could bond with, but soon discovers that he and Eleanor were meant to be soulmates because he was always there for her.[3]
  • Jameela Jamil as Tahani Al-Jamil, a deceased, wealthy philanthropist who traveled extensively around the world. She was born in Pakistan, raised in England, and went to school in France. Tahani, whose full name means "Congratulations Beautiful," is a seemingly good-natured soul with a cheerful and helpful attitude.[4]
  • D'Arcy Carden as Janet, a programmed guide who acts as the neighborhood's main source of information, analogous to an intelligent personal assistant.[5]
  • Manny Jacinto as "Jianyu Li", a silent Buddhist monk from Taiwan and Tahani's soulmate.[6] Later it is revealed that he is really Jason Mendoza, a deceased Filipino DJ and small-time drug dealer from Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Ted Danson as Michael, the architect of The Good Place where Eleanor and her fellow humans reside.

Recurring

  • Tiya Sircar as the "real Eleanor Shellstrop", a human rights lawyer mistakenly sent to The Bad Place, whose backstory was given as having been killed trying to save Eleanor from a traffic accident, causing confusion because the two Eleanors were close to one another and died almost simultaneously.
  • Adam Scott as Trevor. A sinister figure representing The Bad Place, sent upon Eleanor's true identity being revealed, vowing to take her with him. He leads an entourage of demons that parties endlessly and bullies Michael.[7]
  • Marc Evan Jackson as Shawn, Michael's boss. He is an all powerful judge who is called in to help decide Eleanor's fate.
  • Maribeth Monroe as Mindy St. Claire, the only resident of The Medium Place, a neutral plane of existence between The Good Place and The Bad Place.
  • Amy Okuda as Jessica / Gayle, who as Jessica, complains to Eleanor about flying into a turkey when Eleanor causes a trash storm to occur.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Everything Is Fine"Drew GoddardMichael SchurSeptember 19, 2016 (2016-09-19)8.04[8]
Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in an afterlife utopia called the "Good Place", where she is welcomed by her "neighborhood" architect Michael. Admission is based on how ethically a deceased person behaved in life, with positive points accrued for ethical decisions and negative points for unethical decisions. Very few people qualify; all else go to an afterlife of torture in the "Bad Place", which, based on "live audio" provided by Michael's assistant Janet, seems synonymous with Hell. Michael praises Eleanor for being a lawyer who helped innocent people off death row, then escorts her to a home designed to her preferences where she can access memories from her life. She is also paired with a soulmate: Chidi, a Senegalese ethics professor. Eleanor tells Chidi that all of Michael's information about her is wrong because the biography, memories, and home preferences are someone else's. Eleanor made a living by knowingly selling a worthless supplement to the sick and elderly and was crass and uncaring. Chidi has a moral crisis over whether or not to help Eleanor, who becomes frustrated and angry at a party hosted by her neighbors, soulmates Tahani and Jianyu. The next morning, the neighborhood is attacked by representations of elements from Eleanor's life and her misbehavior in the Good Place.
22"Flying"Michael McDonaldAlan YangSeptember 19, 2016 (2016-09-19)8.04[8]
Eleanor avoids suspicion in the aftermath of the chaos, while Michael fears he has failed in his first big project. Introducing Immanuel Kant's Metaphysics of Morals, Chidi considers teaching Eleanor to be a good person. Tahani organizes a clean up day, but anyone who volunteers will miss out on the opportunity to fly. Chidi suggests Eleanor volunteer in order to prove that she has the capacity for selflessness. She does, but she hides the trash to go flying after all, causing a trash storm to occur. Chidi loses faith in her and refuses to help. That night, Eleanor feels guilty and cleans the neighborhood herself. Chidi sees her and agrees to teach her to be good. A note is slipped under Eleanor's door, warning her that she doesn't belong in the Good Place. Flashbacks to Eleanor's life show that she habitually shirked the responsibility of acting as a designated driver.
33"Tahani Al-Jamil"Beth McCarthy-MillerAisha MuharrarSeptember 22, 2016 (2016-09-22)5.25[9]
Eleanor suspects Tahani of writing the note but ultimately accepts that Tahani is genuinely good and begins to form a real friendship with her, comforting her over her dissatisfaction with Jianyu's vow of silence. Michael tries to get Chidi to take up a hobby, but Chidi only wants to work on his ethics manuscript. After Michael says that it is difficult to read, he agrees to become Chidi's advisor in rewriting it. Janet cycles through a series of bizarre personalities. Michael recruits Eleanor to help investigate the problems in the neighborhood. That night, Jianyu finally speaks aloud when he tells Eleanor that he wrote the note, explaining that he also doesn't belong in the Good Place. In Eleanor's flashbacks, her boyfriend Andy makes a conscious effort to be good, but Eleanor concludes that being good is pointless and too much work in a world full of bad things.
44"Jason Mendoza"Payman BenzJoe MandeSeptember 29, 2016 (2016-09-29)4.45[10]
Jianyu tells Eleanor he is really Jason Mendoza, a Filipino American drug dealer and amateur DJ from Jacksonville, Florida who has gone along with the fiction of being a monk because the supposed vow of silence enables him to avoid detection. Jason decides to express his true identity, while Eleanor and a stunned Chidi try to convince him to stay hidden, fearing Eleanor will also be exposed. Tahani helps plan the gala opening of Patricia's restaurant. When Jason plans to share the real details of his life at the event, Eleanor creates a distraction by destroying Patricia's masterpiece cake, causing a sinkhole to open. Jason agrees to join Chidi's ethics class, but is an even less apt student than Eleanor. Tahani discovers that the sinkhole is growing, not closing as Michael expected. Flashbacks show that Jason Mendoza was hired as a famous EDM DJ's stand-in and was rejected by the crowd when he played his own music. He tells a friend that he longs to be appreciated as his authentic self—and then vandalizes the DJ's boat.
55"Category 55 Doomsday Crisis"Morgan SackettMatt MurrayOctober 6, 2016 (2016-10-06)4.97[11]
Eleanor is pleased that she is learning to be considerate of others and learning about John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, but Chidi is dissatisfied with spending all of his time teaching Eleanor. Michael protects the neighborhood from the sinkhole by quarantining all of the residents. He insists that Eleanor and Chidi host a couple who live near the sinkhole; the observant couple concludes that Chidi is hiding something. Chidi admits he never had a real relationship with a woman before; Eleanor realizes he's disappointed that she's not his true soulmate and decides to be a better friend to him by arranging the exact leisure activities he described to her. Meanwhile, Tahani reads Michael's private documents and learns that she has the second-lowest score in the neighborhood. She tries to raise it by aiding Michael, who has to save her from the sinkhole; he tells her that scores don't change after death and that she should be satisfied to be one of the best people who ever lived. The sinkhole closes after Eleanor's kind gesture and Michael informs her that she must help him uncover the cause. Tahani's flashbacks show that she lived her entire life in the shadow of her sister, Kamilah, finally deciding to live independently after their parents' deaths.
66"What We Owe to Each Other"Tucker GatesDylan Morgan & Josh SiegalOctober 13, 2016 (2016-10-13)4.23[12]
Eleanor distracts Michael from his investigation in order to avoid detection. He tells her that architects don't normally live in neighborhoods; doing so was his own idea and will be discredited by his failure. Meanwhile, Tahani tries to bond with Jianyu, forcing Chidi to go to great lengths to protect Jason's secret. Chidi and Tahani end up bonding, but Tahani ultimately accepts Jianyu as her soulmate after he gives her a gift that Chidi arranged. Michael concludes that he is the cause of the problems and announces his impending departure. In the past, Eleanor ditches house-sitting for a friend in order to attend a Rihanna concert, resulting in her friend's dog suffering a permanent disability; Eleanor doesn't care.
77"The Eternal Shriek"Trent O'DonnellMegan AmramOctober 20, 2016 (2016-10-20)3.79[13]
Michael announces that his "retirement" will consist of eternal torture. Rather than tell the truth, Eleanor decides to "kill" Janet because only she can initiate Michael's retirement. She and Chidi argue over activating Janet's killswitch and Chidi ends up pushing the button while trying to stop Jason from doing so. Chidi agrees to keep their secret, even though it will make him miserable. Meanwhile, Tahani plans a somber retirement party for Michael; Michael then blames Tahani for distracting him from Janet but soon apologizes. Janet is rebooted with no memories and operates at diminished capacity. Michael announces he will remain in the neighborhood to investigate Janet's murder, which he says means there is a problem beyond himself. Eleanor tells Chidi she loves him, then admits to everyone that she is the problem because she was brought to the Good Place by mistake. In flashbacks, Chidi fibs that he likes a coworker's unattractive boots; he obsesses over the lie for three years and finally confesses after the coworker survives a difficult surgery.
88"Most Improved Player"Tristram ShapeeroDan SchofieldOctober 27, 2016 (2016-10-27)3.89[14]
Michael interviews Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason about Eleanor and Janet's death. After finally getting Eleanor's file from Janet (who is still re-learning things and had been only producing different types of cacti beforehand), he learns that Eleanor ruined a friend's dress, leading to a lawsuit that bankrupted innocent dry cleaners, public humiliation of the friend, and Eleanor's personal profit via t-shirts insulting her friend. This leads to Michael calling the Bad Place to come pick up Eleanor. A train from the Bad Place arrives, bringing Trevor, a cruel and sleazy representative, to take Eleanor. After Chidi confesses that he killed Janet and that Eleanor is learning to be a better person, Michael and the others arrive at the train station to prevent Trevor from taking Eleanor. Trevor agrees to let the matter be discussed if he can continue to keep the other Eleanor Shellstrop, who was meant for the Good Place and is then led off the train.
99"...Someone Like Me as a Member"Dean HollandJen StatskyNovember 3, 2016 (2016-11-03)3.68[15]
As negotiations begin to determine the fates of the Eleanors, Michael uses Tahani's house as a meeting place only for the Bad Place demons to turn the event into a party where they walk all over Michael, much to Tahani's dismay. Meanwhile, Chidi and the real Eleanor bond over dinner with Eleanor and Trevor. During the main negotiation session, Michael stands up to Trevor and his demons, declaring war on the Bad Place and promising to fight for Eleanor. Trevor promises to get Shawn, an "Eternal Judge", involved. Michael ultimately throws the demons out of the Good Place. That night, Jason finds Tahani in his "meditation room", demanding to know who he really is. In flashbacks, Eleanor is shown to dislike joining social groups.
1010"Chidi's Choice"Linda MendozaDemi AdejuyigbeJanuary 5, 2017 (2017-01-05)3.53[16]
While working together on Eleanor's defense case, Real Eleanor makes Eleanor realize she loves Chidi. Tahani confronts Jason and learns Chidi inspired his kind gestures. Chidi panics when Eleanor and Tahani both tell him they love him. Michael successfully encourages Chidi to make a decision. Eleanor insists that she and Tahani preserve their friendship, so they spend the rest of the day together. Appreciating Janet's kindness towards him, Jason decides to marry her. Eleanor and Tahani attend the wedding and, when Chidi arrives, Eleanor tells him that her love for him is that of gratitude towards a friend and teacher and Tahani admits she was just on the rebound. Declaring she has thought of a way for Eleanor to stay, Tahani leaves with her. Flashbacks show that a young Chidi wasted an entire recess period unable to pick teammates. Later in life, Chidi's indecisiveness made him unable to act as his best friend Uzo's best man and indirectly led to Chidi's death when an air conditioning unit, which he knocked loose, fell on him while he stood below, unable to choose a bar to visit with Uzo.
1111"What's My Motivation"Lynn SheltonAndrew LawJanuary 12, 2017 (2017-01-12)3.64[17]
Tahani suggests that Eleanor be allowed to accrue points in the Good Place; starting at −4,000, she must exceed 1,200,000. She performs good deeds and recreates Tahani's welcoming party, winning over her neighbors with humor, but her score only increases when she advises Chidi to respond favorably to Real Eleanor's declaration of love. Eleanor learns that, since her motivation is self-preservation, her actions won't increase her score. She secretly plans to leave the Good Place to become a good person and her score reaches the target. Michael discovers both Jason's identity and his marriage to Janet, who has developed emotions and loves Jason, so Michael decides to reboot her. When Shawn's train arrives, Janet, Jason, and Eleanor hijack it to take them to a "Medium Place". Flashbacks show that Jason suffocated and died in a safe while trying to rob a restaurant with his friend Pillboi, who was placed on probation and not charged in his death.
1212"Mindy St. Claire"Dean HollandMegan Amram & Jen StatskyJanuary 19, 2017 (2017-01-19)3.93[18]
Eleanor, Jason, and Janet escape to a "Medium Place" inhabited by Mindy St. Claire (Maribeth Monroe), an 1980s attorney who overall led a selfish life, but whose actions just prior to her death led to the formation of a massive global charity fund. Meanwhile, Shawn proceeds with his trial on Eleanor and Jason, with Chidi, Tahani, Michael, and real Eleanor trying to argue in Eleanor's favor. Ultimately, Shawn judges against Eleanor and Jason, decreeing that, if the two don't return, Chidi and Tahani will be sentenced to go to the Bad Place in their stead. Eleanor eventually convinces Jason and Janet to return in order to spare Chidi and Tahani from that fate. Flashbacks show the day of Eleanor's death, the day Eleanor got emancipated from her parents, and various other moments in Eleanor's life.
1313"Michael's Gambit"Michael SchurMichael SchurJanuary 19, 2017 (2017-01-19)3.93[18]
Just missing Shawn's deadline, Eleanor and Jason return, joining Chidi and Tahani. Shawn decides that they can choose any two of the four to go to the Bad Place. Many arguments are made for who should go and who should stay, with Real Eleanor deciding to take one place. As arguments become more heated and frustrating, Eleanor has an epiphany: the four of them have been torturing each other not by accident but by design, meaning they've been in the Bad Place all along. Michael confesses that this is true; "The Good Place" is a new and elaborate Bad Place neighborhood where Eleanor, Jason, Chidi, and Tahani, the only human inhabitants, were to drive each other to agony. Michael explains Janet is a legitimate Good Place Janet he stole to run his fake Good Place. Flashbacks show Michael at his architect job before he created his false "Good Place" and his pitch meeting with Shawn. With his scheme exposed, Michael begs Shawn for a "redo" by blanking their memories and changing some parameters. In a last ditch effort to do something, Eleanor rips a page from Chidi's book and writes a message to herself which she hides in Janet's mouth. After the reset, Janet gives Eleanor the piece of paper that reads: "Eleanor – Find Chidi".

Critical reception

The first season of The Good Place received positive reviews from television critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 91%, based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.84/10. 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."[19] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 78 out of 100, based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[20]

Critics' top 10 lists

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.