The Basics:

Director: Drew Goddard
Writer: Michael Schur
Release Date: 19th September 2017 (USA)
Number of Episodes: 20
Approx. Runtime per Episode: 22 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Existential Crisis-Inducing Drama Overload
IMDb rating: 7.9/10*
Starring: Kristin Bell, Jameela Jamil, William Jackson-Harper

*as of 7th November 2017

Synopsis:

Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristin Bell) is dead. On arrival, she is told by the neighbourhood Architect, Michael (Ted Danson), that her time on Earth was selfless and fruitful enough to gain her access to the afterlife's paradise - The Good Place. In this place, your wishes are always answered, you can fly, eat frozen yoghurt all day, your house is built just the way you like it and you get matched with your perfect soulmate on Day 1!
But Eleanor realises a terrible secret... she's not supposed to be in The Good Place. So, she enlists help from her "soulmate", Chidi (William Jackson Harper), an ethical mastermind, to learn how to be good and earn her place in paradise. However, things in 'The Good Place' are not all that they seem and Season 2 shows the main characters desperately trying to find out the truth, while 800+ reboots on the afterlife begin to take their toll on the existence of the neighbourhood...

Favourite Moments

Janet. Janet, played by D'Arcy Carden, might just be my favourite character in the whole of the Netflix world. Who knew a robot (sorry Janet) could have such incredible comic timing. Carden is hilarious - she takes on so many personalities throughout the two series, each one as convincing as the last and although she only speaks the truth, she seems to always sound sarcastic... which is HILARIOUS. I find myself wanting her to have more screen time, because in my opinion the funniest moments of the show happen when she's around.

The Downside...

Personally, I think it took AGES to get going. I really wasn't keen for the first few episodes, in fact I found the humour uninteresting and the scripts a little dull. It felt like it took a while to collate and focus ideas, so some moments were sporadic and random - almost like the end goal was in sight but the audience was left in the dark and expected to pick up a half-written story.
Having said that, when it did get going, I found it very addicting; the runtime is just long enough to grab and hold interest, but short enough that I don't feel guilty binge-watching 6 episodes in one sitting. And the end of Season 1 is brilliant, preparing for a much stronger Season 2.

The Final Score...

Placing my rating slightly below IMDb, I rate 'The Good Place' at 6.5/10. For me, it just took too long to collate ideas. The saving grace of the show is the character Janet and Carden's amazing acting. I feel without her, there would be significantly less to keep me watching, although Bell's humour is funny and relatable. The writing picks up half way through the season for a very well-thought-out finale, but dropping hints towards it from Episode 1 made things too hard to follow from the beginning.
To conclude, mildly disappointing, although moments of 'laugh out loud' humour are present. Still worth a watch if you can wait a few episodes to get stuck in.


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