Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: The Good Place

NBC’s latest comedy, The Good Place, tackles the question of where do we go when we die? More specifically, what happens when you end up in the wrong place?

Eleanor will do whatever it takes to stay in the Good Place, even if that means living in a really small house decorated with way too many clown portraits. With some help from her soul mate, Chindi, Eleanor might just pull it off.

What did you think of the premiere of The Good Place? Has it earned a spot on your Fall TV watch list? Join the discussion by leaving a comment below.

Our panelists are:

• Christine Laskodi, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Charles Dulaney, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Milka Väinämö, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• James A. Windley, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Riya Verghese, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Ashley Bissette Sumerel, editor-in-chief for Tell-Tale TV

Give it to me straight. What did you think of the premiere?

Milka: As I highly expected, I really enjoyed it. Kristen Bell is brilliant and the setting seems like a fruitful place for comedic content with its whimsical characters, rules, traditions, and so on.

Charles: I really liked it. The premise of the show feels fresh and has that wit and humor that Michael Schur’s shows always seem to have in them. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson were terrific, and I loved William Jackson Harper’s Chidi. His and Kristen’s comedic chemistry was really good.

James: I thought it was really fun. There were a few laugh out loud moments, like any time Tahani (Jameela Jamil) opened her mouth in the second half of the premiere. And Kristen Bell does sardonic incredibly well.

Christine: I thought it was fantastic. I’m already a big fan of Mike Schur’s work, so I’d been anticipating it since it was first announced. I think the premise feels unique and interesting. I love the characters, and Kristen Bell is just amazing. She really shines when she does comedy.

Riya: I really wanted to like it but they didn’t make it easy. Kristen Bell can get me interested in just about anything, and I always enjoy Ted Danson, so I’m going to give it a few more shots.

The premise is definitely unique and some of the jokes were laugh-out-loud funny, but a lot of it felt gimmicky and many of the characters seemed one-dimensional.

Ashley: I absolutely loved it. I think this show could have gone one of two ways — it could have been silly and awful, or it could have been clever and thoughtful. I think it managed to be the latter.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Milka: Not necessarily a problem, as of yet, but as the season processes, it will be interesting to see how the show is able to balance Eleanor’s storyline and the laughs that come out of it with the storyline involving the Good Place itself, and what is happening to it now that the carefully constructed world has been compromised.

Charles : The only worry I have right now is how to keep the show from relying on the plot of Eleanor does something bad but in the last moment redeems herself. That works for a while but it can become overused really quick. They need to walk a narrow line of not relying too heavily on the plot device later down the road.

James: I took issue with the Buddhist monk, not out of principle, but more because it’s the type of joke that can get old. There are so many characters out there already where the joke is “Look at me — I never talk, but people understand everything I’m saying” that I’m hoping they find something compelling to bolster this character.

Christine: I agree with everything that has already been said. I think they could easily fall into routine with their storytelling. I have a lot of faith in the writing staff though, and I really have hope that they can keep things new.

And as for the Buddhist monk…I’m betting he CAN and WILL talk.

Riya: I agree about the jokes getting old. I also wonder how long they can stretch the storyline regarding how everyone got to The Good Place. What happens after all of that is squared away?

Unlike James, I found Tahini a little annoying and affected. Also the literal representation of what was going on felt over the top — the bees, the shrimp,  the garbage from the sky, etc.

Ashley: Yeah, I pretty well agree with all of this too, and I worry how a show like this could keep going after a season. But I’m sure there’s a way, and I’m sure it will be worth watching.

What/Who do you want to see more of?

Milka: Flashbacks to Eleanor’s life on earth. Not only were these moments extremely hilarious, I found what they have done cinematographically, for example with the juxtaposition of high key and low-key lighting and color saturation to create a contrast between Eleanor’s life on earth and the Good Place, quite interesting.

Seeing more of the dynamic between Eleanor and Chidi is also something I look forward to.

Charles: Eleanor and Chidi’s dynamic. I loved their scenes together as they had a My Fair Lady-type feel to them. I cannot wait to see where the show takes them as I love their slowly advancing friendship and maybe further down the line it could be more.

Also, I can’t get enough of Ted Danson’s Michael and his interactions with the townspeople. So much potential stories there for them to have.

James: I’m curious to find out more of the logistics of the Good Place, who commissioned Michael, the limitations of “good” (there’s porn available, after all), and what the Bad Place actually looks like.

I’d also like to see more of Eleanor’s relationship with her parents, which the pilot quickly glossed over, a confirmation that a “Middle Place” does or does not exist, and what the other neighborhoods look like (a topic that could go wrong very quickly).

And as much as I dislike the silent character device, I am looking forward to seeing Tahani sort of break down over it and then discover that they are compatible after all. I only began liking her as a character when I saw that even she was starting to get over her “soul mate.”

Christine: I have to agree with Charles on this one. Right away I felt my ‘shipping senses go up on Eleanor and Chidi. They have great chemistry, and feel really natural in their interactions despite the circumstances surrounding them. I really hope we see these “soul mates” become “soulmates.”

Riya: I’d like to see some of the other characters have more depth to them. Michael and Eleanor were obviously the focus of the premiere, but I’m hoping the other characters are more than just “really good people.”

The monk could get interesting when he starts to speak, and I enjoyed Janet, their version of Siri. I hope she gets more screen time.

Ashley: I think I’m looking forward to seeing more of Michael, and like James, I want to know more about how this mysterious “Good Place” works. That’s one of the things that intrigues me about the show most so far.

What was your favorite moment/quote?

Milka: I loved the first orientation video, which explains the points system that is used when selecting people who will make it to the Good Place. According to the system you can get points for example from ending slavery, remaining loyal to the Cleveland Browns, and eating a sandwich, while actions like poisoning a river, telling a woman to smile, and rooting for the New York Yankees will deduct points from you.

Charles: I loved the orientation video as well. It was fun seeing all the things that can give you good points and bad points. I also enjoyed that no one could curse in The Good Place ,so every time Eleanor wanted to curse, she could only say forking.

And I laughed at Michael kicking the dog into the sun. It was outlandish and hilarious.

James: Again, anything that Tahani says in Part 2. And the Ariana Grande sequence with flying shrimp, which is actually a personal fantasy of mine.

Christine: I know it’s cheesy, but I love that Eleanor can’t curse, and every time she used a substitute word I cracked up. I’m always a sucker for the words you use instead of the ones you REALLY want to say. I’m even adding “fork” into my collection of replacement swears.

Riya: I’m with Christine here, the not being able to curse bits are funny. And I really enjoyed Janet’s (D’Arcy Carden) lines and delivery. She’s perfect for those one-off laughs they can sprinkle throughout each episode.

Ashley: Yes, on the curse word replacements! All of my favorite quotes are the ones where she ends up saying “fork” or “bullshirt.” SO funny. I’m definitely adding “fork” to my vocabulary too, like Christine.

What did you think of the season premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

The Good Place airs Thursday at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

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