The Good Place revolutionized sitcoms on American broadcast TV. The sitcom formula since the start television network turn on their antenna was pretty simple. A show makes at least 23 episodes a season and cranks out at least 100 episodes so it can be a success in syndication. Anything short of those two goals and you can start a “Brilliant, But Canceled” entry. This has been the same since I Love Lucy until The Big Bang Theory. But then The Good Place arrived in the fall of 2016. The first season was only 13 episodes. Creator Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation) didn’t start a save our show hashtag campaign. The only message sent out was “see you next season.” He only wanted 13 episodes. People were sort of used to this on HBO and other cable channels. Or from England where a hit sitcom season can be six episodes long. But major broadcast TV was a place where TV shows ran nearly twice as long. We watch a show from the start of Fall until it’s time to pack for the beach. But The Good Place used the 13 episode run to its advantage with great scripts, strange special effects and each season representing a completely different storyline. The series was able to run for the four seasons that had been planned. The Good Place: The Complete Series – Collector’s Edition brings together all four seasons so you can constantly binge one of the great shows that didn’t overstay its welcome or vanish too soon.
The first season opens with Eleanor Shellstrop (Frozen‘s Kristen Bell) arriving in heaven. She is not sure how she ends up in the Good Place since she was not a great person during her life. She gets assigned her soulmate Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper). They don’t seem like they are the perfect lovers, but how can they debate it. They were put together by Michael (Cheers‘ Ted Danson). He’s the architect of The Good Place as heaven get called. He’s also put together Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) and Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) as heavenly soulmates. This confuses Jason on a few levels because he’s a drug dealer and not a Taiwanese monk. Tahani was a horrible self-centered socialite on Earth. None of these four seem like they’d immediately get through the Pearly Gates. But the Good Place does have its issues with weird attacks from giant bugs. Something just isn’t right here and Eleanor has to figure out the truth. And eventually that leads us to the second season.
Each of the four seasons is a different place. I don’t want to give out too much about seasons 2, 3 and 4. The episodes play off each other which under the old rules of sitcoms would be a bad thing. But with only 13 episodes a season (there’s 14 episodes during the final season) and everything on a Blu-ray, you can just binge the seasons so easily. You don’t have to worry about missing an episode.
The cast is magnificent. Ted Danson really elevates a group that was relatively inexperienced outside of Kirsten Bell. There’s a great rhythm between the cast members even on a show that has plenty of special effects that could throw off the timing. What also works for the show is the four season build on each other. The stakes grow so all is on the line when the finale arrives during the fourth season. The series dared to challenge the sitcom formula and succeed. The Good Place didn’t over staying its welcome and came to a satisfying ending.
If you’re stuck in your house thanks to the Covid-19, The Good Place is the perfect series to marathon over the course of a week or so. The Good Place: Complete Series – Collector’s Edition will put you in a good place mood.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the details of this afterlife world. You can even see the texture of the chowder fountain. The audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 lets the world wrap around your living room. The episodes are subtitled.
Audio Commentaries are provided on four episodes.
Season One Gag Reel (10:05) has a bunch of cussing from the Bad Place.
Season One VFX (1:17) shows off the compositing that made different effects work like a giant frog and flying shrimp. What you saw on the screen might not have been really made.
Episode 112 – Mindy St. Claire – Table Read (28:46) brings together the cast and the guests to go through the entire script.
Season Two Gag Reel (7:14) is hosted by Mindy St. Clair from The Medium Place. Kristen Bell admits she always acts with gum in her mouth.
Season Two VFX (0:58) gets us into the vanishing room stunt.
Season Three Gag Reel (8:50) is hosted by Sean from The Bad Place. He enjoys showing people fail. We get to see the sound guys!
Season Three VFX (2:27) breaks down the reality and computer elements of when a monster truck ran over a taxi and the infinite office.
2019 San Diego Comic-Con Panel – The Good Place (50:45) takes us back to a time when we had Comic-Cons before the Rona took it all away. On the panel are all the stars, Mike Schur and Drew Goddard, executive producer. The crowd is excited. They start off with the sad news that this would be their final visit since the show was wrapping up. The people do like D’Arcy Carden.
Season Four Gag Reel (9:25) lets Norwalk Industries host the clips.
Season Four Finale (11:54) has Seth Meyers meet up with the cast after the finale had just aired. I’m guessing they edited out all the clips from the show since you already own all the clips in the boxset. The cast talk about working with Ted Danson. Mike was the one that ended the series.
Shout! Factory presents The Good Place: The Complete Series – Collector’s Edition. Starring: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto & Ted Danson. Boxset Contents: 53 episodes on 9 Blu-ray discs. Released: May 19, 2020.
