I admit I am a little late getting around to this one since it has actually been around since 2016. The Kristen Bell and Ted Danson starring show is an easy watch with some funny moments and overall I believe it is worth watching, particularly because each episode is short and they do stand on their own without really needing too much background information to proceed.
While it originally airs on NBC, all the episodes are available on Netflix for your binge-watching pleasure. The fourth and final season has already happened and has aired and I have only watched most of season 1 at this point. I find the show's whimsical nature to be entertaining but there are some downsides as well.
The show focuses primarily on Kristen Bell's character named "Eleanor Shellstrop" who finds herself in the afterlife. She has managed to get into "The Good Place," which is a non-denominational afterlife area for people who lived a virtuous life on Earth. The actions of everyone's entire life was quantified and the only the best of the best are allowed to spend eternity in "The Good Place."
The problem is that Eleanor was not a good person in life and there has been a mix-up. She is actually supposed to be in "The Bad Place" based on how she lived but there were mistakes made. Realizing that the "Bad Place" is as bad as it sounds, she must do everything she can to avoid being caught. Therefore she has to resist her terrestrial urges else she be discovered.
It's pretty funny in subtle ways and Kristen plays the role of "bad girl pretending to be good" quite well. Her supporting cast do a great job and honestly, I have no complaints about any of the actors overall. The only problem I have with the series is that it gets pretty repetitive pretty fast.
There are only so many crises that can possibly exist in "The Good Place" since it is meant to be utopia for most and the re-hashing of what is essentially the same problems over and over again kind of starts to get old pretty fast. Keeping in mind that I am still only in season 1 this may change later.
At the moment I can recommend this series because it is easy to watch and the overall story isn't really as important as the comedic moments that happen in each episode. In this regard, it is a typical sitcom. The difference between this and say Big Bang is that there is no canned laughter and they appear to have a significantly higher budget per episode. This may actually be why it was ended after 4 seasons. While there aren't any figures out there that tell how much an episode costs, it is easy to understand how this spawling set would cost significantly more than a sound stage in Burbank.
If you are at a loss for a small break from reality type show, one that doesn't really require your undivided attention that can deliver some good laughs, then this might be a good one for you. However, don't expect any profound eye-opening storylines here, because it isn't that sort of show.
