Monday, September 19, 2016

NBC Fall Pilot Review: The Good Place - Premieres Tonight (Sept. 19); 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Award Winners

The Good Place

The Good Place - Thursdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Series Preview Monday, September 19, 2016 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT; Timeslot Premiere on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 8:30PM ET/PT


by Vincent

The Good Place is a unique new comedy that follows Eleanor Shellstrop, an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person. With the help of her wise newfound afterlife mentor, she's determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within.

Cast Details:

Kristen Bell as Eleanor
Ted Danson as Michael
Jameela Jamil as Tahani
William Jackson Harper as Chidi
Manny Jacinto as Jianyu
D'Arcy Carden as Janet

Kristen Bell (Eleanor) is known for her role as the titular character in the cult teen drama series Veronica Mars. She is also well-known for her voice role as Ana in the smash hit animated Disney film Frozen. She also starred as Jeannie in the Showtime drama series House of Lies and has appeared in guest roles on shows such as Party Down, Parks and Recreation, and The Simpsons.

Ted Danson (Michael) is known for his role as Sam Malone on the long-running NBC sitcom Cheers as well as the 2000s sitcom Becker. He also spent multiple years in a lead role on CSI and most recently had a major part in the second season of FX's Fargo adaptation. He has also appeared on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bored to Death, Help Me Help You and Damages.

Jameela Jamil (Tahani) is an English actress and television/radio presenter. She is best known as the host of the UK radio show The Official Chart as well as several TV music programs such as Music Zone and Freshly Squeezed. The Good Place will be her first major starring role as an actress.

William Jackson Harper (Chidi) is an actor who is best known for his role as Danny on The Electric Company. He has also appeared on shows such as 30 Rock, Person of Interest, and High Maintenance,

Manny Jacinto (Jianyu) is an actor who has previously appeared in guest roles on shows such as The 100, iZombie, and Bates Motel.

D'Arcy Carden (Janet) is a comedic actress known for her roles on Broad City and Comedy Bang! Bang! She also appeared in a guest role on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the indie film Other People, and is a regular in CollegeHumor online videos.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot/Flying" (Airs September 19 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET)

Thanks to some kind of error, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), an ordinary woman, enters the afterlife and is sent to the Good Place -- which is definitely not where she belongs. While hiding in plain sight from Michael (Ted Danson), the wise architect of the Good Place who is unaware that he's made a mistake, she's determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome person within. Helping Eleanor navigate her new surroundings are Chidi (William Jackson Harper), her kind, open-hearted "soulmate" who sees the good in people but finds himself facing quite a dilemma; her frustratingly perfect new neighbors, Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jianyu (Manny Jacinto); and Janet (D'Arcy Carden), a walking, talking source for all the knowledge in the universe.

Analysis:

The Good Place has perhaps the highest pedigree of any new sitcom this fall. It comes from Michael Schur, former Office staff writer and the man behind critically acclaimed and fan beloved Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It also stars Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, two of the most talented actors working in TV right now. So, needless to say, my expectations for The Good Place were sky-high, even with a somewhat off-kilter premise that seems better-suited for a quirky indie film than a network television series. And while I do have some concerns about the sustainability of its premise over long periods of time, the first five episodes of The Good Place are charming, confident, funny, and a great use of its talented cast. It's pretty rare to see a network comedy as fully-formed as The Good Place is from the start – the show's pilot, while somewhat exposition-heavy (which is hard to avoid with a premise like this), is a great, funny, and entertaining introduction to an incredibly unique world, and the show only builds upon its that over the next four episodes, each of which do a little bit to expand our knowledge of the show's universe and the characters that populate it.

Although The Good Place is one of the more ambitious network comedies I've seen in recent years, the show does mostly settle into a formula after its whimsical, sci-fi-heavy pilot. Each episode loosely revolves around Eleanor attempting to be a good person, failing for some various reason, and then learning some kind of "lesson" by the end of the episode. This isn't a criticism whatsoever – every sitcom, even the very best ones, finds some kind of formula they can easily repeat to sustain themselves year after year, and it's actually encouraging to see that The Good Place has already found a way to lend its creative premise into network-TV friendly storylines each week without losing what makes it so interesting in the first place. In fact, The Good Place is really smart about getting around the fact that it's a network sitcom with a more cable or streaming-esque premise (there's an amusing runner dealing with how the foul-mouthed Eleanor can't curse in the afterlife, and all of her f-bombs turn into "forks"). Still, if there's a key to The Good Place remaining fresh through-out the rest of its first season and into any potential future seasons, it's to dig a bit deeper into its supporting characters and the world its created alongside the "Eleanor tries to be a good person" narrative. The show already seems to be doing this by the end of these five episodes, and you can certainly see the Parks & Rec­-esque world-building beginning to form, but I think the show could use just a bit more of it, as it's likely its best chance at sustaining a premise that's fascinating but could run out of steam fast. Still, for now, I'm liking just about everything The Good Place has to offer.

Conclusion:

The Good Place is a highly creative and nearly fully-formed new sitcom with great talent both in the writing room and on screen. The show's premise is incredibly unique and yet still lends itself well to the confines of a network sitcom, and the performances from both Kristen Bell and Ted Danson as well as the mostly-newcomer supporting cast are some of the best you'll find on TV this fall. There are certainly questions to be had about the sustainability of a premise like this over long periods of time, and it would be nice to see the show dig deeper into its world-building and supporting cast a bit more in future episodes, but overall there's not much about The Good Place right now that isn't...well, good.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 5/5
Funniness: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

  • Fox.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • The Good Place Photo Gallery

    Preview:





  • The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired last night on ABC. Here are the winners!

    OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
    black-ish (ABC)
    Modern Family (ABC)
    Master Of Non (Netflix)
    Silicon Valley (HBO)
    Transparent (Amazon)
    Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
    Veep (HBO)
    WINNER: Veep (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
    Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
    Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (Fox)
    Aziz Ansari, Master of None (Netflix)
    Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
    William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
    Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
    Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
    WINNER: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon).

    OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
    Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
    Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
    Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish (ABC)
    Laurie Metcalf, Getting On (HBO)
    Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmid (Netflix)
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
    WINNER: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO).

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
    Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
    Louie Anderson, Baskets (FX)
    Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
    Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
    Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
    Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
    Matt Walsh, Veep (HBO)
    WINNER: Louie Anderson, Baskets (FX)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
    Niecy Nash, Getting On (HBO)
    Judith Light, Transparent (Amazon)
    Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
    Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent (Amazon)
    Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
    Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
    WINNER: Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

    OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
    Better Call Caul (AMC)
    Downton Abbey (PBS)
    Game of Thrones (HBO)
    House of Cards (Netflix)
    Homeland (Showtime)
    Mr. Robot (USA Network)
    The Americans (FX)
    WINNER: Game of Thrones (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
    Bob Odenkirk, Netter Call Saul (AMC)
    Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
    Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
    Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA Network)
    Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
    Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
    WINNER: Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA Network)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
    Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
    Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
    Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
    Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)
    Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
    Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
    WINNER: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
    Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
    Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
    Kit Harrington, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)
    Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
    WINNER: Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
    Maura Tierney, The Affair (Showtime)
    Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
    Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Constance Zimmer, UnReal (Lifetime)
    WINNER: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)

    OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
    American Crime (ABC)
    Fargo (FX)
    The Night Manager (AMC)
    The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
    Roots (History)
    WINNER: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
    Bryan Cranston, All the Way (HBO)
    Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
    Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager (AMC)
    Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
    Cuba Gooding, Jr., The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
    Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)
    WINNER: Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

    OUTSTANDING LEAD LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
    Felicity Huffman, American Crime (ABC)
    Lili Taylor, American Crime (ABC)
    Kerry Washington, Confirmation (HBO)
    Kirsten Dunst, Fargo (FX)
    Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
    Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (HBO)
    Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)
    WINNER: Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
    Jesse Plemons, Fargo (FX)
    Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo (FX)
    Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager (AMC)
    Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)
    David Schwimmer, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)
    John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)
    WINNER: Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Stor (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
    Melissa Leo, All the Way (HBO)
    Regina King, American Crime (ABC)
    Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
    Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
    Jean Smart, Fargo (FX)
    Olivia Colman, The Night Manager (FX)
    WINNER: Regina King, American Crime (ABC)

    View the full list of winners.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Wednesday, September 17

    Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.

    Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.

    Abbott Elementary - "Rally" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Ava and the Abbott teachers go to the district to plead for Ava's job back; Gregory handles duties as interim principal.

    Abbott Elementary - "Please Touch Museum" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Abbott Elementary goes on a schoolwide field trip to the Please Touch Museum, which has some of the older kids skeptical.

    The Hospital - "Double or Nothing; Make a Wish" (BET, 11:00PM ET/PT)
    Apparently the best spot to gamble during your shift, is in the morgue.

    The Hospital - "Lyrical Surgery; Get It Poppin" (BET, 11:30PM ET/PT)
    Dr. Do-It-To-Em's mixtape has more bars than a nursing student during finals week.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)

    Wednesday, September 17

    • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) - Ron is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Brett Goldstein (Shrinking/Ted Lasso) - Brett stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Rob Reiner (All in the Family/Morton & Hayes) - Rob appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Paul and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about FX's Necaxa on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
    • Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon talks about Him on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene talks about The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
    • Mark Duplass (Big Mouth/Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark talks about The Morning Show on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
    • Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
    • Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - Kristin dishes on the end of And Just Like That and surprises Drew with an item from the set of Sex and the City on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane talks about Fox's Celebrity Weakest Link on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
    • Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

    01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
    03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
    04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
    05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
    06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
    06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
    07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    09/17 - FETV Acquires The Munsters Effective September 29; Apple TV+ The Morning Show Renewed for Season 5
    09/16 - Disney's SuperKitties Adds to Voice Cast; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 2
    09/15 - 77th Primetime Emmy Award Winners; Letterman TV Adds Late Night with David Letterman
    09/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 15, 2025)
    09/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Looking to Merge with Warner Bros. Discovery; Samsung TV+ Adds Late Night with David Letterman
    09/12 - Emmy Awards to Create Special Moments; Ricky Gervais Netflix Animated Comedy Alley Cats Coming in 2026
    09/11 - Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2
    09/10 - Netflix Renews Leanne for Season 2; Hazbin Hotel Returns October 29
    09/09 - HBO Comedy The Chair Company; Trailer for Disney's Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
    09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air
    09/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 8, 2025)
    09/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Shifting Gears Picked Up for Three Additional Episodes; The Paper Renewed for Season Two
    09/05 - Crutch Premieres November 3 on Paramount+; Trailer for Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
    09/04 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Cast
    09/03 - Live Staged Reading of Three's Company Episode; Freeform Acquires According to Jim for October
    09/02 - Hulu's Chad Powers Trailer; BET's The Hospital Premieres September 10
    09/01 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2025 Include Archie Bunker's Place and George Lopez
    08/31 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 1, 2025)
    08/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Cast Changes Loom; NBC Renews Password for Third Season
    08/29 - HBO's Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television; Adult Swim Slates Two Series for October
    08/28 - NBC's Password Renewed for Season 3 for 2026; Pluto TV Streaming CBS Shows Ahead of Fall Season
    08/27 - Hulu's Deli Boys Renewed for Season 2 with Fred Armisen; HBO's I Love LA Premieres November 2
    08/26 - English Teacher Returns on FX for Season 2; Jesse Williams Prime Video Series Trailer
    08/25 - Doc Season 2 Trailer for Fox; Remembering David Ketchum and Jerry Adler
    08/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 25, 2025)
    08/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Home Improvement Cast Members to Reunite on Shifting Gears; The Paper to Have Binge Drop
    08/22 - Hulu's Futurama Season 13 Trailer; A Man on the Inside Returns November 20 on Netflix
    08/21 - George Lopez Coming to COZI TV; The Morning Show Season 4 Trailer
    08/20 - Welcome Back, Kotter 50th Anniversary Marathon on Rewind TV; Apple TV+ Palm Royale Season 2 Premieres November 12
    08/19 - Antenna TV's Archie Bunker's Place Labor Day Marathon; Larry the Cable Guy Prime Video Special
    08/18 - Nobody Wants This Season 2 Premieres October 23; HGTV and Retta Continue Partnership
    08/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 18, 2025)