Netflix Summary:
When Eleanor dies and winds up in an afterlife paradise reserved for only the most ethical people, she realizes she’s been mistaken for somebody else.
FYA Summary:
For those who were good people during their time on Earth, they get to spend their afterlife in the Good Place. Well, good people and Eleanor Shellstrop, who got in by a case of mistaken identity. See, Eleanor was actually quite terrible in life, so now she’s desperate to do whatever it takes to stay in the Good Place.
Familiar Faces:
Kristen Bell as Eleanor
PLEASE. As if y’all don’t know. Eleanor has sass to rival Veronica Mars, but without any semblance of our favourite private investigator’s moral compass.
Ted Danson as Michael
Most actors would be lucky to have a single long-running series in their credits, but most actors aren’t television icon Ted Danson who’s starred in a bajillion shows. Whereas Michael is the immortal being who designed Eleanor’s neighbourhood in the Good Place.
William Jackson Harper as Chidi
As an ethics professor, Chidi is the perfect foil to teach Eleanor how to, like, not be the worst.
D’Arcy Carden as Janet
Janet is a vessel that contains all the knowledge in the universe — but in a cheerful, lady-looking form.
Jameela Jamil as Tahani Al-Jamil
A tall, rich philanthropist, Tahani is quite literally everything Eleanor isn’t, and she has a penchant for name-dropping her many famous pals.
Manny Jacinto as Jianyu
Jianyu, meanwhile, isn’t naming anything, because he’s a monk who has extended his vow of silence into the afterlife.
Couch-Sharing Capability: NOICE
If you enjoy the show, you’re going to want to talk about it with someone, be it about the jokes, the ethical dilemmas, or the stellar storytelling.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Low (or Shrimp Cocktails Only)
No booze is necessary — and might actually impede catching all jokes and details — but you could always load up on Eleanor-approved Lonely Girl Margarita Mix for a rewatch.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: The Best Place
This show is a frickin’ DELIGHT. Which other show is going to have philosophical discussions in the same scene as a fart joke? It’s thoughtful and clever, and at a brisk 26 half-hour episodes (with Season 3 premiering tonight!), it’s a quick and easy binge. So what the fork are you waiting for?!?!
