NO LONGER ‘GOOD’
A shocking twist turns the whimsical comedy upside down
THE GOOD PLACE Wednesday, 10 p.m., NBC
HAVING had their memories erased by Good Place master architect Michael (Ted Danson), afterlife denizens Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) are unaware that they are living in a new environment, one that does not bode well. For Eleanor, who was sent to the Good Place by mistake after her death, the world becomes really complicated. Series executive producer Mike Schur (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) shared his thoughts with The Post on Season 2, which has already wrapped production on its 13 episodes, and whether there will be another shocking twist for the high-concept comedy.
What was the reaction among the cast when they all learned that the Good Place was actually hell?
Ted [Danson] and Kristen [Bell] knew already, because I pitched it to them when I was selling them on the [idea of the] show. We later found out Ted was telling all his friends. After the eighth or ninth episode, we told the rest of the cast. The fact that they didn’t see [the surprise] coming made me confident that we were going to pull it off.
Now that you’ve switched everything around, are you under pressure to upend the show again?
We knew going into the second season that would be an issue, but we’re not going to replicate that. Our goal is to keep the DNA of the show intact while making sure we have episodes with dramatic momentum.
Will Eleanor have an opportunity to redeem herself?
It’s an opportunity for everyone in the cast to redeem themselves. In Season 1, Eleanor said, “I’m in heaven by mistake.” In Season 2, she’s saying, “I know I’m in hell so I need to make myself a better person to escape.” In the beginning, ginning, it started as something practical: I have to be good or I’ll get caught. ught. It ceases to become a pragmatic thinghing and makes herer [more] interesting. In Episode de 5 of the first season, eason, Eleanor did something nice without ithout thinking aboutut it.
Do the actors rs ever slip and say actual curseses when the scripts call for them to say “shirt” instead of “s--t” or “fork” instead of “f--k”?
They did a lot at the beginning, but it’s second nature now. Kristen has found herself saying “fork” at home. Which is another win for the show.
“The Good Place” is starting a week earlier than many of the fall shows. What’s the advantage?
It’s necessary because there are a lot of visual effects that take time. You also have less competition for the crew and the directors you want to hire for the team. This show has a
long tail in p production.