Sometimes, TV shows run for seemingly endless runs. Other times, they get canceled early on. The best ending any fan can hope for is the show ending on the writers’ terms, with a cohesive narrative and before it overstays any welcome. The Good Place, NBC’s beloved comedy, will be in the third camp. Series creator Mike Schur has announced that the show will be ending with the upcoming fourth season, prompting many a fan to declare that this is the Bad Place.
Dear Residents of #TheGoodPlace Neighborhood 12358W… pic.twitter.com/UVsm5x704p
— The Good Place (@nbcthegoodplace) June 8, 2019
Schur spoke to The Hollywood Reporter yesterday on the subject, saying:
“After season one ended and aired and it seemed like the show was going to survive the gauntlet of being a TV show in the modern era, I was like, “Well, this show isn’t a typical show where the goal is to do it as long as we can and as many episodes as we can.” It was never designed that way — we do 13 episodes per year from the beginning. I knew I needed to map this out in the same way that I mapped out the first season, I needed to map out the whole show. I didn’t feel like it needed to be definitive but I needed to have a sense of how long I thought the idea could sustain itself. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that it was four seasons.”
This makes sense. There are only so many places the story of The Good Place can go before they become stuck in an endless cycle. You can’t Jeremy Bearimy a TV show—there should be a beginning and, hopefully, an end. The Good Place is in a sweet spot right now where everything clicks and the story is perfect. If Schur and the writers had continued to drag the show out past a sell-by date just because it was popular, that would do a disservice to the show and fans.
This does come as a blow. After all, The Good Place is one of the best shows currently airing, and is possibly one of the best comedies of all time. Fans are devastated. But Schur, who in the past delivered on of the best series finales of all time on Parks and Recreation, is more than up to the task. If anyone can give us a satisfying, mind-blowing, and excellent final season, it’s him and his team of writers.
Saying goodbye is sad, but these characters are in good hands.
When asked about the message of the show by the Hollywood Reporter, Schur said, “Ethics and living an ethical life or trying to live an ethical life is incredibly important to me and I hope it’s important to other people. … I hope the main lesson of the show, in terms of ethics, is that the important thing is that you try and you’re aware that ethics matter and are factoring them in to your decision making at all times as best you can. We’re trying to say at some level that trying is as important as doing because trying means you’re thinking about it and you’re making the effort.”
He added, “Those are basic ideas; those shouldn’t be controversial ideas — you should always try to live your life as ethically as possible and that you have obligations to other people. If we can’t agree on those two principles then we’re doomed.”
It’s a good message to take away from The Good Place, and it’s one we all could use right now. Who knows what awaits the characters in the final season, but it’s safe to assume they’re in the best hands possible, and that the show is ending on terms it set for itself. That’s really all we as fans can hope for.
(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: NBC)
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Published: Jun 8, 2019 11:50 am