TV REVIEW: The Good Place – Season 3

Season 3 kicks off with Michael (Ted Danson) intervening in the four humans’ lives to prevent their deaths. His hope is that by giving them the opportunity to live their lives again that they’ll live better lives and get into The Good Place legitimately.

Unfortunately things don’t quite go to plan and Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson-Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) soon fall into their old habits. Michael is forced into more and more interventions as he realises that the reason the four became better in the Bad Place is because they were together. But is it possible the entire system is flawed?

The Good Place really is the gift that keeps on giving. At the end of the last season I had no idea where they were going to go with this season and once again I was pleasantly surprised with the direction.

On one level The Good Place is a silly, surreal comedy but on another level it is a deep exploration of the human condition, morality and what it means to be a good person. By exploring this from the banal angle of a points system beholden to an endless bureaucracy, the show highlights the complexity of modern life. You can just as easily ignore this and just laugh at Jason’s utter stupidity, Eleanor’s self-serving vulgarity, Janet’s (D’Arcy Carden) forthrightness, Tahani’s self-obsession or Chidi’s endless neuroses.

This season also brings a lot of tenderness as the group becomes more and more tight knit through their shared experiences, which leads to some very challenging decisions.

Although to a large extent all the characters, except maybe Janet, are questionable human beings the performances from the actors that play them ensure that they are sympathetic and that the audience can identity with them and laugh with them. Danson continues to be the MVP and seeing him overcome his demonic nature, while using his cunning to his advantage is great.

One of my favourite recent comedies that I am happy to recommend.

4/5