70 Fun Facts About The Good Place

Who created The Good Place?

Michael Schur, co-creator of Parks and Recreation, created The Good Place; he ran it for all four seasons and wrote and directed the series finale, 'Whenever You're Ready'.

Who plays Eleanor Shellstrop?

Kristen Bell, the star of Veronica Mars and the voice of Anna in Frozen, plays Eleanor Shellstrop, the self-described 'Arizona dirtbag' sent to the Good Place by mistake.

Which US city is Eleanor from?

Eleanor Shellstrop grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where she sold a worthless dietary supplement to the sick and elderly before her death.

What is Chidi Anagonye's academic field?

Chidi Anagonye is a professor of moral philosophy and ethics who taught at St. John's University in Sydney, Australia; his crippling indecision is his defining flaw.

Where is Jason Mendoza from?

Jason Mendoza is an amateur DJ from Jacksonville, Florida, and a devoted fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and their quarterback Blake Bortles.

Under what false identity does Jason first appear in the neighborhood?

Jason is mistaken for Jianyu Li, a Taiwanese Buddhist monk whose vow of silence conveniently keeps him from being found out; he confesses to Eleanor in 'Jason Mendoza'.

What is Tahani Al-Jamil known for doing constantly?

Jameela Jamil was a Channel 4 and BBC Radio 1 presenter in Britain before the role.

Who plays Michael, the neighborhood's architect?

Ted Danson plays Michael; the role earned him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

What is Janet?

D'Arcy Carden also plays Bad Janet, Neutral Janet and Disco Janet across the series.

What was the big twist at the end of season one?

The twist is that the neighborhood was the Bad Place all along: Michael, a demon, picked the four humans because they would torture each other.

Which two actors were told about the season-one twist when they signed on?

Kristen Bell and Ted Danson were told about the twist when they signed on; the rest of the cast learned it only late in the first season's production.

What is the title of the season-one finale that delivers the twist?

The finale is 'Michael's Gambit', written and directed by Michael Schur, in which Eleanor realizes the four humans were chosen to torture one another.

What does the note that Janet hands over after the first memory wipe say?

The note reads 'Eleanor — Find Chidi'; Eleanor hides it in Janet's mouth just before the reboot, and Janet produces it at the start of season two.

The season-one twist echoes which Jean-Paul Sartre play?

That is the play behind the line 'hell is other people'.

How many episodes did The Good Place run in total?

The Good Place ran 53 episodes over four seasons (13, 13, 13 and 14, counting the double-length premieres as two), premiering on NBC in September 2016.

How does Eleanor die on Earth?

Michael later saves her from that accident when the humans are sent back to Earth.

How did Tahani die?

Michael reveals it to prove she belongs in the Bad Place too.

What is the name of Tahani's more successful younger sister?

Kamilah Al-Jamil, Tahani's younger sister, is a celebrated artist and musician whose success their parents Waqas and Manisha constantly used to belittle Tahani.

How many times had Michael rebooted the neighborhood by the end of 'Dance Dance Resolution'?

Michael had rebooted the neighborhood 802 times by the end of 'Dance Dance Resolution'; Eleanor saw through the Bad Place in almost every version.

Who plays Shawn, Michael's demon boss?

Marc Evan Jackson, also Kevin on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, plays Shawn, the Bad Place boss who sentences Michael and supervises the demons in the final experiment.

Which actor plays the sleazy Bad Place demon Trevor?

Adam Scott, a Parks and Recreation alumnus, plays the demon Trevor; he returns in season three posing as an overenthusiastic member of Chidi's study group.

Who plays Gen, the Judge?

Maya Rudolph, the Saturday Night Live alumna, plays Gen, the Judge; Gen is short for Hydrogen, because that was the only element around when she was born.

Mindy St. Claire lives in what compromise afterlife?

Mindy St. Claire, a 1980s corporate lawyer, is the sole resident of the Medium Place, where everything is mediocre: warm beer and a single VHS of Cannonball Run II.

Derek, the malfunctioning rebound boyfriend Janet builds, is played by whom?

Jason Mantzoukas plays Derek, the rebound boyfriend Janet builds in season two; Mindy St. Claire reboots him so many times that he grows ever more sophisticated.

Who plays Simone, the Australian neuroscientist who dates Chidi?

Kirby Howell-Baptiste, later of Killing Eve and Barry, plays Simone the neuroscientist; in the season-four experiment she decides the neighborhood is a dying-brain hallucination.

Doug Forcett, whose portrait hangs in Michael's office, guessed how the afterlife works while doing what?

Doug Forcett worked out the afterlife while taking psychedelics in the 1970s — magic mushrooms in 1972; Michael McKean plays the older Doug, who miserably hoards points.

Which Canadian province is Doug Forcett found in?

Doug Forcett lives in Alberta, Canada, where Michael and Janet visit him in 'Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By'; he does anything for others, terrified of losing points.

According to head accountant Neil, how long had it been since anyone got into the Good Place?

Neil, the head accountant played by Stephen Merchant, reveals that no one has entered the Good Place in 521 years; the humans' escape lands them in its mailroom.

In the season-three mid-season finale, what happens to the four humans inside the void?

D'Arcy Carden played all four; the episode won a Hugo Award.

What does IHOP stand for in the show?

IHOP stands for the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes, a reality-warping meeting place where the group confronts the Judge in 'Chidi Sees the Time-Knife'.

Chidi's season-three breakdown involves cooking what into a pot of chili?

Chidi melts marshmallow Peeps into a pot of chili in 'Jeremy Bearimy' while lecturing his class on virtue ethics, consequentialism, deontology and, finally, nihilism.

To which landmark does Tahani anonymously give $2 million in 'Jeremy Bearimy'?

Tahani anonymously donates $2 million to the Sydney Opera House, then realizes rich institutions need it least and hands out cash to strangers on the street instead.

Why does Tahani marry Jason on Earth in season three?

Larry Hemsworth, her ex-fiance, arrives just as it is done.

Tahani's Australian boyfriend Larry in season three belongs to which famous family?

He is described as an accomplished but insecure Hemsworth brother.

How long, in nonlinear afterlife time, did the group's Bad Place experience last?

Michael tells the group in 'Jeremy Bearimy' that their Bad Place ordeal spanned about 300 years of afterlife time; knowing the truth now stops them earning points on Earth.

What is Jason's best friend and partner in crime called?

Pillboi, Jason's best friend and partner in crime, works at a retirement home; in season three Jason persuades him to go straight and focus on that job.

What is Jason's father called?

Donkey Doug is Jason's father, though he treats Jason as a homie rather than a son; the relationship is only revealed in season three, when Jason, Tahani and Michael visit him in Jacksonville.

Eleanor's mother Donna faked her death and reinvented herself as a PTA mom in which state?

Donna Shellstrop faked her death and lives in Nevada as 'Diana Tremaine', a stepmother and PTA mom with a new partner, Dave, in 'A Fractured Inheritance'.

What kind of animal is Jeff the Doorman obsessed with?

Jeff the Doorman, played by Mike O'Malley, is obsessed with frogs; Michael wins him over with frog gifts, and the finale shows him surrounded by a mountain of them.

Which philosopher's book does Schur say 'forms the spine of the entire show'?

T. M. Scanlon's What We Owe to Each Other (1998) is the book Chidi carries throughout the series; its contractualism says moral principles are those no one could reasonably reject.

Chidi's unreadable philosophy treatise was inspired by which real book?

Derek Parfit's On What Matters, a multi-volume work published from 2011, inspired Chidi's unreadable treatise; Schur admitted he could never finish reading it.

Which two philosophy professors served as consultants and cameoed in the finale?

Pamela Hieronymi of UCLA and Todd May of Clemson advised the writers on philosophy and appear as themselves in the finale, 'Whenever You're Ready'.

Which TV drama did Schur model the show's cliffhanger structure on?

He took Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof to lunch to play 'is this anything?'

The neighborhood exteriors were shot at which California location?

The neighborhood's exteriors were filmed at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, near Pasadena, whose Japanese, Chinese and European gardens already felt like a cultural pastiche.

What hoax character description accompanied D'Arcy Carden's casting announcement?

Carden was announced as 'Janet Della-Denunzio, a violin salesperson with a checkered past', a fake description Schur used to hide the afterlife premise before the pilot aired.

Chidi's character was originally announced under what name?

William Jackson Harper's role was announced as 'Chris', a placeholder name; the character became Chidi Anagonye, a professor of moral philosophy, once the premise was revealed.

How many Hugo Awards did the show win for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form?

The show won four Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, for 'The Trolley Problem', 'Janet(s)', 'The Answer' and 'Whenever You're Ready' (2018–2021).

How many Primetime Emmy nominations did The Good Place receive in total?

The Good Place earned 14 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series for its last two seasons and three for Ted Danson, but never won.

Which prestigious broadcasting honour did the show receive in 2019?

The Good Place won a Peabody Award in 2019, recognized in the entertainment category for turning moral philosophy into a network sitcom.

What is the title of the six-part web spin-off released before season four?

The Selection is a six-part web series released in 2019 in which Shawn and his demon underlings choose the four humans for Michael's experimental neighborhood.

Which Ancient Greek philosopher does Chidi meet in the real Good Place?

Chidi meets Hypatia of Alexandria, played by Lisa Kudrow and going by 'Patty'; she reveals that eternal perfection has turned every resident's brain to mush.

What solution does Eleanor propose for the boredom of the real Good Place?

Eleanor proposes a door through which residents can end their existence whenever they feel complete; knowing eternity can end makes them appreciate it again.

In the finale, Jason realizes he is ready to leave after doing what?

Jason feels complete after playing a perfect game of Madden NFL with his father, Donkey Doug; he then waits eons in the woods for Janet, living like a monk.

What does Tahani choose to do rather than walk through the final door?

Tahani chooses to become an architect and design afterlife neighborhoods; Michael arranges for her to start at the bottom as an apprentice, a first for a human.

What surname does the architect take when he finally becomes a human on Earth?

Michael becomes human on Earth under the name Michael Realman; the Judge grants Eleanor's request to make him mortal after the final door refuses to work on an immortal.

What does Chidi's note to himself say when he finally opens it in season four?

Chidi's note reads 'There is no answer. But Eleanor is the answer.'; he wrote it and entrusted it to Janet just before his memory was wiped for the experiment.

Which actor makes a cameo helping present the new afterlife plan in 'You've Changed, Man'?

Timothy Olyphant appears as himself, summoned in a Stetson to charm the star-struck Judge while the group presents their plan in 'You've Changed, Man'.

Where does Eleanor take Chidi in the finale to try to keep him from leaving?

Eleanor takes Chidi to the Acropolis of Athens and then to Paris; recalling What We Owe to Each Other, she realizes she is making selfish rules to keep him.

Who directed the pilot episode 'Everything Is Fine'?

Drew Goddard directed 'Everything Is Fine'; he also created Netflix's Daredevil, wrote The Martian screenplay and directed The Cabin in the Woods.

The show's creator previously played which character on The Office?

Michael Schur, a writer on The Office, played Dwight's cousin Mose Schrute; he went on to co-create Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Michael's actor first became a star playing which sitcom bartender?

Ted Danson became a star as Sam Malone, the ex-Red Sox pitcher who owns the bar on Cheers (1982–93); the role won him two Emmys.

Manny Jacinto later played the mysterious Qimir in which Star Wars series?

Manny Jacinto played Qimir, the Stranger, in The Acolyte (2024); born in Manila and raised in British Columbia, he was also cast in Top Gun: Maverick, though his lines were cut.

William Jackson Harper says he was considering doing what before landing the role of Chidi?

Harper has said he was close to quitting acting, having given himself a deadline, when he was cast as Chidi; he was later Emmy-nominated for the role.

Before acting, D'Arcy Carden trained at which improv theatre?

D'Arcy Carden trained and performed for years at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre; she later played Natalie on Barry and Greta in A League of Their Own.

On what basis did NBC order the then-untitled show for 13 episodes in August 2015?

NBC ordered the show in August 2015 on a pitch alone by Michael Schur, with no script written; the afterlife premise was kept quiet until the network's May 2016 upfronts.

Under what placeholder name was Jameela Jamil's character announced when she was cast?

Jameela Jamil's role was announced under the placeholder name Tessa; it became Tahani Al-Jamil, the name-dropping socialite, once the afterlife premise was revealed.

Which 1960s surreal series have critics compared The Good Place to for its rule-bound setting?

The Prisoner (1967–68), Patrick McGoohan's series, trapped its hero in an idyllic, inescapable Village, much as Eleanor is trapped in Michael's neighborhood.

On what date did The Good Place air its series finale?

The series finale, 'Whenever You're Ready', aired on NBC on January 30, 2020; the decision to end after season four had been announced in June 2019.

How many Emmy guest-actress nominations did Maya Rudolph earn for playing the Judge?

Maya Rudolph earned three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series as the Judge, in 2018, 2019 and 2020, without winning for the role.

The show's six-part web spin-off is set during an ellipsis in which episode?

The web spin-off is set during 'Chidi Sees the Time-Knife', as Shawn and his demons pick the four humans for Michael's new neighborhood before 'Pandemonium' begins.