The Good Place

The Good Place is a somewhat unique show in the sense that it successfully manages to incorporate comedic elements into a show that is fixated on a life after death, which can be a rather touchy, controversial subject to discuss. Of course, Heaven and Hell operate under pseudonyms "The Good Place" and "The Bad Place" in order to take religion mostly out of the picture. The show's ability to induce laughter about a natural phenomenon as frightful as death is in clear support of the relief theory, but the whole premise of the show introduces a central incongruity. This piece that the show revolves around is that a handful of benevolent people who just died are sent to "The Bad Place," a place befitting those devoid of morals who lack qualms about committing the most egregious of acts. Not only is the show incongruous in that respect, but there is clashing between the personalities of various characters. There are people like the robot, who happen to make amusing deliveries of jokes in a deadpan manner that greatly contrasts what she is saying at the time. There are also more assertive, aggressive characters like Elenor that are not afraid of biting back at the things they disagree with at the time. It is the lack of social awareness that drives the characters to do things that would not be seen in everyday life that makes these shows so endearing. They are always chock full of surprises, of people doing things that are well out of the ordinary, as the audience sits by idly, laughing as the characters' lives fall apart. Also, because of the nature of the show, many will find the content of the show a bit stimulating, and may even provoke thought about deeper subjects, such as the question of life after death.