They're Back
Last night NBC rolled out their new Thursday night lineup, which just happened to feature my two favorite network comedies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place, from 9 to 10.
None of the plots really took off. And yet, the show is reliably funny enough that it was still enjoyable. And apparently the ratings were decent, so let's hope the show sticks around for a few more years.
The Good Place, meanwhile, is coming back from hiatus. As with any of their 13-episode seasons, a lot is going on. When we last left the main characters (spoiler alert), they had finally made it to the actual Good Place. There was a lot of speculation as to what would happen next. The only thing we knew for sure is they couldn't find ultimate happiness, since nothing kills comedy more than happiness.
It looks like another dead end, but then Michael has an epiphany. The reason the system broke down is life has gotten more complicated on Earth, so even simple actions resonate as they never used to, and it's all but impossible not to leave a negative footprint. So, it would appear, the system hasn't been messed with, but it may be outmoded. Thus the gang needs to get out of there and meet with the Judge to figure out what to do next.
Not one of the funnier episodes, unfortunately, but there's still no show on TV quite like it. Too bad the second "half" of season three consists of just three episodes. But try to look on the bright side--for two more weeks we'll get this one-two combination. (And moved to 9, so they don't have to compete with The Big Bang Theory powerhouse.)
posted by LAGuy @ 9:32 AM
3 Comments:
We were happy to welcome this duo back. I thought B99 was a little flat. I generally like Captain Holt plots, but they undermined his character in this first return episode. He usually generates humor by being the stoic, competent character faced with the zany antics of the rest, but I didn't think it worked well making him weak and needy in this episode. Hopefully just a one episode departure.
Good Place continues to rock. After every episode I am left with very little idea as to where the story will go next (which is great). I imagine that once this series wraps up, it will not be a good fit for daily syndication, because each episode is pretty dependent on what happened in the last episode to be understood. Unlike Seinfeld episodes, which you can watch out of order because they pretty much stand-alone with only minor arcs.
I can see buying the whole Good Place series for future viewing, just for refreshers on basic philosophical principles, and to explore earlier episodes to hunt for clues as to what you know is coming later.
P.S We just got the final season of The Middle, which we missed on original broadcast. It's very satisfying so far, if a little too Brick-centric. Too bad the Sue Heck spin off has been shelved.
Good to hear from you, Denver Guy. I don't think you've commented in a while.
Sitcoms tends to do better in syndication than serial drama, since it's easier to dip in and out. However, the future may be more about bingeing whenever you like, so maybe it won't matter so much.
The Good Place hits on a lot of philosophical topics. I wouldn't say it goes into them too deeply (I found the arguments of this week's episode rather silly, in fact), but the mere fact it's exploring these issues makes it unique among sitcoms.
I've already written about how I don't mind the Sue Heck show didn't make it. I thought the character was already getting away from what made her great on The Middle. If she got her own show, they'd probably have had to change her so much it wouldn't be worth it. Though I would like to see Eden Sher in something.
Post a Comment
<< Home