GOOD PLACE, THE: PILOT / FLYING {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this fantasy-comedy series about a group of mismatched oddballs attempting to navigate the afterlife. In this two-part episode, Arizona native Eleanor Shellstrop finds herself in an unknown office and learns from the friendly Michael that she has just died in a moderately embarrassing manner. He explains that most world religions are about "five percent" right about the afterlife, and while there is no traditional Heaven or Hell, she has been deemed worthy of "the good place." He takes her on a tour, explaining that "the good place" is zoned into tidy, idyllic neighborhoods of 322 residents apiece, with every detail perfectly crafted for ultimate happiness. At an orientation meeting, he explains that a person's "life value" is calculated by their every action and choice pre-death, adding that everyone will soon find their soulmate in their new home. Michael tells Eleanor that most people, including "every artist ever," did not make the cut and are now in "the bad place," but she, with her tireless legal work to free innocent Death Row inmates, passed the "incredibly selective" test. He takes her to her tiny, quirky new home, which he proudly declares to be suited to her exact specifications, and introduces her to her soulmate, a good-natured Senegalese ethics professor named Chidi Anagonye. Once alone, Chidi tells her that he is excited to explore the "fundamental truths of the universe" with her – but after making him promise never to betray her, she admits that she is not a human-rights lawyer at all and is there by mistake.
Eleanor struggles against her neighborhood's strict swearing policy as she admits that she was actually "in sales," hawking useless medicine to the elderly. Upset, Chidi wonders if she is being tested, but after receiving a terrifying audio preview of "the bad place" from hyper-competent database helper Janet, Eleanor decides not to tell the truth about the mistake. Chidi frets about the moral implications of lying, and Michael soon introduces them to their neighbors, the glamorous Tahani and her silent Buddhist-monk soulmate Jianyu. Tahani throws a welcoming party at her enormous mansion, and Eleanor quickly realizes that she is far and away the "worst" person there as everyone else describes their selfless deeds and kind natures on Earth. Michael happily reveals that after working as an apprentice for two centuries, he was finally allowed to design their neighborhood on his own, and an exasperated Eleanor heads back to her "weirdo" house, wondering if anyone cares that she has died.
Eleanor wakes up to a chaotic scene in which the formerly perfect neighborhood is besieged by storms, giant bugs and other disasters, and Michael panics as Chidi quickly deduces that Eleanor is to blame because of her inappropriate presence. Eleanor argues that she was a "medium person" in life and does not deserve eternal damnation, and she begs Chidi to teach her how to be a better person and "earn her place" there. Michael calls a neighborhood meeting and frets over the inexplicable events, though things soon calm down and return seemingly to normal. Chidi consults Kant and tries to come up with a plan, but he soon realizes that Eleanor is entirely self-obsessed, as proven by her Earthly habit of weaseling out of designated-driver duty with her friends. On Day 2, Michael announces that it is time for flying lessons, but ever-perfect Tahani suggests that they first take time to clean up the mess left the bizarre storm, and Chidi quickly volunteers himself and Eleanor to teach her a lesson about altruism. Eleanor resentfully watches as everyone else joyfully takes to the skies, while elsewhere Tahani and Jianyu resolve to help Michael, who is still concerned that "one tiny mistake" may have ruined his very first neighborhood.
Chidi wrestles with the decision about helping Eleanor, and Michael makes things worse when he kicks a resident's dog facsimile into the pretend sun. Eleanor rushes through her cleanup job in order to participate in flying, but she is soon rewarded with a trash storm and Chidi declares that she is too selfish to ever be redeemed, though her other neighbors Gunnar and Antonio are only too pleased to have more work to do. Tahani fails to cheer up a despondent Michael, but Jianyu manages to reassure him without a word, and Tahani considers embracing a life of thoughtful silence herself – for a moment. Eleanor experiences the "weird feeling" of genuine remorse and finishes the cleanup by herself, and Chidi is impressed enough to give her another chance to learn. He puts together a rigorous study plan, and Eleanor is excited to get started – until she receives an anonymous note under her door informing her that she "doesn't belong there" after all. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 127890
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Comedy, fantasy/science fiction; Heaven
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2016-2020
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Miner … Executive Producer
- Morgan Sackett … Executive Producer
- Drew Goddard … Executive Producer, Director
- Michael Schur … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Aisha Muharrar … Co-Executive Producer
- Dylan Morgan … Co-Executive Producer
- Josh Siegal … Co-Executive Producer
- David Hyman … Producer
- Joe Mande … Producer
- Megan Amram … Producer
- Jennifer Statsky … Co-Producer
- Tom Ragazzo … Co-Producer
- Doug Smith … Co-Producer
- Dan Goor … Consulting Producer
- Matt Murray … Consulting Producer
- Alan Yang … Consulting Producer, Writer
- Charles Bolwell … Visual Effects Producer
- Michael McDonald … Director
- David Schwartz … Music by
- Kristen Bell … Cast, Eleanor Shellstrop
- William Jackson Harper … Cast, Chidi Anagonye
- Jameela Jamil … Cast, Tahani Al-Jamil
- D'Arcy Carden … Cast, Janet
- Manny Jacinto … Cast, Jianyu
- Ted Danson … Cast, Michael
- Bambadjan Bamba … Cast, Bambadjan
- Ruman Kazi … Cast, Sachveer
- Seth Morris … Cast, Wallace
- John Hartman … Cast, Joe
- Jill Remez … Cast, Gloria
- Jamila Webb … Cast, Good Woman
- Amy Okuda … Cast, Jessica
- Susan Park … Cast, Pevita
- Allyn Rachel … Cast, Betsy
- Steve Berg … Cast, Gunnar
- Jorge Diaz … Cast, Antonio
- Adam Huber … Cast, Kirk