The Good Place’s best twist (and perhapsone of the greatest plot twists in TV history) occurs during the season 1 finale whenKristen Bell’s character realizes the truth about “the Good Place.“Not only were viewers in the dark concerning this revelation, though, so were most of the actors. The sitcom, created by Michael Schur, ran for four seasons and 53 episodes on NBC, and there are plenty of memorable moments throughout them all. However, nothing can compare to the jaw-dropping reveal during the last episode ofThe Good Placeseason 1.
Over the course of its four-season run,The Good Placewas nominated for 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Ted Danson, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for William Jackson Harper, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for D’Arcy Carden.
AseveryThe Good Placecharacteris arguing over who has to go to “the Bad Place” in the season 1 finale, Eleanor suddenly connects the dots and understands exactly what’s happening.Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason have been in “the Bad Place” the entire time.From the moment Eleanor wakes up in Michael’s office in the pilot to her epiphany during the finale, they have never been in “the Good Place.” In actuality, all four of them were sent there to torture one another. It works, that is, until Eleanor discovers the truth (which includes that Michael is a demon).
Only Kristen Bell & Ted Danson Knew About The Good Place’s Big Twist
The Other 4 Series Regulars Were Kept In The Dark
The Good Placeseason 1 finale’s twistdefines the series. Of course,it changes everything that fans (and the characters) know about the sitcom’s universe,making them re-evaluate the 12 preceding episodes. However, viewers weren’t the only ones who had to go back to the start and watch everything with the knowledge that the characters had been in “the Bad Place” the entire time — four out of the six series regulars had to, as well.
D’Arcy Carden
Janet
Kristen Bell and Ted Danson were the only twoThe Good Placecast membersaware of the season 1 finale’s twist from the very beginning. Meanwhile,the producers never told William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, and D’Arcy Carden the big secret.Instead, the four actors filmed the majority of season 1 without knowing their characters were in “the Bad Place.” They only found out when creator Mike Schur explained everything to them just ahead of production onThe Good Placeseason 1 finale.
William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, & D’Arcy Carden’s Reactions Were Filmed
Mike Schur called for a meeting between himself, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, and D’Arcy Carden before filming the season 1 finale to finally tell themThe Good Place’s great plot twist. Thanks toKristen Bell, whose idea it was to film her castmates during said meeting,there is a video of the moment they are let in on the show’s secret. The clip is almost as good as the twist itself.
Fans Of The Good Place Should Watch Netflix’s New Ted Danson Comedy Series With 95% On RT
Ted Danson’s highly-rated new Netflix show, A Man on the Inside, is the perfect follow-up to his other extremely popular show, The Good Place.
In the video, Schur goes into detail about what happens during the finale’s last scene. He starts at the moment Eleanor figures out the truth, continues with her telling Michael that she and Chidi will volunteer to go to “the Bad Place,” and ends with Bell’s character explaining to the others that they can’t go to “the Bad Place” because they’re already there.Once Schur reveals the staggering plot twist, Harper, Jamil, Jacinto, and Carden’s jaws drop.It’s clear that they were surprised just as much as the audience was, which was great for Schur.The Good Placecreator explained toEntertainment Weekly:
“Their reactions will tell me whether or not we’re going to pull it off. If the people who have been living with the characters every day are genuinely surprised at this move, that’s a pretty good indication that the audience will be as well. So when they all were very surprised—and we got that reaction that you see in that video—I was like, ‘Okay. This is going to work.'”
The Good Place Hiding The Twist From The Cast Made It Even Better
KeepingThe Good Place’s biggest secret from four out of the show’s six cast members resulted in the amazing video of their reactions. However, withholding the information was also great for the sitcom itself. Throughout the majority ofThe Good Placeseason 1, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, and D’Arcy Carden played their roles without knowing they were in “the Bad Place” the entire time. They had the same level of information as their characters, who all truly believed they were in “the Good Place.” So,the lack of knowledge benefited their performances.As Schur toldEntertainment Weekly:
“If I were one of the other people, I think I would’ve not wanted to know, because it might’ve screwed up my performance. They gave the most honest and real performance they could give, simply because they didn’t know.”
Meanwhile, Schur told Ted Danson and Kristen Bell because they were the stars. They are also notable actors who he felt needed the truth to get them to sign on to the series. Danson’s character was also the only one who knew aboutThe Good Place’s iconic plot twist the entire time. So, Danson knowing benefited his performance as a demon disguised as a “Good Place” architect. Just like that,one of the greatest, most shocking plot twists in TV history was born.
