The Good Place series 3 is here, and people are loving it
Both fans and critics applaud the afterlife-based Netflix sitcom as the gang return to Earth
The first episode of The Good Place’s third season has finally arrived on Netflix (after airing on NBC in America on Thursday), and so far everybody’s forking loving it.
From fans on twitter to TV critics, no-one had a harsh word to say about Mike Schur’s unusual sitcom, which follows four humans living in a heaven-like afterlife that later turns out to have a dark secret, prompting their return to Earth – with their memories wiped – for these new episodes.
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“[The Good Place] is still surprising, still meticulously plotted, and still hilarious at an extremely high velocity,” wrote Jen Chaney in her review for Vulture.
“It is, without question, television’s best philosophi-com, which is what I call a comedy that explores philosophical and ethical issues. I realize it doesn’t have a lot of competition in that regard, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s earned the title.”
“The Season Three opener is a masterclass in what The Good Place has managed to cultivate: four anti-heroes who are learning to be good people in an era of television when people need something good to root for,” Esquire’s Justin Kirkland said.
“As the season begins, we get to see a little bit of what's going on in their redemption tour, but it's a firm reminder of what the show has become about. Eleanor and company can't improve their situation alone.”
And in the UK the reviews were equally positive, with Catherine Gee of the Telegraph praising the “curve balls” in the series opener.
“Curve balls are thrown left and right, and the gags barrage past,” she wrote.
“If you even only catch half, you’ve had a good time. And it still prompts us to ask the big questions (should we still eat blueberries if the pickers are mistreated? Why are chipotle and Aristotle pronounced so differently?)”
“From the off, it is full of the ethical conundrums; philosophical points and counterpoints; nimble leaps in time, narrative and dimensions; and, above all, jokes,” added the Guardian’s Lucy Mangan.
“Visual, verbal, one-liners, standalones or purely character-driven, intra-show gags for devotees only, there is never a moment wasted.”
And across social media, fans were also loving the return of Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, Jason, Janet and reformed demon Michael (played by Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, D'Arcy Carden and Ted Danson) as they tried to become better people back on Earth.
In fact, the only bad thing anyone could find to say about it was the Australian accents some of the cast ended up using for scenes set in Oz.
Sounds like the series’ accent coach might be heading to the Bad Place – but for everyone else involved, we’d say things are looking bright for the rest of series three.
The Good Place releases new episodes on Netflix UK on Friday mornings
