# The Good Place \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545 "2016-09-21T23:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/222 "2017-01-23T14:59:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I realize that Eleanor missed a chance. The note in Janet’s mouth should have read “This is the Bad Place.” I don’t think so. What would “original flavor” Eleanor be able to do with the information that they’re in the Bad Place? She’d go on a rampage of some kind, Michael would reset again, and that would be the end of it. Chidi is the only person there who can turn Eleanor into a good person. It was a good move. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/223 "2017-01-23T15:26:29Z")
It was a fun twist. Danson did great. My choice for a short note would have been “Only trust Chidi & Tahani!” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/224 "2017-01-23T16:11:35Z")
It’s interesting that all episodes are online at [NBC.com](http://NBC.com). Usually they only show four. I think they’re hoping that word of mouth might make the show a hit next season. I hope this doesn’t end up like last year’s _You, Me, and the Apocalypse_ – another NBC show with a story arc and a twist ending, but which didn’t get the ratings to continue. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/225 "2017-01-23T16:38:10Z")
I am not a network programmer, but[the ratings story doesn’t look good to me.](http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/good-place-season-one-ratings/) Taking a two-month break didn’t help, either. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/226 "2017-01-23T20:33:30Z")
I think Eleanor would be more likely to to just kick back and relax if she knew it was The Bad Place right off the bat. Her character growth with Chidi is gone, and while she’d be confused she wouldn’t go on a rampage. She certainly wouldn’t worry about being found out like she was the first cycle. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/227 "2017-01-24T04:40:21Z")
I really loved this show, everything about it! But it would be fine if it ended the way it did. It would be fun to see a new round as well, but all the mystery would be gone. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/228 "2017-01-24T05:42:13Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I think Eleanor would be more likely to to just kick back and relax if she knew it was The Bad Place right off the bat. As Bad Places go, this doesn’t seem too bad. So she has a mildly annoying Ikea house (how long into the second run will it take for her to discover the hidden stairs?) with a creepy clown nook. The horror! I realize she didn’t want to rock the boat and was trying to “pass” for what she understood to be “Real” Eleanor, but Jason could decorate his Budd-Hole as he chose, why couldn’t she redecorate her house? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/229 "2017-01-25T02:54:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > …I hope this doesn’t end up like last year’s _You, Me, and the Apocalypse_ – another NBC show with a story arc and a twist ending, but which didn’t get the ratings to continue. I want a 2nd season, but if it doesn’t happen this was a satisfying ending. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > …For the next season to work, however, the four will have to figure out things much more quickly. This season hinged on being able to reveal the situation, but now that the situation is known, dragging out the discovery by the four will quickly get boring. It can’t take 13 episodes again. Good point. I wonder if Janet can restore erased memories (other than her own)? If it is normal “Good Place” practice to erase painful or unpleasant death memories maybe they can be restored on explicit request (which would have to be made to a Janet since Architects aren’t normally on-hand in the neighborhood). Michael could’ve used the same system to erase their memories to reset everything. It would stand to reason that if he’s stuck w/ a Good Janet (instead of reprograming a Bad Janet to pretend to be good) he might be stuck using a bunch of other Good Place templates designing 12358W. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/230 "2017-01-25T04:15:11Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > The ubiquitous frozen yogurt stands alone should have been enough :D. “Isn’t it just like humans to take something great and ruin it just a little?” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/231 "2017-01-25T05:22:36Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I am not a network programmer, but[the ratings story doesn’t look good to me.](http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/good-place-season-one-ratings/) Those are considered decent numbers these days. Gone are the days of cancelling when the ratings dip below a 7, now they’re delighted if it reaches a 2. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/232 "2017-01-25T12:11:54Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As Bad Places go, this doesn’t seem too bad. So she has a mildly annoying Ikea house (how long into the second run will it take for her to discover the hidden stairs?) with a creepy clown nook. The horror! Okay, try living in that neighborhood for a few hundred trillion years, see if it wears a little thin for you. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/233 "2017-01-25T12:52:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Okay, try living in that neighborhood for a few hundred trillion years, see if it wears a little thin for you. That’s the critical flaw with ANY eternal-afterlife concept, even “good” ones, unless the part of your personality that feels boredom gets left behind on the mortal plane. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/234 "2017-01-25T13:49:12Z")
[A pontification](http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/renewcancel/cancel-bear-vs-nbc-week-18-the-good-place-did-just-enough-to-earn-season-2/) about its chances with some other shows in comparison particularly in the 18-49 group. Looks like a reasonably good shot. Anyone know how these systems track streaming on Hulu and such? Or if they do? The angle next year may include the Columbo style bit - _how_ do they figure it out - and _different_ character growth. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/235 "2017-01-25T14:01:13Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > [A pontification](http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/renewcancel/cancel-bear-vs-nbc-week-18-the-good-place-did-just-enough-to-earn-season-2/) about its chances with some other shows in comparison particularly in the 18-49 group. Looks like a reasonably good shot. > > Anyone know how these systems track streaming on Hulu and such? Or if they do? > > The angle next year may include the Columbo style bit - _how_ do they figure it out - and _different_ character growth. From the link: > [@](#): > > The Renew/Cancel Index is the amount above (or below) a replacement-level rating — i.e., the expected adults 18-49 rating of an emergency fill-in show should a series be canceled. For the 2016-17 season, replacement level is a 0.7 same-day rating in adults 18-49 for the Big 4 networks and a 0.2 for The CW. The index number is taken by subtracting 0.7 (or 0.2) from a show’s average same-day rating. I’ve read that paragraph through several times and I still can’t understand what it means. Could someone explain it better? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/236 "2017-01-25T14:17:29Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > I’ve read that paragraph through several times and I still can’t understand what it means. Could someone explain it better? They’re going to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/237 "2017-01-25T15:21:49Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Anyone know how these systems track streaming on Hulu and such? Or if they do? According to [this article](http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/nielsen-viewership-rises-after-live-plus-7/404657), Nielsen tracks live viewing plus DVR viewing within seven days. Other links mention that they also track live plus same-day DVR viewing (where same day is defined as 3am-3am) and live plus three-day. As for streaming via Hulu, the networks actually own Hulu, so I’ll bet they know exactly how many people watch a show via it, and when. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/238 "2017-01-25T16:19:42Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > I’ve read that paragraph through several times and I still can’t understand what it means. Could someone explain it better? I don’t think it’s a common stat (I’ve never seen it before), but it is a stat for this site. It assumes that NBC (and the other big 4 networks, ABC, CBS, FOX) can throw pretty much anything on the air (a sitcom repeat, special “news” programming, etc.) and get ratings of at least .7 (they use a slightly different calculation for Friday nights). The Renew/Cancel index is how much better that show did than a hypothetical replacement show. Or in other words, how many more people watched this than would watch an SVU rerun? Actually, seeing it’s subtracting a constant (except for the weird Friday show adjustment), it’s an incredibly redundant statistic. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/239 "2017-01-25T16:29:03Z")
The problem with trying to decipher what it takes to get into the ‘good place’ is that no one is actually referring to the Bible. good works are not particularly important, acknowledgement that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, is paramount. I haven’t seen any sense of wanting to worship at the foot of the throne, either. Nor golden slippers. This program is not based in sound theology!!! ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/240 "2017-01-25T16:35:38Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > The problem with trying to decipher what it takes to get into the ‘good place’ is that no one is actually referring to the Bible. good works are not particularly important, acknowledgement that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, is paramount. > > I haven’t seen any sense of wanting to worship at the foot of the throne, either. Nor golden slippers. This program is not based in sound theology!!! I’m guessing that you are being facetious, but if not: They addressed that in the first episode. Michael explained that all of the world’s organized religions largely have it wrong about the afterlife. None of them are even close to having it figured out, in other words. That’s one of the central, crucial foundations of the show. As for being renewed, there is more to it than ratings. Network-owned shows have a better chance of renewal than outside-produced shows. This one is produced by Universal Studios, so that is a strike against renewal. But we probably won’t know for sure for another couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545/241 "2017-01-25T17:02:56Z")
So, I finally watched it - That was probably one of the best twists I’ve ever seen, my jaw was literally hanging open after the reveal. Will be interest to see where they go from there next season as the mystery aspect is over. Maybe more stuff with Michael’s behind-the-scenes machinations to prevent the 4 from knowing where they are? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-place-edited-title/766545.md?page=13)