The Good Place Is Actually Really 'Good'
The Good Place, an NBC comedy depicting a satirical and twisted version of the afterlife, has been hailed as brilliant, hilarious, and politically correct in a time where accurate representation in media is vital.The show features six main characters: Eleanor, a chaotic neutral woman with a dark past and a seemingly bleak life, Chidi, an ethics professor whose indecision costs him his life (literally), Tahani, a multi-millionaire whose families power and wealth pushed her to the edge as her sister, who is perceived as better than her, is rewarded for her hard work, while Tahani stands in the shadows, Jason, a high-school drop out and frequent thief whose attempts to rob a restaurant turn disastrous (and deadly), Michael, the creator of The Good Place, and Janet, a life-like, empathetic 'robot' that has access to all of the knowledge in the world.
The ways in which the show talks about race, gender, sexuality, and class is progressive compared to other cable shows that are popular right now. Hopefully, it will pave the way for further representation and recognition of marginalized identities.
I think this show does a great job at increasing representation in the media. They talk about a lot of important issues and show these characters as everyday people. The fact that the hired actors of color to portray certain roles, doesn't affect their character, which is really important. This show normalizes the use of people of color in Hollywood in normal roles, rather than only casting people of color when it is important to the character.
ReplyDeleteThis is a show that I have really enjoyed watching lately, and I think you did a really good job of laying out all of the things it does well. I think one of my favorite parts is how different characters actively break certain stereotypes that are often ascribed to their gender or race. For example, Janet is a woman and also a genius robot. Women are often shown to be highly emotional and not as intelligent as men, but Janet breaks this stereotype. Another example is how Jason breaks the model minority stereotype as an Asian character, as he is presented as being ditzy and not at all affluent in his former life.
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